Built inside construction. Built for the trades.
Contractor’s Ledger exists because trade contractors get the worst of both worlds when it comes to accounting.
The big operations charge a premium and hand your file to someone who’s never been on a jobsite. The solo bookkeeper is affordable but sets up your chart of accounts like you’re running a coffee shop. Neither one knows what a WIP schedule is, what your surety needs, or why your cash flow goes sideways every January.
We built this to fix that.
Our mission
The goal is to give specialty trade contractors the kind of financial management the largest construction companies have. Without the six-figure controller salary, the attitude, or the waiting room.
Leadership
Daniel Jahn, CPA
Founder & Managing Partner
Daniel worked in construction finance before starting this practice, first as a controller for a general contractor, then as an auditor. He’s seen the books from the field side and the financial side, which changes how you think about job costing and reporting. He specializes in WIP reporting and uses tools like Acumatica and Power BI when contractors need more visibility than QuickBooks alone can give.
Expertise: - Construction job costing and advanced WIP reporting - ERP optimization and systems automation - Commercial lending, bonding, and surety financial preparation - Financial due diligence and strategic forecasting
Credentials & Licenses: - Licensed CPA, State of Nebraska (individually licensed, not firm licensed) - Member, Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) - Intuit QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Gold Tier
Why we work exclusively with contractors
Honestly? Because nobody else was doing this right for the trades.
Big accounting firms treat a $3M electrical sub like a rounding error. They don’t return calls. They don’t explain anything. And they definitely don’t structure your financials the way your bonding company needs to see them.
General bookkeepers try hard, but they don’t understand job costing, progress billing, retainage, certified payroll, or any of the things that make construction accounting different from every other industry.
Trade contractors deserve the same caliber of financial management that the largest construction companies have, without the six-figure controller salary or the attitude. That’s what we deliver.
What we stand for
Straight talk. If a job is bleeding money, we tell you while there’s still time to do something about it. You’ll never hear us soften bad news to avoid a difficult conversation.
Contractor-first. Every decision about how reports are formatted and how we structure a chart of accounts comes back to one question: does this serve contractors?
Real expertise, not generalism. We don’t dabble in construction. We work exclusively with specialty trade contractors and know the financial mechanics of your industry inside out.
Accessibility. You know who’s working on your account. You can reach them. Questions get answered in plain language, not accounting jargon.
Who we work with
We work exclusively with specialty trade contractors across all trades:
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- HVAC & Mechanical
- Concrete
- Excavation & Sitework
- Roofing
- Framing
- Drywall & Painting
- Fire Protection
- Steel Erection
- Masonry
- Demolition
Most of our clients are in the $500K to $10M revenue range with 5 to 75 employees. Whether you’re a two-crew operation working toward your first bond line or a growing sub taking on larger commercial projects, we’ve done this before.
Ready to talk?
If you’ve ever thought “my accountant just doesn’t get construction” — you found the right place. Learn more about how we work or see our services.
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