QuickBooks for Handymen — Setup in 30 Minutes

For most solo handymen, QuickBooks Online works best with a simple chart of accounts, a bank feed you check weekly, and invoices matched to deposits. Pick the plan by whether you need job costing, extra users or payroll, and check current plan names and prices on Intuit's site. You can set up the basics in about 30 minutes.

This guide is general bookkeeping information, not tax advice. Your accountant should confirm categories for your situation.

Pick the plan

Intuit renames and reprices QuickBooks plans regularly, so check current plan names, prices and limits at quickbooks.intuit.com. Choose by what you need:

You need	Look for
Solo, simple income and expenses, mileage	The entry-level plan, or a self-employed style plan if still offered
Invoicing, expense categories, 1099 tracking	A mid-tier plan with invoicing and basic reports
Job or project profitability, multiple users, employees or subs	A higher tier with projects and more users

Questions to ask before buying:

• Does the plan include project or job profitability, or only overall reports?
• How many users are included, and can your accountant be added?
• Can data move between plans if you outgrow one? Self-employed style products have historically been separate, so check before you commit.

A simple chart of accounts

QuickBooks supplies a default chart of accounts. These categories fit most handyman transactions. Confirm names with your accountant.

Income

1. Service income, labor. What you billed for your time.
2. Service income, materials. Materials billed to customers, kept separate because many states tax materials differently from labor.
3. Trip or diagnostic fees. If you charge a service-call fee.

Cost of goods sold

4. Materials cost. What you paid for materials that went on a customer's job. Subtract this from materials income for your margin.
5. Subcontractor costs. If you pay a sub on a 1099.

Expenses

6. Vehicle. Either mileage (standard method) or gas, insurance and repairs (actual method). Pick one method and do not mix.
7. Tools and small equipment.
8. Office and software. Field service app, accounting software, phone and internet (business share).

Add insurance, professional fees, marketing and training as needed.

The weekly 10-minute routine

1. Open Banking and confirm business account and card transactions imported.
2. Categorize new transactions. QuickBooks suggests categories; you confirm.
3. Match deposits to invoices. Mark paid invoices paid so your reports do not show money owed that you already collected.
4. Add receipts. Photograph and attach any you missed.
5. Look at the month's profit and loss. Investigate anything that looks wrong now, not at tax time.

Job costing

If your plan includes projects, link each invoice and bill to a project and let QuickBooks calculate profit per job. If it does not, you have options:

• Use the customer field. Put the customer name on invoices and materials receipts, then filter reports by customer.
• Track job costs in your field service app. HandyBook tracks expenses against jobs and syncs with QuickBooks Online on the Pro and Business plans.

How HandyBook and QuickBooks fit together

A common split:

1. HandyBook handles customer-facing work: quotes, scheduling, invoices, card payments, expenses and mileage.
2. Sync to QuickBooks Online (Pro and Business). HandyBook lists QuickBooks Online sync and import as an integration.
3. QuickBooks handles the books: bank reconciliation, reports and the export to your accountant.

For exact sync behavior, review the in-app setup and the features page rather than assuming every field transfers.

Five common mistakes

1. Mixing personal and business spending in one account.
2. Skipping bank reconciliation. Reconcile monthly so your balance matches your statement.
3. Not separating materials from labor on invoices, which can complicate sales tax.
4. Dumping everything in one category such as "office supplies." Your profit and loss report becomes unusable.
5. Doing everything yourself past the point it is worth it. Compare a bookkeeper's cost with the hours you would spend and what those hours would earn on the tools.

When to hire a bookkeeper

Consider one when books are consistently behind or you are spending evenings on them. There is no universal revenue threshold; get a quote and compare it with your time. Your accountant files taxes, a bookkeeper keeps the records current. See handyman business taxes and track handyman expenses.

Setup checklist: your first 30 minutes

Minutes	Task
0-5	Create the account and enter business name, address and tax year start
5-10	Connect your business bank account and business credit card
10-15	Review the default chart of accounts and add the categories above
15-20	Add your customers (import a CSV if you can)
20-25	Set up an invoice template with your logo and payment terms
25-30	Categorize the first imported transactions and set a weekly reminder

Worked example: materials margin

Suppose you billed a customer $600 for materials on a retile and paid the supply house $480.

• Materials income: $600
• Materials cost: $480
• Materials margin: 600 - 480 = $120
• Margin percentage: 120 / 600 = 0.20, or 20 percent

If materials margin keeps coming out below what you planned, you may be underpricing materials or forgetting small purchases. This is why the chart of accounts separates materials income from labor.

