Builders & Construction — Australia
FreeMyCloud provides Australian builders and construction businesses with a dedicated, university-qualified graduate accountant — handling job costing, TPAR preparation, progress claim reconciliation, Building and Construction Award payroll, BAS, and monthly reporting. Pre-trained and ready to start from day one.
If your construction business pays contractors for building and construction services, you must lodge a Taxable Payments Annual Report (TPAR) with the ATO by 28 August each year, reporting the total payments made to each contractor — their ABN, name, address, and the gross amount paid including GST. Your FreeMyCloud bookkeeper tracks every contractor payment throughout the year and prepares your TPAR ready for lodgement — so you are not scrambling at deadline time.
"Australian businesses — from individual operators to publicly listed companies — deserve bookkeeping support that is qualified, reliable, and properly priced."
Julian Mahoney, Founder & Director, FreeMyCloud Book a Free ConsultationConstruction businesses deal with progress claims, retentions, subcontractor payments, multi-job costing, and site-specific payroll obligations that sit well outside what a general bookkeeper handles competently.
Running three jobs at once without knowing the true cost of each is one of the fastest ways for a builder to lose money. Every dollar — materials, labour, subbies, plant hire — needs to be tracked against the correct job to produce a meaningful picture of profitability per project.
Progress claims create a timing gap between work completed, invoices issued, and cash received. Retentions sit on the balance sheet until the defect period ends. WIP — work done but not yet invoiced — must be tracked to show the true financial position of each project, not just what has been billed.
Builders who pay contractors for construction services must lodge a Taxable Payments Annual Report with the ATO by 28 August each year. Missing this obligation or reporting incorrectly attracts ATO penalties. Tracking contractor payments throughout the year — not at deadline time — is the only reliable way to stay on top of it.
Tradespeople, labourers, and apprentices on construction sites are covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020), which includes site allowances, travel allowances, overtime penalties, and apprentice wage scales. Getting any of these wrong creates back-pay liability and Fair Work risk.
An ABN does not automatically make someone a contractor in the eyes of the ATO. If a worker is paid mainly for their labour, works exclusively for one business, and cannot subcontract the work, they may be deemed an employee for super and PAYG purposes regardless. The ATO actively targets sham contracting in the construction industry.
Construction businesses often incur costs weeks before a progress claim is issued and months before it is paid. Without accurate, forward-looking financial records and regular reconciliation, cash flow gaps can catch even a profitable business off guard — particularly during the gap between project stages.
One dedicated graduate accountant managing your construction business bookkeeping — job costing, TPAR, Award payroll, BAS, and monthly reporting — consistently, every week.
Every cost — materials, subbies, labour, plant hire — coded to the correct job, giving you a clear view of which projects are profitable and which are not.
Contractor ABNs verified and payments tracked throughout the year — TPAR prepared and lodgement-ready before 28 August each year, without the last-minute scramble.
GST coded correctly across materials, labour, and subcontractor invoices — BAS prepared quarterly with progress claims and mixed supplies treated accurately.
Pay runs processed with correct award rates, site allowances, travel allowances, and overtime — STP Phase 2 lodged every pay event, super paid by ATO deadlines.
Progress claims, deposits, variations, and retentions tracked accurately — so your bank balance and your actual profit position tell the same story.
Monthly P&L by job and across the business — showing which projects are performing, where costs are running over, and what the overall business position is.
FreeMyCloud works with builders and construction businesses of every size — from individual operators through to ASX-listed construction companies with complex reporting requirements.
Book a free consultation
FreeMyCloud bookkeepers work in Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks and are able to work alongside construction-specific job management tools — ServiceM8, Tradify, and Buildertrend — using job data and financial exports to keep your accounting software current and your job costing accurate.
There is no requirement to change your accounting software or job management platform. Your bookkeeper connects to your existing file from day one and works within the tools already in place.
Job costing and time tracking integrated with Xero accounting — your bookkeeper maintains both
Job management platforms that export to Xero or MYOB for reconciliation and reporting
Construction management software with accounting integrations your bookkeeper can work alongside
Receipt and supplier invoice capture — site receipts photographed and coded to the correct job
FreeMyCloud bookkeepers are university-qualified graduate accountants with Australian experience, pre-trained in Australian GST, BAS, TPAR, and payroll requirements before they begin with your business. They work in Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks alongside the job management software your construction business already uses.
One dedicated bookkeeper is assigned to your business — the same person every week, building knowledge of your projects, your subbies, and your reporting requirements over time.
A dedicated, university-qualified graduate accountant for your construction business — at 50–70% less than a local bookkeeper hire. No super, no leave entitlements, no recruitment overhead.
Four steps from first contact to your bookkeeper working in your accounts.
15 minutes — tell us about your projects, software, subbies, and what you need handled.
