Columbia GCs, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, framing, landscaping — your books juggle job-costing across state-government projects, USC and medical-district build-outs, Fort Jackson contracts, and the steady Northeast Columbia / Lexington / Irmo residential build-out. Multi-crew payroll, W2/1099 splits, draws and retainage — handled monthly so you stay on the job.
No setup fees · Cancel anytime · Dedicated bookkeeper
The Midlands is the largest construction market in the state, and Columbia trades carry a different mix than the Upstate or the Lowcountry. We work with GCs and crews across Richland and Lexington counties — including all over Richland County — and we build the books around how Columbia work actually flows.
The public-sector construction layer here is huge. State government build-outs, USC campus projects, the medical district anchored by Prisma Health Richland and Lexington Medical Center, and the steady flow of Fort Jackson contracts all run on their own paperwork. That means heavy 1099 sub-contracting, prevailing wage tracking where federal money is involved, and retainage that sits on your balance sheet for months. We set up your chart of accounts so progress billing, retainage receivable, and sub payments are clean every month — not a January scramble.
Then there's the residential side: the Northeast Columbia / Blythewood / Forest Acres expansion north and east of the city, and across the river through West Columbia, Cayce, Lexington, and Irmo. Production builders, custom-home GCs, and remodelers all need real job costing — every job tracked separately for materials, labor, and subs — plus draw-schedule revenue recognition so a slow month between draws doesn't look like a slow business. We tie each draw to the right job so your P&L tells the truth.
And then there's the specialty-trade base that powers all of it — HVAC, electrical, plumbing, framing, roofing, landscaping, and painting crews running a mix of W2 employees and 1099 helpers, with materials-versus-labor splits that matter for both job profitability and tax. We separate parts from labor, track vehicle and fuel costs by crew, and keep payroll and subcontractor records ready for year-end. Whether you're rolling trucks out of West Columbia or running a five-crew GC out of Columbia, the books fit the work.
Whether you're a solo tradesperson or running a crew, we build the bookkeeping system around how your business actually operates.
Managing subs, materials, timelines, and client billing all at once means your finances can get out of control fast. We track job-by-job profitability so you always know which contracts are worth taking.
Service calls, parts, warranties, and variable crew sizes create a bookkeeping puzzle most generalists can't solve. We understand how trades businesses operate.
Mowing, hardscaping, irrigation, tree services — high-volume, recurring contracts with equipment-heavy operations. We keep the numbers straight so you can grow your route.
Contractors and trade businesses face financial challenges that general bookkeepers routinely miss. Here's what we hear from nearly every new client.
You finish a job and it feels like a win — but after materials, labor, and subs, did you actually make money? Without job costing, you're guessing.
Big projects pay on draw schedules. Slow seasons hit hard. Without visibility into your cash position, you can't plan ahead or make smart hiring decisions.
Paying subs by check, Venmo, or cash through the year — then scrambling in January to figure out who gets a 1099. We track it all in real time.
Running to Home Depot on a personal card. Paying subs from a personal account. It feels fine until your CPA tells you it'll cost extra to sort out.
Every Tides plan includes all seven core services. Contractor clients also get specific treatment for job costing, subcontractor tracking, and equipment depreciation.
Every account reconciled, every transaction categorized, every month — without exception. You receive a clean P&L and balance sheet you can actually understand and use to make decisions about your business.
Monthly reports that show your income, expenses, and profit by category and by job — so you always know where you stand and can make smarter business decisions.
Every business account and credit card matched and verified each month. No mystery charges. No unresolved transactions. No surprises.
We track vendor bills, subcontractor payments, and outstanding invoices so your cash flow stays healthy and nothing gets missed or paid twice.
Months or years behind? We clean it all up before we start your regular monthly service — no matter how far back the backlog goes.
If you have crew members or pay subcontractors, we coordinate payroll processing and keep your tax filings clean and on schedule.
"Working with Tides has given our contracting business the financial clarity we never had before. We finally know which jobs are making money and which ones aren't."
Questions we hear from contractors and tradespeople before they sign on with Tides.
100% remote bookkeeping for small businesses across South Carolina and throughout the United States.
Tides Bookkeeping specializes in bookkeeping across 12 distinct industries. Industry-specific expertise means fewer errors, better categorization, and a bookkeeper who already understands how your business makes money.
Schedule a free 15-minute call. We'll review your current setup, answer your questions, and give you a flat monthly quote — no pressure.
No credit card required · No long-term contracts · Cancel anytime