Monthly close and financials
Review of the balance sheet and P&L, reconciliations, budget-to-actual results and unresolved items. Reports should distinguish a reconciled balance from an estimate or an item still awaiting support.
Controller-level oversight, tailored to your business
Fractional Controller Services for Construction Contractors
Connect job costs, monthly financials and forward cash planning so you can make decisions with reliable numbers. Weekly and monthly involvement is shaped around your jobs, your team and the support you need.
Most engagements: $3,500 to $8,000 per month. Long Island and NYC-area focus, with virtual support for U.S. contractors.
Book Your Contractor Financial Control ReviewWork directly with Lena Hanna. Meet Lena and read her background.
Busy crews should not leave you guessing about cash
A profitable bid can turn into a weak margin when costs, commitments and change orders are out of sync. And even a profitable job can leave cash tight while you wait for payment. Controller support helps connect the records to the decisions ahead.
- The monthly close is late, so you make decisions with old numbers.
- Reported job margins do not agree with what your project managers see.
- WIP, billings and retainage are difficult to reconcile.
- Payroll and supplier payments arrive before customer collections.
- A bank or surety asks for information your current reports cannot explain.
- Your bookkeeper needs review and a workable close process.
A controller connects the books to operating decisions
Bookkeeping
Records transactions, codes costs and maintains the accounting system. Accurate, timely entries are the foundation of useful reporting.
Controller oversight
Reviews the close, reconciles reporting, examines job costs and turns the records into financial information an owner can use.
CFO and tax work
CFO work generally focuses on financing, capital strategy and growth. Tax preparation addresses filing obligations. Those roles can collaborate with controller oversight.
Reports that show what changed and what to do next
The engagement defines the reports and review cadence you need. A useful reporting package can include:
Job-margin reporting
Actual costs and labor burden, materials, subcontractors, equipment and allocated overhead, compared with the budget. Remaining commitments, change orders and estimates to complete explain projected final margin.
WIP and billing visibility
Job progress, approved contract values, billings, over/underbillings and retainage connected to the accounting records. Percentage-of-completion reporting is used where appropriate to the engagement and reporting basis.
13-week cash planning
Expected collections and payment dates, including payroll-provider totals, materials, overhead and relevant financing or tax payments. The forecast is updated as collection dates and project needs change.
Action register and owner review
A short list of decisions, exceptions and follow-ups with an owner for each. The review ties cash and job performance to operating choices, rather than simply delivering a spreadsheet.
Process and bookkeeping coordination
Clear coding, approval and close procedures that work with your current bookkeeper. Missing data and access dependencies are made visible so the team can resolve them.
Illustrative reports
See the information behind the decisions
All figures below are fictional examples, not client results or a fixed reporting package. Your reports are tailored to your engagement.
Sample job-profitability report
Decision: which estimate needs attention before the remaining margin is spent?
Job A: electrical fit-out
- Approved contract incl. approved changes
- $240,000
- Actual cost to date
- $112,000
- Estimate to complete
- $80,000
- Remaining commitments (included above)
- $48,000
- Projected total cost
- $192,000
- Projected final gross profit
- $48,000
- Projected final gross margin
- 20.0%
Job B: mechanical upgrade
- Approved contract incl. approved changes
- $180,000
- Actual cost to date
- $96,000
- Estimate to complete
- $66,000
- Remaining commitments (included above)
- $38,000
- Projected total cost
- $162,000
- Projected final gross profit
- $18,000
- Projected final gross margin
- 10.0%
Actual costs include labor and burden, materials, subcontractors, equipment and allocated job overhead. Remaining commitments are part of the estimate to complete; adding them again would double-count cost. Unapproved changes are tracked separately from approved contract value.
Download the fictional job report (CSV)Sample 13-week cash forecast
Decision: do collection dates support payroll, suppliers and other planned payments? This example starts with $60,000 and reaches a low of $35,000. Profit on a job does not make cash available before the customer pays.
| Week | Opening cash | Receipts | Payments | Closing cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $55,000 |
| 2 | $55,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $55,000 |
| 3 | $55,000 | $20,000 | $40,000 | $35,000 |
| 4 | $35,000 | $45,000 | $35,000 | $45,000 |
| 5 | $45,000 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 |
| 6 | $40,000 | $60,000 | $40,000 | $60,000 |
| 7 | $60,000 | $25,000 | $35,000 | $50,000 |
| 8 | $50,000 | $20,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 |
| 9 | $40,000 | $55,000 | $40,000 | $55,000 |
| 10 | $55,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | $50,000 |
| 11 | $50,000 | $40,000 | $30,000 | $60,000 |
| 12 | $60,000 | $25,000 | $35,000 | $50,000 |
| 13 | $50,000 | $65,000 | $45,000 | $70,000 |
Assumptions: receipts follow expected collection dates, including released retainage; payments include planned payroll, supplier bills, overhead and debt payments. Financing, owner distributions and tax payments must be included where relevant. This is a planning example, not a prediction.