Worked example: a month of categorizing

Three transactions arrive from your bank:

1. $312.40 at a supply house. If it went on a customer job, categorize as materials cost. If it is a new saw, tools and small equipment.
2. $65.20 at a gas station. Vehicle, if you use actual expenses. If you use standard mileage, do not also deduct gas.
3. $18.00 monthly software charge. Office and software.

When a charge is mixed, split it or note the business portion, and ask your accountant how to handle it.

Questions for your accountant

• Which vehicle method should I use, and how should it appear in the books?
• How should I treat equipment purchases this year?
• Which chart-of-accounts categories do you want me to use?
• How should I record deposits and customer payments from card processors?
• How do you want subcontractor payments tracked?
• Do you want direct access to the file?

Month-end close checklist

• All bank and card transactions categorized
• Bank reconciled to the statement
• Customer payments matched to invoices
• Unpaid invoices reviewed and followed up
• Receipts attached for larger expenses
• Profit and loss report reviewed
• Notes for your accountant added

Where card payments land in your books

Card payments typically arrive in your bank as a batch after the processor deducts its fees. So the deposit will be smaller than the invoices it covers. To keep the books honest:

1. Record the full invoice amount as income.
2. Record processor fees as an expense.
3. Match the bank deposit to the invoice minus fees.

Worked example: three invoices of $400, $250 and $350 total $1,000. If the processor fees were $35, the deposit is 1,000 - 35 = $965. The books should show $1,000 income and $35 fees expense, not $965 income. HandyBook syncs invoices and payments to QuickBooks Online on Pro and Business; check how fees are represented in your own sync before relying on it.

Common data-entry errors

Error	Why it hurts	Fix
Duplicate invoices after sync	Income is overstated	Pick one system as the source for invoices
Deposits not matched	Receivables look wrong	Match every deposit
Fees netted out of income	Revenue and expense both understated	Record gross and fees separately
Personal charges categorized as business	Cleanup and audit risk	Keep separate accounts

Setting up sales tax and invoice terms

Rules for taxing labor and materials differ by state, so confirm with your state department of revenue or accountant before you turn on automated tax. Then:

1. Set default payment terms, such as Net 14, on your invoice template.
2. Add a note with your accepted payment methods.
3. Create separate products or services for labor and materials so reports split them.
4. Turn on reminders for overdue invoices if your plan offers them.

Worked example: a clean monthly report

Suppose a month looks like this:

• Labor income: $7,200
• Materials income: $2,100
• Materials cost: $1,650
• Subcontractor cost: $800
• Vehicle: $520
• Tools: $240
• Software and phone: $210
• Insurance: $130

Gross profit: (7,200 + 2,100) - (1,650 + 800) = 9,300 - 2,450 = $6,850. Operating expenses: 520 + 240 + 210 + 130 = $1,100. Net profit: 6,850 - 1,100 = $5,750.

If a report shows something far from your expectation, look for miscategorized transactions first. These figures are illustrative.

Reports worth running

• Profit and loss, monthly: shows whether the business is making money.
• Accounts receivable aging: shows who owes you and for how long. Follow up on anything past due.
• Sales by customer: shows your best customers and rough job profitability.
• Expenses by vendor: shows where your money goes, such as supply houses and fuel.
• Balance sheet, quarterly: shows what you own and owe, useful when applying for credit.

Review them on a fixed day, such as the first of the month, so problems surface early.

FAQ

Which QuickBooks plan does a handyman need?

A solo handyman usually needs invoicing, expense tracking and basic reports. If you need job profitability, multiple users or employees, look at higher tiers. Check Intuit's site for current plans and prices.

Can HandyBook sync with QuickBooks?

Yes, HandyBook syncs with QuickBooks Online on the Pro and Business plans. Zapier is listed as coming soon.

Do I need QuickBooks if I use HandyBook?

Not necessarily. HandyBook includes expense tracking and revenue, profit and tax reports. Many people still use QuickBooks for bank reconciliation and for their accountant's workflow.

How often should I do my books?

Weekly for about 10 minutes is a manageable rhythm, plus a monthly reconciliation.

Can I import old QuickBooks data into HandyBook?

HandyBook lists QuickBooks Online sync and import. Check the in-app QuickBooks setup for what can be imported.

Try HandyBook

HandyBook offers a 14-day free trial with card required and cancellation at no cost during the trial. See pricing for the plan that includes QuickBooks sync.