Where should a sub's W-9 live?

Attach it to the sub's vendor record so it's on hand when you prepare year-end forms, alongside that sub's invoices and amounts.

How do I see what I still owe my subs?

Mark each invoice paid or unpaid and view the unpaid ones, so open sub bills across all your jobs are clear at a glance.

Does Cash Workspace send the 1099 or pay the sub?

No. It organizes the invoices, amounts, paid status, and W-9s for review and handoff; it does not process payments or file tax forms. Whether and how to file is up to you and your accountant.

Cash Workspace

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Trade finance · Subcontractor invoices

Organize subcontractor invoices as job costs

When you run subs — a framer, an electrician, a drywaller — their invoices are job costs that need to be tracked apart from your material spend, with each sub's W-9 on file for year-end. Loose sub invoices in email and a folder of W-9s you have to dig for at 1099 time is how payments get missed and a sub's tax form goes missing. Cash Workspace gives you one per-job place to record each sub invoice as a cost, mark it paid or unpaid, and keep the invoice and W-9 attached.

Start a free workspace Per-job expense report

The problem

Why sub invoices are hard to keep straight

Sub invoices arrive by email and text across several jobs, paid status lives in your head, and W-9s aren't filed where you need them at year-end.

A sub's invoice is mixed in with material costs, so the job's labor spend isn't clear.
You can't tell at a glance which sub invoices are still unpaid.
The same sub worked two jobs and their invoices aren't split by job.
At 1099 time a sub's W-9 can't be found.
An invoice arrives by text and never makes it into any record.

The workflow

Record each sub invoice as a job cost

Log every sub invoice against its job, attach the invoice and W-9, and keep paid status current.

1
Record the invoice
When a sub invoice comes in, record it as a cost with the sub's name, trade, amount, and date.
2
Tag the job
Attribute it to the job so the sub cost lands in the right per-job folder, separate from material.
3
Attach invoice and W-9
Attach the invoice PDF and the sub's W-9 so payment and tax paperwork stay together.
4
Mark paid or unpaid
Set the invoice paid or unpaid and update it when you pay, so status is always current.
5
Review before 1099 season
Pull each sub's invoices and W-9 so year-end totals and forms are ready to hand off.

Record structure

What to record for each sub invoice

These fields keep sub labor costs reconcilable and W-9s findable.

Subcontractor: The sub's name or business, kept as a consistent vendor record.
Trade: Framing, electrical, drywall, or HVAC, so labor groups by type.
Job tag: Which job the invoice is for, keeping sub cost apart from material on that job.
Amount: The invoice total, rolling into the job's sub-labor cost.
Paid / unpaid status: Whether it's still owed, so you can see open sub bills.
Invoice PDF: The sub's invoice attached to its record.
W-9: The sub's W-9 attached so it's on hand at 1099 time.
Date: Invoice and payment dates, so the cost lands in the right period.

Example setup

An example sub-invoice setup

One way to organize subcontractor invoices inside your workspace.

Job — Oak St remodel / subs

Each sub's invoice for the job with trade, amount, paid status, and attached PDF, separate from material.

W-9 file

Every sub's W-9 attached to their vendor record, ready for 1099 season.

Unpaid sub invoices

A view of all sub invoices still marked unpaid across jobs.

Common mistakes

Mistakes to avoid

Mixing sub invoices in with material so the job's labor cost is unclear.
Tracking paid status only in your head.
Not splitting one sub's invoices across the jobs they worked.
Leaving W-9s uncollected until 1099 time.
Letting an invoice that arrived by text never reach a record.

How it helps

How Cash Workspace helps

Sub invoices as job costs

Record each sub invoice with vendor, trade, and amount tagged to the job, kept apart from material spend.

Clear paid status

Mark each invoice paid or unpaid and update it as you pay so open sub bills are easy to see.

Invoice and W-9 attached

Attach the invoice PDF and the sub's W-9 so payment records and tax forms are together for year-end.

Per-job expense report

Pull a job's sub and material costs into one report.

Cabinet job cost records

Tag fabricator sub invoices to the kitchen folder.

Accountant handoff checklist

Get sub invoices and W-9s ready for the accountant.

Client invoice status records

Track your own client invoices alongside sub costs.

All finance workflows

Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.

FAQ

Subcontractor invoice FAQ

Where should a sub's W-9 live?: Attach it to the sub's vendor record so it's on hand when you prepare year-end forms, alongside that sub's invoices and amounts.
How do I see what I still owe my subs?: Mark each invoice paid or unpaid and view the unpaid ones, so open sub bills across all your jobs are clear at a glance.
Does Cash Workspace send the 1099 or pay the sub?: No. It organizes the invoices, amounts, paid status, and W-9s for review and handoff; it does not process payments or file tax forms. Whether and how to file is up to you and your accountant.

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.

Keep every sub invoice on its job

Start a free workspace and record each subcontractor invoice as a job cost with its paid status, invoice, and W-9 so labor stays separate from material and 1099 season is easy.