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Nope Can't Do Taxes

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  Dear Friends & Family, Just because I’m an accountant does not mean: • I prepare 1040s • I know the latest child tax credit thresholds • I can “just take a quick look” at your return • I want to discuss depreciation at Thanksgiving There are different types of accountants. Some of us are: • Controllers • CFOs • Forensic accountants • Bookkeepers • Outsourced accounting nerds • Job cost fanatics • Internal control watchdogs That’s like assuming: Every doctor is a brain surgeon Every lawyer does criminal defense Every contractor builds skyscrapers Nope. Different specialties. Different training. Different focus. I can build you a job cost system. I can dissect your balance sheet. I can find where cash is leaking. I can clean up your QuickBooks crime scene. But tax prep? That’s a different lane. So before you text me in March saying: “Heyyyyy can you file this for me real quick?” Ask me what I actually do. Because somewhere out there is a tax profess...
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Red Flags in Job Cost Accounting

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As an outsourced accountant, one of my biggest red flags when onboarding a new client is ambiguity. 🚩Job Cost Report • Materials – $48,000 • Labor – $37,000 • Misc – $19,450 👀 Cheap bookkeeping never makes sense in construction. The cost of bad data always shows up later — in cash flow problems, tax surprises, or internal theft. If you’re a GC or remodeler, ask yourself: 👉 Could I defend every transaction in my books to a banker, a bonding agent, or the IRS tomorrow? Ambiguous transactions isn't just messy bookkeeping, it's exposure. 1️⃣ The person entering transactions doesn’t understand job costing. 2️⃣ They don’t know how to classify construction activity properly. 3️⃣ They’re guessing. 4️⃣ Or worse — they’re hiding something. Every transaction should answer: • What job? • What cost code? • What phase? • What vendor? • What contract does this tie to? • Is there source documentation? DM today to learn how much exposure your business has... #accounting #accoun...
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Overhead Expenses

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  A qualified construction accountant doesn’t just “review totals.” They trace cost flow from source → job → financial statement. If your overhead percentage hasn’t been challenged lately — it’s time. One of the most common problems I find when I review contractor books: 👉 Direct job costs buried inside Overhead accounts Here’s what usually gets dumped into Overhead by mistake: ➖ Project labor that wasn’t tied to jobs ➖Materials bought without job names attached ➖Subcontractors coded to generic expense accounts ➖Equipment rentals not assigned to projects ➖Permit & inspection fees expensed as admin costs Result? ❌ Job profitability reports are fiction ❌ Bids are based on distorted historical margins ❌ Overhead looks bloated ❌ You underprice future work ❌ You blame the market — instead of the math #accountant #accounting #bookkeeper #bookkeeping #generalcontractor #jobcost #costaccounting #projects #outsourcedaccountant #traditionaccounting #travelingaccountant #...
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Sales Tax Expense

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  If your financial statements show “Sales Tax Expense” on the P&L — your books are wrong. Period. 🚩 This week I reviewed two different sets of financials from two different prospective clients. One prepared by a tax pro. One prepared internally by the business owner. Both had the same mistake. Sales tax is NOT an expense. ❎ You are not the customer. ✅ You are the collector. It is a liability you hold in trust for the state. When it shows up as an expense, it tells me: • No one understands the flow of sales tax • The liability account isn’t being reconciled • Payments are being dumped to the P&L • Compliance is being treated like guesswork • The reports cannot be trusted at face value Harsh? Yes. But incorrect books are harsher when the state comes calling. #bookkeeping #accounting #salestax #smallbusinessfinance #constructionaccounting #financialcontrols #diagnosticreview #accountant #business #businessowner #balancesheet #dataentry #consultant #cfe #...
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