Top Construction Accounting Mistakes to Avoid

Accounting is not one-size-fits-all. And construction accounting is especially unique in everything from the way time is collected and allocated to the way job costing and work in progress gets tracked. Because of this, John Meibers, VP of Deltek + ComputerEase, is passionate about educating contractors on what they need to know in order to keep their books accurate, up-to-date and meeting industry standards.

This week, John joins the Mobile Workforce Podcast to share why it is important to work with a CPA that knows the challenges contractors face. John shares the top accounting mistakes inside the Deltek Ultimate Construction Accounting Guide to uncover common and costly pitfalls made by contractors and their CPAs – and how to avoid them.

Key Takeaways:

1. Contractors need to review daily reports from their accounting team. To be in the construction business means having to manage tight margins. That’s why it’s imperative for contractors to work closely with their accounting department beyond bi-monthly payroll updates. Work in progress (WIP) reporting and good job cost reports on a regular basis – even daily – ensures contractors are always working within the lines of their budgets.
2. Margin and markup are NOT the same thing. Contractors tend to use margin and markup interchangeably, but this is incorrect. Markups refer to the budget created for a project to allocate for profit while margins refer to the profits that are left after a project is completed. Therefore, a 20 percent margin on the job does not mean to markup an estimate by 20 percent. Instead, to get a 20 percent margin on the job, the markup would need to be at least 25 percent.
3. Treat the equipment you own like the equipment you rent.  A big problem that accountants see in the construction industry is not accurately allocating for the use of equipment. Tracking usage helps accountants evaluate the value of the equipment owned. This allows contractors to make educated decisions managing their equipment. They can easily see what to keep, what to retire, and what would be better to sell and rent when needed, in addition to getting an accurate job cost report on their projects.