Switching construction accountants.
Most contractors do not leave their accountant over a mistake. They leave because the books cannot tell them which jobs made money, what they will owe, or what the company is worth. If that is why you are looking, here is what changes when you move to a construction CFO, and how the switch actually works.
Signs you have outgrown your accountant
You have probably outgrown your current setup if the monthly financials show up weeks late and still cannot tell you which open jobs are winning. If your accountant hands you off to someone else for the taxes, or the bonding, or a WIP schedule. If the year-end tax bill surprises you every spring. If you are bidding bigger work but your bonding line will not move, because your statements do not show a surety what it needs to see. None of that means your accountant is bad at the job. It usually means their job was general accounting, and yours is construction.
What a construction accountant should actually do
Closing your month is the floor, not the job. Before you switch to anyone, ask whether they build a WIP schedule you can read, whether they can tell you a job is losing money before it closes, whether they prepare and file the taxes themselves instead of referring you out, and whether they have ever produced financials a surety underwriter would accept. If the answer keeps pointing to another firm, you are running two relationships and paying for the gap between them. We keep it under one roof, built for how contractors actually run money.
How the switch works
Switching is less disruptive than most contractors expect. We start by reviewing your last returns and current books, so we know exactly what we are inheriting. We rebuild the pieces that were missing, usually job-level costing and a WIP schedule, without disturbing the history your bank and surety already rely on. Then we take over the ongoing work: the monthly close, the tax planning, the cash forecasting. You keep building the whole time.
You do not have to fire anyone dramatically or justify yourself. We handle the handoff, request the files we need, and pick up where the records left off. If you are mid-bond or mid-audit, we work around it rather than through it, and we bring in a licensed CPA for anything that has to carry a CPA signature, so nothing in flight breaks.
| What contractors worry about | What actually happens |
|---|---|
| I will lose my history | Your books and records carry over intact; the bank, surety, and IRS see continuous history |
| I have to fire my accountant myself | We handle the handoff and request the files; usually a short authorization is all you sign |
| I can only switch at year-end | You can switch any time, between jobs or right after a season |
| My bond renewal or audit will break | We work around anything in flight and coordinate with your surety or auditor |
| I will end up managing two firms | One team handles the taxes, the books, and the CFO work |
FAQ
You can switch any time. We review your prior returns and current books so nothing is lost, then pick up the ongoing work. Many contractors switch between jobs or right after a tax season, but there is no deadline you have to hit.
We handle it. We request the files and records we need and take it from there, so you are not stuck managing a breakup. In most cases a short authorization from you is all it takes.
They stay intact. We work from your existing records rather than starting over, so your bank, your surety, and the IRS still see continuous history. We rebuild what was missing, usually job costing and a WIP schedule, on top of what you already have.
For most contractors, we replace the general accountant. We prepare and file your taxes, prepare your financials, forecast cash, and steer the business, all built around construction. The only thing that must carry a CPA signature is an audited financial statement, and when a bond or bank requires one, we bring in a licensed CPA, so you still deal with one team.
No. We work around anything in flight rather than disrupting it, coordinate with your surety or auditor, and bring in a licensed CPA where a signature is required. The goal is a clean handoff, not a gap.
Let's talk.
Tell us who handles your books now, and we will show you exactly what changes.
Book a CallReviewed July 2026 by the Blackthorne Wicker team.