Download the fictional 13-week forecast (CSV)Sample monthly owner summary
Decision: what needs an owner decision, who owns it, and what evidence is missing?
- Revenue
- $150,000
- Gross profit / margin
- $30,000 / 20%
- Operating profit
- $8,000
Fictional month: direct costs $120,000; operating expenses $22,000. Balance-sheet review: cash $40,000, receivables $95,000 (including $15,000 retainage), payables $52,000. These selected balances are not a full financial statement.
- Owner / collections: confirm the date of a delayed $20,000 receipt before committing the next supplier payment.
- Project manager / Job B: validate the remaining labor estimate and pending change-order approval; the sample projects only a 10% final margin.
- Bookkeeper / close: resolve $4,000 of uncoded supplier costs before finalizing the job report.
The owner-review discussion connects the P&L and balance sheet to job margins, WIP, receivables, retainage and the cash forecast. It records decisions and follow-up owners rather than treating the dashboard as the end of the work.
Download the fictional monthly summary (CSV)Construction costs, billing and cash belong in the same conversation
Start with the approved estimate and cost codes. Compare actual and committed costs with the remaining work, check change-order status, and reconcile the WIP schedule to billings. A job can show earned profit while cash is held in receivables, underbillings or retainage. That is why the job report and cash forecast answer different questions.
New York prevailing-wage and certified-payroll requirements, sales-tax questions and retainage terms can affect the information needed. Relevant accounting support is agreed for your engagement and coordinated with payroll providers and other advisers. This does not assume comprehensive legal, tax or compliance coverage.
Work directly with Lena
LNH CPA PLLC is Lena Hanna's practice. You work directly with Lena on the financial oversight agreed for your engagement. Her background, credentials and approach are described on the About page.
Bring your existing bookkeeper and tax CPA into the conversation. The goal is a clear division of responsibilities and dependable reporting, without assuming your current team must be replaced.
Read Lena's experience and approachBuild the engagement around the work you need
1. Understand the situation
Review the accounting system, active jobs, current team and financial questions. Identify what is reliable and what needs support before quoting the engagement.
2. Establish the foundation
Separately scope any historical cleanup or reporting-system implementation. Agree access, coding, budgets and reporting responsibilities. Early priorities depend on file condition and timely information; there is no universal 30/60/90-day guarantee.
3. Review and improve
Tailor weekly involvement and monthly reporting to your operation. Review exceptions, updated job estimates, cash expectations and owner decisions, and adjust the work as needs change.
Lena: performs, reviews or coordinates the financial work defined in your engagement, including reporting and process improvements.
Your bookkeeper: maintains the transaction records, job coding and reconciliations assigned to that role. Routine data entry and AP execution must be specifically agreed rather than assumed.
Owner, estimator and project managers: provide budgets, approved changes, commitments, project progress and realistic estimates to complete; approve payments and make operating decisions. Financial review cannot replace project-management judgment.
Fit depends on your needs, not a revenue ceiling
This can be a good fit when you need reliable job margins, a stronger close, forward cash planning or review for an existing bookkeeping team. The number of jobs, accounting complexity, record condition and support required matter more than a revenue band.
If you need continuous on-site management, full-time transaction execution or a dedicated finance leader every day, a full-time hire may be more appropriate. An initial discussion establishes whether fractional support can meet your needs.
Investment and separately scoped work
Most engagements are $3,500 to $8,000 per month, shaped by your transaction volume, jobs, team and financial needs.
Recurring oversight, initial review, historical cleanup and reporting-system implementation are distinct stages. Work and fees are agreed for your engagement. QuickBooks cleanup may be needed before recurring reports become dependable.
- Payroll processing stays with a payroll service. Any payroll review or certified-payroll support is separately defined.
