Contractors in Kansas City, by the numbers
Wyandotte County, home to Kansas City, has 292 specialty trade contractors (plumbers, electricians, roofers and other trades) with employees (Census Bureau, 2023).
That's 16% more than in 2018 (251).
Another 1,366 are run by one person with no employees, mostly self-employed owners.
Across Kansas there are 4,905 with employees, so about 6% are in Wyandotte County.
Every one of them has books to keep: sales to match to the bank, costs to sort and tax to work out.
Why contractors need different books
Supply-house runs on the business card, subcontractors paid by e-transfer or cheque, deposits that come in before the job starts, a truck that's partly business and receipts that live in the cup holder. That's what makes a contractor's books messy, and it's what a good bookkeeper spends most of the month on.
What a bookkeeper for contractors in Kansas City keeps track of
- Materials as the cost of each job, so you see what's left after them
- Subcontractors paid, for slips at year end
- Customer deposits and progress bills
- Holdbacks customers keep back until the job is done
- Your truck, tools and equipment
- Sales tax or GST/HST on what you bill
Taxes for contractors in Kansas
Whether construction services are taxed depends on the state, and many states don't tax them. Check Kansas's rules; anything you sell as a product is usually taxed at 6.5% plus local tax.
- Subcontractors you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 need a 1099-NEC by January 31, so collect a W-9 before you pay them.
- In many states contractors pay sales tax on materials when they buy them instead of charging it on the job. The rules vary by state and by the kind of job.
- Tools and equipment can usually be written off in the year you buy them, or over several years.
What SumSwift does for contractors and trades, for $79 a month
- Materials sorted as the cost of the job, with job costing to see what each job made
- Subcontractor lists for 1099s or T4A and T5018 slips, with who you still need a W-9 or business number from
- Progress bills and holdbacks tracked until they're released
- Cheques written and printed in SumSwift, and "CHEQUE 104" on a statement asked about once
- Big purchases get one question, "Is this equipment?", so they're written off over the right years
- A mileage log (a CRA logbook in Canada) and the business share of your vehicle worked out for taxes
- Receipts snapped with your phone or forwarded by email are read and matched to the charge
Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in USD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.