The best construction accounting software handles job costing, progress billing, and payroll in one place, built around how contractors run jobs. Generic bookkeeping tools track income and expenses, but they miss change orders, retainage, and cost-by-project reporting. This guide covers the features that matter, the trades they serve, and how to pick the right fit.

Why do construction companies need accounting software?

Contractors juggle many jobs at once, each with its own budget, crew, and timeline. Standard accounting tools were not built for that. Construction-specific software is, so it tracks the things that decide whether a job makes money.

A construction accounting program should help you:

  • Track expenses and profit by job, not just for the whole company
  • Bill accurately and run payroll on time
  • Handle change orders without losing the paper trail
  • Get real-time numbers instead of month-old reports
  • Connect the field and the office on one system

For a deeper primer on the basics, read our construction accounting 101 guide.

What features should you look for?

Not every accounting tool fits a contractor. Look for these before you commit:

  • Job costing so you can see profit per project in real time
  • Multiple project tracking across crews and locations
  • QuickBooks integration so your books stay in sync
  • Flexible invoicing, including AIA-style billing and progress billing
  • Change order tracking to manage scope shifts as they happen
  • Clear reporting for financial review and compliance
  • Cloud access so you can pull numbers from any job site

If QuickBooks alone has felt like a poor fit, see why construction companies struggle with QuickBooks and what to do about it.

Which trades does Werx support?

Contractor software like Werx works across the trades. Whether you run complex installs or small renovations, the tools fit how your shop bills and tracks costs.

  • Remodeling contractors: Track projects, build custom estimates for kitchens, baths, or whole-home jobs, and manage change orders as they come up. Job costing covers labor, materials, and subs so projects stay profitable.
  • HVAC contractors: Track project costs, set up service agreements, and invoice installs or repairs. Reporting tools show profit across seasonal contracts and one-off calls.
  • Plumbing contractors: Invoice fast, track parts and labor, and feed time data into payroll. Generate service invoices and run time and materials jobs while keeping clients updated.
  • Roofing contractors: Build detailed estimates, manage progress billing, and track change orders for surprise repairs. Real-time updates keep crews on schedule and clients clear on the numbers.
  • Painting contractors: Manage crew schedules, track labor costs, and invoice interior and exterior jobs. Reporting shows profit across many projects at once.
  • Solar contractors: Build estimates for residential or commercial installs, track equipment purchases, and invoice against project milestones.

Why choose Werx?

Werx is built for contractors, with tools that connect project work to your books. The interface stays simple so your crew will actually use it.

With Werx you can:

  • Build detailed, itemized estimates for materials, labor, and overhead
  • Manage progress payments, including AIA-style billing
  • Track job costs in real time to protect your margin
  • Organize and approve change orders inside the platform
  • Sync with QuickBooks Online so your accounting stays current
  • Generate time and materials invoices in a few clicks
  • Pull reports and dashboards for a full financial view
  • Take secure online payments inside your workflow

What does Werx cost?

Getting started is simple. Sign up for a free 30-day trial, import your existing data or start with templates, and lean on the support team for setup help.

Werx has three plans, and every plan includes the full feature set. Plans differ by how many active projects you run:

  • Essential Plan: $49/month for solo contractors with up to 10 active projects
  • Plus Plan: $89/month for growing contractors with up to 20 active projects
  • Unlimited Plan: $119/month for high-volume shops with unlimited active projects

See the full pricing plans and pick the option that fits your project load.

When is construction accounting software right for you?

It pays off once you run more than one job at a time and need to know profit per project, not just for the whole company. If you bill in phases, track retainage, or manage change orders, purpose-built software saves real hours every month.

A solo handyman doing a few cash jobs a month may not need it yet. But if you carry crews, subs, and multiple open contracts, generic bookkeeping will leave money on the table. For help comparing options, see how to choose construction accounting software.

Key takeaways

  • Construction accounting software tracks profit by job, not just for the whole company.
  • Look for job costing, change order tracking, flexible billing, and QuickBooks sync.
  • The right tool fits your trade, whether you run electrical, HVAC, roofing, or remodels.
  • Werx has three plans from $49 to $119 per month, all with the full feature set.
  • It pays off once you run multiple jobs and need real-time, by-project numbers.