You run the jobs We’ll handle the paperwork behind them

You’re great on the tools. You can quote a job in your head, run a crew and keep a homeowner happy. Then you come home, eat dinner, and do paperwork at the kitchen table until midnight.

“I can run jobs. I just don’t know the paperwork behind all of it.” If that’s you, this page is for you.

Here’s the short version. We’re online bookkeepers for Canadian tradespeople: electricians, carpenters, plumbers, renovators, landscapers and small builders. Snap a picture of your receipt and upload it to Hubdoc, or send it to us. We keep your books, GST, payroll and WorkSafe paperwork right in the background, so you can square up with the tax man without losing your Sundays.

Sound familiar?

• The invoice you still haven’t sent. The job’s been done for three weeks. The money’s earned, but it’s sitting in an invoice you haven’t had time to send, and your bank account feels it.
• Receipts lost in the truck. Every receipt and supplier bill that goes missing is money you can’t bill back to the client or claim as an expense.
• “Did I actually make money on that job?” Without materials and hours tied to each job, you only find out at tax time, and sometimes you just eat it.
• The deposits never match the invoices. You invoiced $4,200 this week, but $4,071 landed in the bank, in two deposits on different days. Card fees came off first and the payments got bundled together.
• GST confusion. Your business number is not your GST number. They’re two different things, and plenty of tradespeople find that out the hard way.
• Paying subs and staff. Is that guy a subcontractor or an employee? Do you owe slips for what you paid him? Who remits what, and when?
• WorkSafe paperwork you’re never quite sure you’ve got right.
• A box full of receipts and a vague dread about April.

What we actually do for you

• Snap it, upload it, done. Take a picture of the receipt or supplier bill and upload it to Hubdoc, or send it to us. No office visits. We match it to the right job and the right expense.
• Make the deposits match the invoices. We sort out the card fees, the bundled deposits and the sales that get counted twice, so you only pay tax on what you really earned.
• Keep your GST right. We track it on every job and every purchase, file your returns, and make sure you claim back the GST you paid on materials, tools and fuel.
• Payroll and subcontractor paperwork. Pay your crew properly, keep remittances on time, and get your slips done, including the T5018 reporting construction businesses may need for subcontractors.
• Know your numbers by job. Plain-English reports that show what each kind of job really makes, so your next firm quote is based on facts.

WorkSafe: the part nobody explains

If you hire help, WorkSafeBC (or your province’s workers’ compensation board) becomes part of your paperwork. A few things catch tradespeople out:

• Hiring a worker usually means registering with WorkSafe and reporting your payroll, which is what your premiums are based on.
• Hiring a subcontractor? Get a clearance letter before and after the job. In BC, if a contractor you hire isn’t paid up with WorkSafe, you could end up owing premiums for the work they did for you.
• Sub or employee? Calling someone a subcontractor when they really work for you can mean back premiums, payroll deductions and trouble with CRA.
• You, the owner, may not be covered if you get hurt on the job unless you buy personal coverage. Check with WorkSafe what applies to you.

Depending on your level of service, we either file your WorkSafe payroll reports for you or give you the exact numbers to report. Either way, they match your payroll, and we flag the clearance letters and sub-or-employee questions before they turn into a bill. WorkSafeBC explains the contractor rules on its contractors and subcontractors page.

Thinking about a job or invoicing app?

Lots of tradespeople still quote and invoice on paper or in a spreadsheet, and that’s fine. If you’re thinking about moving to an app to quote, schedule and invoice from your phone, the questions that matter for your books are: does it price in Canadian dollars, does it handle GST and PST properly for your province, and does it actually connect to Xero or QuickBooks?

We’ll help you decide whether you need one, pick one that suits how you work, and connect it properly. That’s available as an add-on to your monthly package, or as a one-time 1:1 session.

Your truck, your tools and other things you can claim

A few of the costs tradespeople most often ask about:

• Small tools under $500 can usually be written off in full the year you buy them. Bigger tools and equipment are claimed over several years.
• Your truck, for the business share: fuel, insurance, repairs and the cost of the truck itself. A logbook is what backs up that share if CRA asks.
• Safety gear like steel-toed boots, hard hats and hi-vis. Everyday work clothes don’t count.
• Your phone, for the part you use for work.

The full list is in business expenses you can write off in Canada.

Let’s get you squared up No judgment, no accountant-speak

• Want it handled? Book a free 15-minute video call. Rather keep it short? Email team@kcandcompany.ca with what you do and what’s bugging you. Prefer to talk? Call 1-778-803-9433.
• Doing your own books? The Books Check-Up is a flat-fee review. We look at what you’ve got, flag what’s off and walk you through it.