- Tax preparation and planning are available to current fractional-controller clients, with scope agreed for the engagement.
- Your business is responsible for software licenses.
- Formal compilation services are separate. Management reports and WIP schedules are not compiled, reviewed or audited financial statements. Bank and surety requirements must be confirmed; acceptance is not guaranteed.
Questions before you engage
What does a fractional controller do for a construction company?
A fractional controller provides controller-level financial oversight without hiring a full-time employee. Depending on the engagement, that can include monthly financial reporting, job-cost review, work-in-progress schedules, cash forecasting, budget-to-actual analysis, accounting-process improvements and supervision of the bookkeeping close. The goal is timely, reliable information for managing jobs, cash, overhead and profitability.
How is a construction fractional controller different from a bookkeeper or CFO?
A bookkeeper records transactions and maintains the accounting system. A controller reviews that work, strengthens processes, oversees the close and turns accounting data into dependable reports. A CFO generally focuses on financing, capital strategy and long-term growth. Controller support can work alongside your existing bookkeeper and tax CPA; you do not have to replace them.
Can a fractional controller improve construction job costing and profitability reporting?
Yes. Job costing can organize labor and labor burden, materials, subcontractors, equipment, change orders and allocated overhead by job or cost code. Comparing estimates with actual and committed costs, and updating estimates to complete, helps identify overruns and projected final margins. The quality of the report depends on timely coding and realistic updates from your project team.
Can a fractional controller help clean up QuickBooks for a construction company?
Yes. An engagement may begin with cleanup when balances, job costs, receivables, payables or reports are unreliable. Work can include reconciliations, classification corrections, chart-of-accounts changes and review of opening balances. Historical corrections and reporting-system implementation are scoped separately based on the condition and complexity of the records.
When should a construction company hire a fractional controller?
Consider controller support when growth has outpaced reporting: unexplained cash shortages, late statements, unreliable margins, weak WIP reporting, inconsistent overhead allocation, aging receivables or retainage confusion. Fit depends on your operational needs and current team, with no public revenue cutoff. A full-time controller may be more appropriate when you need continuous on-site management or a dedicated full-time finance leader.
How much does the engagement cost, and how often will we work together?
Most contractor engagements are $3,500 to $8,000 per month. Weekly involvement and monthly reporting are tailored to the jobs, team, transaction volume and support you need. Deliverables, owner-review cadence, responsibilities and any separately scoped work are agreed for your engagement. There is no cookie-cutter package or universal close-date promise.
Do you work with QuickBooks Online and Desktop?
Construction cleanup and reporting support can address QuickBooks Online or Desktop. The initial review establishes which version, job-cost structure and connected systems you use, and what access is needed. You remain responsible for your software licenses. A software migration is not assumed to be necessary.
Are payroll, tax services and formal CPA reports included?
Payroll processing belongs with a payroll service; Lena can coordinate financial review and separately agreed certified-payroll support. Tax preparation and planning are available to current fractional-controller clients, with the scope agreed for the engagement. Routine data entry and AP execution are not assumed to be included. Formal compilation services are separate. Management WIP schedules and reporting are not compiled, reviewed or audited financial statements, and no bank or surety acceptance is guaranteed.
Who supplies project information, and can we work virtually?
Your bookkeeper maintains agreed transaction records and reconciliations. Owners, estimators and project managers supply approved budgets, change-order status, commitments, progress and realistic estimates to complete, and make operating decisions. Lena reviews and connects that information to reporting. LNH CPA PLLC serves Long Island, Suffolk and Nassau counties and the NYC area, and works virtually with U.S. contractors. The Rocky Point address is mail-only.
What happens in the Contractor Financial Control Review, and when can we start?
We discuss your accounting system, active jobs, current team and the financial issues you want to understand. If there are gaps, we discuss useful next steps. The review is not a formal audit or a promise that every business needs corrections. Engagement timing depends on availability, access, record condition and the agreed scope; cleanup may be needed before recurring reporting can begin.
Start with your financial questions
Tell Lena what you need to understand about job margins, reporting or cash. If there are gaps to address, discuss practical next steps in your Contractor Financial Control Review.
Book Your Contractor Financial Control Review(631) 357-0524 · lena@lnhcpa.com
Local experience: Suffolk County, Nassau County and Long Island construction CPA services. Virtual support for U.S. contractors.