Construction Costs Accounting
Your construction costs, properly accounted for.
Running a construction business means juggling materials, labour, subcontractors, and projects all at once — and the numbers rarely sit still. Edward Harris gives you a clear picture of where your money is going, job by job. Fixed monthly fee, ACCA-qualified accountant, same-day replies to questions.
- Know your actual cost on every job, not just at year-end
- CIS deductions handled correctly so nothing gets missed
- VAT accounted for properly across labour and materials
- No surprise tax bills — tax liability visible throughout the year
No long-term contract. If it is not working after three months, you leave with tidy books and nothing outstanding.
Get a free quote
Fixed pricing. Same-day reply.
What our clients say
★★★★★
Organised Books and Proactive Advice
“Hasan at Edward Harris has been superb for us. He has organised our books, compiled documentation for HMRC and been proactive with advice.”
★★★★★
Always Responds Quickly, Completely Trustworthy
“He always responds to messages and calls so quickly, has a wealth of knowledge and experience and is absolutely trustworthy.”
★★★★★
Complex Concepts Made Easy to Understand
“Hasan is always prompt in responding to my inquiries and made complex financial concepts easy to understand.”
★★★★★
Swift and Hassle-Free From the Start
“Hasan took over and sorted out my accounts with a swift and hassle free service. I would highly recommend for your accounting needs.”
Sound familiar?
Winning jobs but not sure where the money goes?
Construction businesses face accounting challenges that most general accountants are not set up for. Labour, materials, subcontractor payments, CIS deductions, retention amounts — they all need tracking separately, and they all affect your actual profit. Without a clear picture of job costs, it is easy to win work and still find you are not making what you expected.
- ✕ No clear view of profit or loss on individual jobs
- ✕ CIS deductions miscalculated or not reconciled with HMRC
- ✕ Tax bill appears at year-end with no warning and no plan
What sorted looks like
With construction costs accounted for properly throughout the year, you know which jobs make money and which do not. CIS is handled. VAT is right. And your tax position is visible well before any deadlines arrive.
- ✓ Job-level cost tracking so you know your margin on each contract
- ✓ CIS payroll and deduction statements handled and reconciled every month
- ✓ Tax position monitored year-round — no last-minute bills
- ✓ Fixed monthly fee — no hourly charges or unexpected invoices
What construction business owners say
From sole traders in trades to growing construction companies, clients across Greater Manchester and the UK work with Edward Harris for exactly this kind of support.
Hasan at Edward Harris has been superb for us. He has organised our books, compiled documentation for HMRC and been proactive with advice. Best accountant I have used.
Hasan took over and sorted out my accounts with a swift and hassle free service. I would highly recommend for your accounting needs.
What construction costs accounting covers
Everything needed to track costs accurately, stay compliant with HMRC, and understand your financial position across the year — not just at year-end.
Job Costing and Bookkeeping
Materials, labour, plant hire, subcontractor payments — each cost allocated to the right job so you can see margin at a contract level. Monthly cloud bookkeeping keeps everything current, so you are not piecing it together in January. Using Xero, QuickBooks Online, or FreeAgent, your records are clean and accessible at any time.
Included as standardCIS Payroll and HMRC Compliance
CIS deductions calculated correctly for every subcontractor, with monthly statements issued and returns submitted to HMRC on time. Gross payment status, verification of subcontractors, and year-end reconciliation are all handled. Less correspondence from HMRC, and nothing that should have been deducted turning up as a surprise liability.
Included as standardTax Planning and Year-End Accounts
Corporation tax or self assessment prepared with your full construction costs properly reflected — not just a bank statement summary. Tax planning throughout the year means your liability is visible early enough to act on it. Year-end accounts prepared to Companies House and HMRC standards with no last-minute scramble.
Included as standardConsistently rated five stars on Google
Sole traders, limited companies, and growing SMEs — clients across different industries and stages consistently describe the same experience: quick responses, clear advice, no jargon.
Found After Expensive Accountant Who Never Responded
“I started off with an incredible expensive company who I could never reach or get good advice from – then THANKFULLY found Hasan who has been our accountant ever since.”
WhatsApp Access Makes Communication More Efficient
“We have been working with Hasan for almost a year. He’s been very helpful providing us with knowledge as new business owners. It’s great we can WhatsApp for general queries, making communication more efficient.”
