Monthly bookkeeping & close
Accurate categorization of parts, refrigerant, labor, subcontract costs, overhead, and revenue. Full monthly close with P&L, balance sheet, and commentary that accounts for seasonal swings.
Bookkeeping for HVAC contractors
Bookkeeping built for HVAC contractors.
Seasonal cash flow planning, service agreement revenue recognition, job costing per install and service call, subcontractor 1099s, van and equipment tracking, and a live dashboard — so your summer peak doesn't mask a winter cash crisis.
Ricky West — Founder, TurnkeyCFO
We work with HVAC contractors on seasonal cash flow planning, service contract accounting, job costing, subcontractor compliance, and books that show you whether your maintenance agreement program is actually profitable. We coordinate with your CPA on tax filings.
Solo–25+tech team sizes
100%client retention
Fastresponse times
QuickBooks Online · Gusto · Ramp — professional liability insured — month-to-month, 30-day notice
Book your 15-minute intro call.
Pick a time right here — no prep required.
Generic bookkeepers miss what drives HVAC profitability.
HVAC books have seasonal swings, service contract liabilities, and equipment costs that most bookkeepers have never seen. If your bookkeeper doesn't understand deferred revenue on maintenance agreements or seasonal cash planning, your books are lying to you half the year.
What changes with TurnkeyCFO
What TurnkeyCFO handles
- Seasonal cash flow planning — summer peak mapped against winter slow season so you're never caught short
- Service agreement revenue recognized as earned (deferred revenue), not all at sale — correct from day one
- Job costing by type: service call, new installation, commercial, residential — so you know your margin per work category
- Subcontractor W-9s tracked from first payment; 1099-NEC filed by January 31
- Van and equipment depreciation tracked and reconciled to your CPA's return categories
What most bookkeepers miss
- Service contracts booked as income at sale — overstates revenue, understates future liability
- No seasonal cash flow visibility — summer looks great, January hurts
- All revenue lumped — no way to tell if service calls or installs are more profitable
- Subcontractor 1099s missed or filed late — IRS penalties
- Vans expensed instead of depreciated — wrong asset tracking
Everything your HVAC business needs. Nothing it doesn't.
Built for how HVAC contractors actually run — seasonal swings, service agreements, multi-tech crews, and equipment-heavy operations.
Service agreement deferred revenue
Annual maintenance agreements recognized as revenue monthly as service is performed — not all at sale. Correct deferred revenue liability tracked on the balance sheet so your income statement is accurate year-round, not inflated in Q1.
Job costing by work type
Service calls, installs, replacements, and commercial jobs tracked separately with materials, labor, and subcontract costs allocated per job. Know which work type has the best margin before you decide where to focus your marketing.
Tech payroll & commission tracking
Weekly or bi-weekly payroll for field techs, install crews, and office staff — correct workers' comp classification per role, commission or spiff tracking if applicable, quarterly 941 reconciliation.
Subcontractor 1099 tracking
W-9 at first payment, payments tracked against the $600 threshold, 1099-NEC prepared and filed by January 31 — so you're never scrambling in January.
Van & equipment depreciation
Service vans, install trucks, and major equipment tracked as fixed assets with correct depreciation schedules — reconciled to your CPA's return categories so every deduction is documented.
Live financial dashboard
Revenue by work type, gross margin by service category, deferred revenue balance, seasonal cash flow forecast, and outstanding receivables — updated monthly so you run the business with real data.
Tax filings and legal matters — coordinated with your CPA or attorney. TurnkeyCFO does not provide tax or legal advice; we keep your books filing-ready and support the process end-to-end.
Deep working knowledge of HVAC contractor finances.
The seasonal swings, service contracts, and field-service realities most bookkeepers have never touched. We have.
Seasonal cash flow planning
Summer peak doesn't fix a January cash crunch.