We match you with a graduate accountant with Australian experience and construction bookkeeping knowledge.
Invite your bookkeeper into your accounting software. They review your chart of accounts and job structure and begin immediately.
Job costing, TPAR, payroll, BAS, reports — maintained consistently every week.
I hold a university accounting degree and have Australian experience working in Xero and MYOB. I am able to take over the bookkeeping for your building or construction business — coding every cost to the correct job daily, reconciling your accounts weekly, tracking your progress claims and retentions, preparing your TPAR, processing payroll under the Building and Construction General On-site Award, and producing monthly job profitability reports.
I work in your existing accounting software and alongside your job management tools — ServiceM8, Tradify, or Buildertrend — from day one. I am pre-trained in Australian construction bookkeeping requirements and do not require a lengthy onboarding process.
FreeMyCloud provides bookkeeping for builders and construction businesses of every size — from individual operators and subcontractors through to ASX-listed construction companies with complex multi-project reporting requirements.
FreeMyCloud provides bookkeeping for builders and construction businesses across every state and territory in Australia — residential builders, commercial builders, civil construction companies, subcontractors, tradies, renovators, and project managers of every size, from individual operators through to ASX-listed construction organisations.
Bookkeeping for builders and construction businesses involves financial obligations that differ materially from standard small business bookkeeping. The Taxable Payments Annual Report (TPAR) must be lodged with the ATO by 28 August each year for any construction business that pays contractors — reporting each contractor's ABN, name, address, and total payments received. Job costing — tracking every dollar of materials, labour, subcontractor costs, and plant hire against a specific project — is the only way to understand whether each job is genuinely profitable. Progress claims, variations, and retentions create a timing gap between work completed, invoices issued, and cash received that must be managed actively to maintain accurate financial records and cash flow visibility.
Payroll for on-site construction workers is governed by the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (MA000020), which includes site allowances, travel allowances, overtime rates, and apprentice wage scales. From 1 July 2025, the superannuation guarantee rate is 12%. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires super to be paid with every payroll cycle. The ATO actively targets sham contracting in the construction industry — an ABN does not automatically establish contractor status, and misclassification creates substantial super and PAYG withholding liability.
FreeMyCloud provides bookkeeping for builders and construction businesses in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Geelong, Darwin, Hobart, and all regional areas of Australia.
What is a TPAR and do builders have to lodge one?
TPAR stands for Taxable Payments Annual Report. If your construction business pays contractors for building and construction services, you must lodge a TPAR with the ATO by 28 August each year — reporting each contractor's ABN, name, address, and the gross amount paid. Your FreeMyCloud bookkeeper tracks contractor payments throughout the year and prepares your TPAR ready for lodgement, well ahead of the deadline.
What bookkeeping does a builder or construction business need?
Builders and construction businesses need job costing, TPAR preparation, progress claim and retention reconciliation, BAS, payroll under the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020), subcontractor payment tracking, and monthly management reporting showing job profitability and the overall business position.
How much does bookkeeping for builders cost?
FreeMyCloud bookkeeping for builders and construction businesses typically costs 50–70% less than employing a local bookkeeper. There are no setup fees and no lock-in contracts — no superannuation, leave entitlements, or recruitment costs. Use the savings calculator on our website for a personalised estimate.
Does a subcontractor with an ABN need to go through payroll?
Not automatically — but the ATO uses a multi-factor test to assess genuine contractor status. If a worker is paid mainly for their labour, works exclusively for one business, and cannot subcontract the work to others, they may be deemed an employee for super and PAYG withholding purposes regardless of having an ABN. The ATO actively investigates sham contracting in the construction industry.
What payroll award covers construction workers in Australia?
On-site tradespeople, labourers, and apprentices are typically covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (MA000020). This award includes site allowances, travel allowances, overtime penalty rates, and apprentice wage scales. FreeMyCloud bookkeepers apply the correct classification and rates for each employee type in your business.
What is WIP in construction bookkeeping?
WIP stands for Work in Progress — the value of work completed on a project but not yet invoiced. In construction, the gap between costs incurred and invoices issued can be significant across project stages. Tracking WIP allows you to see the true financial position of each project, not just what has been billed to date. Your FreeMyCloud bookkeeper maintains WIP records alongside your accounting software each month.
How quickly can bookkeeping for a builder start?
Most FreeMyCloud clients are operational within 3 business days of an initial consultation. Your bookkeeper is pre-trained and ready to begin from day one — minimal onboarding required.
Is there a lock-in contract?
No. FreeMyCloud operates without lock-in contracts or minimum terms. You are free to cancel at any time. There are also no setup fees.
Book a free, no-obligation consultation. Tell us about your projects, your subbies, and your software — and we will have the right bookkeeper operational within 3 business days.
