Useful HVAC Accounting Tips for Commercial Contractors

"35% of contractors stress out about making an accounting mistake."

As the owner of an HVAC business, your expertise lies in the installation and repair of heating and cooling systems, acquired through years of practice and hands-on experience. While your proficiency in HVAC systems is unquestionable, the same may not hold true for accounting — the crucial part in determining the profitability of your business. 

Often overlooked as less exciting compared to dealing with HVAC equipment, efficient accounting is essential for maintaining financial stability. This involves balancing the books, establishing appropriate profit margins, tracking and managing assets, monitoring cash flow, and more.  

Most likely, you entered the HVAC industry because you’re good with people and equipment—not financial information—we're here to provide valuable accounting tips tailored for HVAC professionals.  

Let’s get started 

Review Your Financial Statements Regularly 

Regularly reviewing your financial statements is important for effective business management. A basic understanding of accounting principles and familiarity with key financial statements is essential to gain valuable insights into your HVAC business.  

The Profit and Loss Statement talks about your business's profitability, offering the opportunity to assess trends and seasonal variations by comparing it to previous months. This statement serves as a reliable indicator of your company's financial health. 

Balance Sheets provide a comprehensive snapshot of your HVAC company's financial position, detailing assets, investments, equity, and debt. Pay particular attention to your cash holdings, ensuring there's sufficient capital to meet short-term liabilities. 

The Cash Flow Statement reveals whether your business operates with a positive or negative cash flow. Ensuring sufficient cash flow is critical for the day-to-day functioning of your company. Therefore, it's advisable to analyze your cash flow statements in combination with the Profit and Loss statement and balance sheet. 

Regular monthly monitoring of these financial statements provides a holistic view of your business performance, enabling you to identify potential issues and proactively address challenges that may arise in the future. 

 💡 Do You Know: How Independent Contractors Manage Their Accounts? 💡

72% - with no professional help
18% - with some assistance
7% - with specialist accountants
2% - with the help of friends and family

Create a Cash Flow Projection 

To make sure you have enough money for your HVAC business in the future, it's helpful to create a cash flow projection. This means figuring out how much money you expect to receive and spend, and what you'll have left at the end of each period. 

In your cash flow projection, include things like expected money from customers, future costs for supplies, regular expenses, and employee salaries. You should keep these projections up to date and compare them with the actual money coming in and going out. For real-time analysis, IndusTrack has built-in financial reports that let you monitor your finances at any given moment. Run these reports on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and stay on top of your finances.  

Understanding and predicting how money moves in your business can help you, as a business owner, make smarter choices, plan for the future, and avoid unexpected money problems. Knowing whether your business will have money in the coming months can guide your decisions on spending, saving, and investing wisely in your business today. 

Use QuickBooks to Manage Your Books 

QuickBooks stands out as a widely used accounting software solution for HVAC businesses. It facilitates the complex tracking of income and expenses, efficient management of invoices and customer data, seamless reconciliation of bank statements, and the generation of comprehensive financial reports.  

Moreover, for businesses seeking seamless integration, it's noteworthy that IndusTrack offers complete integration with both QuickBooks Online and the Desktop version. This integration is comprehensive allowing users to sync everything – from inventory to setting costs, sending invoices, and collecting payments. 

Invest in Integrated HVAC Software for Your Workflow 

If you're not using HVAC software to handle your job orders and make invoices, it's a good idea to start now. This software doesn't just save time on paperwork; it keeps you organized by tracking payments and storing all customer info in one place. 

When shopping for HVAC software, be sure to look for a solution that has everything in one place. Just like indusTrack, it effortlessly handles estimates for your business and converts them to jobs in a single click. Even if your technicians are working in the field, you can track their job statuses. Upon completion, jobs can be invoiced in a few taps and you get paid instantly. The whole workflow, integrated into one system removes the need for several tools that are disconnected. If you feel like you’re stuck in any such situation – get your demo with IndusTrack today. 

Read More: How Patchwork Systems are Draining Your Time and Money

Record Invoices and Track Purchase Orders 

The smooth functioning of any HVAC business goes beyond just generating invoices and tracking payment statuses. This involves recording essential details like the items sold, prices, equipment used, and customer information. This record-keeping enables HVAC businesses to easily identify their top-performing services, aiding in informed decisions about future pricing and marketing strategies. 

A proactive approach is to promptly send out invoices after completing a job. This practice ensures timely payments, mitigating potential cash flow problems. To streamline this process, IndusTrack offers online approvals. Whether generating invoices in the field or from the office, you can send them to your customers online and receive instant payments. 

In addition to managing invoices, a robust HVAC accounting system should facilitate the effortless creation and tracking of purchase orders associated with specific jobs. IndusTrack supports HVAC businesses in creating and tracking purchase orders – a simple process of creating a PO, attaching it to a job, and monitoring its progress. 

Read More: Service Businesses are Under-invoicing - Here's How to Avoid

Now Over to You 

In the competitive world of HVAC services, HVAC contractors need to win more customers, keep the loyal ones happy, and hold onto their top-notch team—all while protecting their profits. Good accounting, whether you do it in-house or get help, is a deciding factor. 

Add the above tips to your regular operating procedures to level up accounting at your HVAC business. In addition, invest in business software solutions that automate bookkeeping and reporting features to free you up to spend more time growing your HVAC business. 

Want to save money and time?  Schedule a personalized consultation with IndusTrack today.