How do I organize records by job instead of by month?

Open a folder per job and tag every material receipt, subcontractor invoice, rental, and permit to it. Each job's costs and progress invoices then stay together, and the fiscal-year folder holds all the jobs.

What do I need ready for subcontractors at year-end?

Record each subcontractor invoice with the document attached and note whether you hold their W-9. A separate W-9 folder keeps 1099 season from becoming a scramble.

Does Cash Workspace figure out my profit per job?

No. It keeps each job's costs and progress invoices side by side in one folder for review, but it does not calculate job profit — your accountant does that from the organized records.

Cash Workspace

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Accountant handoff · Construction contractors

A per-job accountant handoff folder for contractors

Contractors live by the job. Materials, subcontractors, equipment rentals, and permits all attach to a specific project, and progress invoices go out against that same job as the work hits each stage. When the books are organized by month instead of by job, your accountant can't see how each project stacked up. Cash Workspace lets you record every receipt and invoice against its job, attach the document, and keep each job's folder inside one fiscal-year handoff folder.

Start a free workspace See expense categories by job

The problem

Why job costs are hard to hand off

Every dollar a contractor spends belongs to a job, but receipts get crumpled in trucks and subcontractor invoices come in by text and email. Without per-job records, the accountant can't reconcile what each project cost against what it billed.

Material receipts from the supply yard, hardware store, and lumber yard scatter across the truck and the office.
Subcontractor invoices arrive by text photo and email, with no record of who was paid for which job.
Equipment-rental and permit costs aren't tied back to the job they were for.
Progress invoices go out by stage but their paid/unpaid status is tracked in your head.
Two jobs overlap in the same month, so monthly totals tell you nothing about either job.

The workflow

Build the per-job handoff folder

Record every cost and invoice against its job, attach the document, then file each job inside the fiscal-year folder.

1
Open a folder per job
Create a job folder for each project and tag every related cost and invoice to it.
2
Record material receipts
Log supply, lumber, and hardware purchases with the vendor, amount, and date, and attach the receipt to the job.
3
Record subcontractor invoices
Log each sub's invoice against the job, attach the PDF or photo, and note whether you hold their W-9.
4
Capture rentals and permits
Record equipment-rental charges and permit fees as expenses tagged to the job, with receipts attached.
5
Track progress invoices
Record each progress invoice with its stage, amount, dates, and a status of draft, sent, partially paid, paid, or overdue.
6
File the year
Group all job folders inside one fiscal-year folder, ready to export for handoff.

Record structure

What to record for each job entry

These fields keep every cost and invoice tied to its job and its stage.

Job / project tag: The job each material receipt, subcontractor invoice, or progress invoice belongs to.
Entry type: Whether the line is materials, a subcontractor bill, equipment rental, a permit, or a progress invoice.
Vendor or subcontractor: Who you bought from or paid, kept as a consistent record.
Amount and date: The cost or invoice total and date so it lands in the right job and fiscal year.
Status: For progress invoices: draft, sent, partially paid, paid, or overdue.
Attached document: The material receipt, subcontractor invoice, rental agreement, or permit attached to its record.
W-9 on file: A note on whether you hold each subcontractor's W-9, so 1099 prep is ready.
Stage: The phase of the job the entry relates to, such as foundation, framing, or finish.

Example setup

An example contractor folder setup

One way to structure a fiscal-year folder with a folder per job.

Job — 14 Oak St remodel

Material receipts, subcontractor invoices, rental and permit costs, and progress invoices for this job.

Job — Riverside deck build

All costs and invoices tagged to this job, with receipts and PDFs attached.

Shared overhead

Costs not tied to one job, such as general insurance or tools, kept separate from job folders.

Subcontractor W-9s

Each subcontractor's W-9, ready for 1099 season.

Common mistakes

Mistakes contractors make at handoff

Filing receipts by month instead of by job, so project costs can't be reconciled.
Paying a subcontractor before collecting their W-9, then chasing it in January.
Letting material receipts fade or get lost before they're recorded.
Leaving progress invoice statuses informal, so you can't tell which jobs still owe.
Mixing shared overhead into a single job's folder and overstating that job's cost.

How it helps

How Cash Workspace helps

Records tagged by job

Record every receipt and invoice against its job so each project's costs and billings stay together.

Attach the receipt or PDF

Attach material receipts and subcontractor invoices to their records so the proof rides with the entry.

Progress invoices by status

Record each progress invoice's stage and status so you can see what each job has billed and collected.

Receipts by category

Organize material and rental receipts into clear categories.

1099 & contractor folder

Keep subcontractor W-9s and invoices ready for 1099 season.

Workspace for contractors

See how contractors organize job records in Cash Workspace.

Proof-of-payment folder

Keep payment proof organized for each job.

All finance workflows

Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.

FAQ

Contractor handoff FAQ

How do I organize records by job instead of by month?: Open a folder per job and tag every material receipt, subcontractor invoice, rental, and permit to it. Each job's costs and progress invoices then stay together, and the fiscal-year folder holds all the jobs.
What do I need ready for subcontractors at year-end?: Record each subcontractor invoice with the document attached and note whether you hold their W-9. A separate W-9 folder keeps 1099 season from becoming a scramble.
Does Cash Workspace figure out my profit per job?: No. It keeps each job's costs and progress invoices side by side in one folder for review, but it does not calculate job profit — your accountant does that from the organized records.

Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance

Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.

Hand off one folder, organized by job

Start a free workspace and record materials, subs, rentals, permits, and progress invoices per job inside one fiscal-year folder you can export.