HVAC revenue is concentrated in summer cooling and winter heating seasons. We map your seasonal revenue curve against fixed costs (payroll, insurance, equipment loans) to identify the slow-season cash gap before it hits — and build a plan around it.
Service agreement deferred revenue
Annual contracts create a liability, not instant income.
When a customer pays for an annual maintenance agreement upfront, you've collected cash but not yet earned the revenue — that's a deferred revenue liability. Recognizing it all at sale overstates income and understates what you owe customers in future service. We set up the deferred revenue schedule correctly from day one.
Job costing for installs vs service
Installs and service calls have completely different margin profiles.
Installation jobs are material-heavy with thin labor margins. Service calls are labor-heavy with higher gross margin per hour. Without job costing, you can't tell which is more profitable at your pricing — or where a price increase would have the most impact.
Refrigerant & parts tracking
R-410A and R-454B are inventory, not just expenses.
Refrigerant and commonly stocked parts are inventory assets until used on a job. Expensing them at purchase overstates costs in slow months and understates them in busy months. We track parts as inventory or use a consistent consumption method matched to your QuickBooks setup.
Subcontractor compliance
Seasonal subs are the most common 1099 miss.
HVAC contractors often bring in additional subcontractors during summer peak. Payments tracked from the first job, W-9s collected before the first check, 1099-NEC filed by January 31. Missing subs from busy season is the most common source of year-end scrambles.
Equipment & van depreciation
Service vans and recovery machines are assets.
Your fleet and major equipment — recovery machines, manifold gauges, vacuum pumps — are fixed assets with depreciation schedules that affect your tax return. We track every asset from purchase, document business use, and reconcile to your CPA's return categories at year-end.
Onboarding takes days, not months.
Simple, fast, and designed not to pull you off a service call.
15-min intro call
We learn your business — van count, tech count, service agreement volume, current software, and where the books are breaking down.
Books & access review
We connect to QuickBooks, clean historical data, and set up job costing and deferred revenue schedules around your service mix.
Live visibility
Monthly close package, seasonal cash forecast, job profitability dashboard, and subcontractor compliance workflows running clean — every month.
Questions HVAC contractors ask us first
Do you replace our CPA?
No — we work alongside your CPA. We keep books clean and filing-ready year-round so your CPA can file your return without a month of cleanup. If you need a CPA who understands contractors, we can refer one.
How do you handle service agreement revenue recognition?
Annual maintenance agreements are booked as deferred revenue when the customer pays, then recognized as revenue monthly as service is performed. This keeps your income statement accurate and matches revenue to the period when you earned it — not when you collected cash.
Can you help with seasonal cash flow planning?
Yes. We map your historical revenue curve against fixed costs to identify the slow-season cash gap, then help you build a plan — whether that's a line of credit, adjusted payroll, or a pricing strategy for off-season service agreements. The numbers come from us; the decisions come from you and your CPA.
Do you work with ServiceTitan, Jobber, or Housecall Pro?
Yes. We integrate your field service software with QuickBooks so revenue, job costs, and receivables sync correctly. We work with ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro, and most other platforms used by HVAC contractors.
How do you handle subcontractor compliance for seasonal subs?
We track every sub from the first payment. W-9 at hire, payments tracked against the $600 threshold, 1099-NEC filed by January 31. Seasonal subs during summer peak are the most common source of 1099 misses — we close that gap from day one.
Is our data secure?
Everything lives in QuickBooks Online, Gusto, and Ramp — enterprise-grade platforms with role-scoped access per team member. Credentials are never shared by email and we maintain professional liability insurance.
Can we cancel?
Month-to-month, 30-day notice. No multi-year contracts. We keep clients because the work is good, not because the paperwork traps them.
How much does this cost?
Our instant estimate takes about 60 seconds and gives you a real price range based on your van count, tech count, and service agreement volume. Tap any "Instant Estimate" button on the page.
Ready to see what your business actually earns?
Get your instant estimate, then book a 15-minute call to talk through fit and scope. No pressure, no sales pitch.