Expenses by category
Materials, rentals, fuel, permits, and subs, each with receipts attached.
Contractor finance · Accountant handoff
What to hand your accountant as a contractor
An accountant working a contractor's books wants the same things every year: expenses sorted into categories with receipts behind them, every subcontractor's invoice paired with a W-9, each client invoice marked paid or unpaid, and the big equipment purchases listed. Hand that over assembled and the engagement is short and cheap; hand over a shoebox and it isn't. Cash Workspace gives you one place to organize all of it and produce a single accountant-ready export.
The problem
Why the handoff costs contractors money
When records arrive uncategorized and receipts are missing, the accountant spends billable hours sorting before any real work begins. Missing W-9s and unclear invoice statuses add back-and-forth.
- Expenses arrive as one pile with no categories, so the accountant sorts by hand.
- Subcontractor payments have no W-9 attached, triggering a year-end chase.
- Client invoices aren't marked paid or unpaid, so income is unclear.
- Equipment purchases are buried among small material buys.
- Receipts are missing for chunks of the year and have to be reconstructed.
The workflow
Assemble the handoff, then export once
Work the checklist your accountant expects, confirm each piece is complete, then produce one clean export.
- 1
Categorize expenses
Confirm every expense is in a category — materials, rentals, fuel, permits, subs — with its receipt attached.
- 2
Pair subs with W-9s
Record each subcontractor invoice with amount and date, and attach that sub's W-9 to their records.
- 3
Mark invoice statuses
Mark every client invoice paid or unpaid so the income picture is clear.
- 4
List equipment buys
Pull larger tool and equipment purchases together so the accountant can review them separately.
- 5
Export the package
Produce a single accountant-ready export of the organized records and send it over.
Record structure
What the accountant typically wants
Confirm each of these is present and organized before you export.
- Categorized expenses
- Every expense in a category (materials, rentals, fuel, permits) with a receipt attached.
- Subcontractor invoices
- Each sub's invoices recorded with amount, date, and paid/unpaid status.
- Subcontractor W-9s
- A current W-9 attached for each subcontractor you paid.
- Client invoices & status
- All invoices issued to clients, each marked paid or unpaid.
- Equipment purchases
- Larger tool and equipment buys listed so they can be reviewed separately.
- Permit & fee records
- Permit, inspection, and disposal fees recorded with receipts.
- Fiscal-year folder
- Everything filed under the correct fiscal year, ready to export as one package.
Example setup
An example handoff packet setup
One way to assemble the accountant packet inside your workspace.
Subcontractors
Each sub's invoices and a current W-9, grouped per subcontractor.
Client invoices
Every client invoice with its paid or unpaid status marked.
Accountant export
The single accountant-ready export of the fiscal-year package.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Handing over uncategorized expenses and paying the accountant to sort them.
- Forgetting to attach W-9s, which stalls the handoff while you chase subs.
- Leaving client invoice statuses blank, so income can't be confirmed.
- Mixing big equipment buys in with small material receipts.
- Sending records in pieces across email instead of one organized export.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Categorized, receipt-backed expenses
Record each expense in a category with its receipt attached so the package arrives sorted.
Subs with documents attached
Keep each subcontractor's invoices and W-9 together so nothing is missing at handoff.
One accountant-ready export
Produce a single export of the organized fiscal-year records to send to your accountant.
Related
Related contractor finance workflows
Year-end job records
Roll a year of jobs into one fiscal-year folder first.
Subcontractor invoice organizer
Keep sub invoices and W-9s organized per subcontractor.
Accountant document checklist
The general list of what accountants ask for.
Send documents to accountant
Package and export organized records for handoff.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Accountant handoff FAQ
- Why does my accountant want W-9s for subs?
- Accountants often need each subcontractor's W-9 to handle year-end reporting. Attaching the W-9 to each sub's records means you're not chasing forms at deadline. Confirm specifics with your accountant.
- What format is the export?
- An accountant-ready export gathers the records you've organized into one package to send. Cash Workspace exports what you've recorded; it isn't certified filing software.
- Does Cash Workspace file my taxes?
- No. It organizes your records and produces an export for your accountant. Tax filing and advice are for a qualified professional.
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 your accountant a finished packet
Start a free workspace and assemble categorized expenses, sub invoices with W-9s, and client invoice statuses into one export your accountant can pick up and run.