The contractor tax planning workbook

Know what to ask.
Bring the right records.

Fifteen questions about owner pay, jobsite expenses, truck logs and crew benefits. A working reference for remodelers, home builders and the construction trades.

Free PDF · No credit card · Revised October 2026

Today CFO / Field reference

Your next
tax conversation,
organized.

01 Owner pay and crew benefits
02 Jobsite expenses and truck logs
03 Office work, equipment and timing
2026 EDITION 15 planning topics

Inside the checklist

A question for each
part of the plan.

Mark what is handled, what needs a closer look and what does not apply. A checked box is a conversation starter; eligibility and the full tax calculation determine the outcome.

01

Owner pay, crew benefits and tax planning

For the contractor who estimates work, runs crews and still has to plan their own pay.

  • If your contracting business is an S corporation, does your salary reflect your estimating, supervision and field work?
  • Does your tax projection reflect the latest job margins, open work and expected collections?
  • Have you compared retirement plans using your crew roster, seasonal cash needs and owner pay?
02

Jobsite expenses paid personally

Connect supplier receipts, site visits and the home estimating office to the right records.

  • Do personally paid supplier runs, jobsite purchases and business trips have a documented reimbursement trail?
  • If you own an S corporation, is your health insurance handled correctly in payroll?
  • If you estimate jobs and run the office from home, have you checked whether the space qualifies?
  • Do your truck logs distinguish eligible jobsite and supplier trips from commuting and personal driving?
03

Family help, planning meetings and crew meals

Review real office duties and crew activities, with the work and records to support them.

  • If your spouse handles scheduling, billing or other office work, have you reviewed the role, pay and benefits?
  • If your children help with permitted work in the contracting business, are their duties, hours and wages documented?
  • If the company rents your home for a planning meeting, is the meeting purpose, rental rate and treatment supported?
  • Are crew meals, customer meals and entertainment recorded separately for tax review?
04

Equipment, premises and operating costs

Put each proposed expense beside upcoming payroll, materials and the work it needs to support.

  • Before prepaying insurance or another overhead bill, do you check tax timing and cash left for payroll and materials?
  • If you own the shop, yard or warehouse, have you reviewed its lease and relationship with the operating company?
  • If you pay for crew recreation, have you checked who benefits and what qualifies?
  • Do workers comp audits, equipment leases and supplier bills match your underlying records?

Keep it next to your books

More than a list
of tax terms.

The seven-page PDF gives you construction-specific review questions, IRS reference links and a worksheet to assign missing records and next actions. Keep it beside your job-cost reports, payroll and truck logs.

It does not promise a savings range or replace a review of your returns, payroll and records.

Start with the questions

Make the next conversation count.

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