Patient and Helpful With First-Time Business Owner
“Hasan has been amazing and extremely helpful he has been very patient with me being new to running a business, he had given me some great advice and I will continue to use Edward Harris & Hasan”
Why construction businesses choose us
There are plenty of accountants. Fewer who already understand how construction businesses are paid, costed, and taxed before you need to explain it.
CIS handled without chasing you
The Construction Industry Scheme has its own rules, its own deadlines, and its own way of creating problems when it is not managed properly. CIS returns are filed monthly, subcontractor statements issued, and deductions reconciled against what HMRC holds — without you needing to remind anyone. Which is, frankly, the way it should work.
Job costs tracked, not guessed
Knowing your overall turnover is not the same as knowing which jobs are profitable. Cloud bookkeeping is set up to allocate costs at job level so you can see margin by contract. Patterns emerge — the type of work that makes money, and the type that does not — and that information is useful well before year-end.
Questions answered the day you ask
Construction moves quickly and questions rarely wait for a monthly catch-up. Queries are answered the same day by phone, email, or WhatsApp. No waiting a week for a reply about whether a subcontractor should be verified, or whether a material cost is VAT-reclaimable.
Up and running in four steps
Getting your construction costs accounting sorted does not require much from you. A conversation, a few details, and the rest is handled.
Get in touch
Call 0161 706 1523, email info@edwardharris.co.uk, or use the contact form. We reply the same day. The initial conversation is free and there is no pressure to proceed.
We discuss your situation
A straightforward conversation about your business — the type of work you do, how you pay subcontractors, your current bookkeeping setup. No preparation needed. We ask the questions.
We take everything over
Cloud accounting is set up or migrated, CIS is brought up to date, and any catch-up bookkeeping is handled. If there are gaps in previous records, we deal with them. You do not need to sort anything out before handing it across.
Your numbers work for you
Job costs tracked, CIS filed monthly, tax visible throughout the year. You know where you stand, which contracts are profitable, and what your tax bill is likely to be — well before HMRC sends a reminder.
“I had the pleasure of working with Hasan for our business’s financial needs, and I couldn’t be more satisfied. They provided exceptional service, demonstrating a deep understanding of accounting principles and tax regulations. Hasan is always prompt in responding to my inquiries and made complex financial concepts easy to understand. Their attention to detail and commitment to accuracy gave me great confidence in my financial decisions. I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a reliable and knowledgeable accountant”
Answers to the questions we get most
Do you understand how CIS works for contractors and subcontractors?
Yes — verifying subcontractors with HMRC, applying the right deduction rate (20% or 30%), issuing monthly payment and deduction statements, and filing CIS300 returns on time are all part of a standard construction accounting service here. Gross payment status applications and year-end reconciliations are handled in the same way. You will not need to explain the scheme before getting a useful answer.
What does construction costs accounting cost, and what is included?
Pricing is fixed monthly — agreed upfront based on the size and complexity of your business, not charged by the hour. A typical package for a construction sole trader or limited company includes bookkeeping, CIS payroll, VAT returns, year-end accounts, and tax returns. Cloud accounting software is included with advisory packages. Contact us for a specific quote — the initial conversation is free.
My books are behind and my CIS records are a mess. Can you still help?
This is fairly common when construction businesses come to us. Catch-up bookkeeping and CIS reconciliation are handled as part of the onboarding process. There may be a one-off charge depending on how far behind things are, and that will be confirmed upfront before any work starts. Once it is sorted, the monthly process keeps everything current going forward.
Is there a minimum contract or lock-in period?
No long-term contract. Month-to-month once the initial setup is complete. If the arrangement is not working, you give notice and leave with your records in order and nothing outstanding. The aim is to make it worth staying, not make it difficult to leave.
How do you handle VAT for construction work, particularly the reverse charge?
The domestic reverse charge for construction services has added a layer of complexity to VAT for many construction businesses — particularly where you supply services to other VAT-registered contractors. This is handled correctly as standard, including identifying which supplies are in scope, how to account for them on your VAT return, and how cash flow is affected. If you are not sure whether reverse charge applies to your work, that is exactly the kind of question worth asking early.
Can I see my likely tax bill before the end of the financial year?
Yes — this is one of the more straightforward benefits of having current books throughout the year rather than reconciling everything in one go at year-end. With monthly bookkeeping in place, a reasonably accurate tax estimate is available at any point. That means time to plan, make pension contributions, or adjust drawings before the liability is fixed rather than after.
Get your construction costs properly under control.
Fixed monthly fee, ACCA-qualified accountant, same-day replies. Construction businesses across Greater Manchester and the UK — in-person or fully remote.