Concrete pays on two kinds of work. Residential flatwork, like driveways, patios, and slabs, pays fast and in full. Commercial work for a general contractor pays in progress draws, with a slice held back until the building is done.
The money is made or lost on pour day. Extra finishers, overtime, a pump truck, and 40 yards of ready-mix all hit at once. Books that miss those costs, or count retainage as cash, tell a story the bank account will not back up.
Greg Neilsen, JD, LLM (Master of Laws in Taxation), reviews our guides. Last reviewed: October 5, 2026.
Each answer is below.
Example: A $200,000 commercial slab package carries 10 percent retainage. The company collects $180,000 across the job. The last $20,000 waits for the building’s final inspection, eight months later. Payroll and the ready-mix bill do not wait, so the cash plan has to.
Example: A $14,500 slab uses 40 yards of ready-mix at $165, or $6,600. The pump rental is $1,250. Six finishers work 10 hours at $28, or $1,680. Job profit is $4,970, about 34 percent. With labor sitting in overhead, the same slab looks like $6,650, about 46 percent.
Example: A $1,900 vibratory screed falls under the $2,500 rule and is deducted the year it is bought, with no schedule. A $38,000 skid steer goes on the depreciation schedule, where 100 percent bonus depreciation can still deduct it this year. Whether to take it all at once is a planning call.
Commercial concrete subs often run Buildertrend, or take the general contractor’s pay application process as it comes. Residential flatwork companies tend to run Jobber or a similar quote-and-invoice tool. QuickBooks Online holds the books.
Buildertrend can bill from a schedule of values and track retainage on owner invoices. That only helps if the job budget’s cost codes match the QuickBooks accounts. We set that map once, then check progress billing, retainage, and job costs against the bank every month.
Example: A pay application bills $50,000 of completed work with 10 percent retainage. QuickBooks records $45,000 due now and $5,000 of retainage receivable on the same job. When the general contractor releases retainage, the $5,000 clears from that account.
Read our guides to Buildertrend and Jobber with QuickBooks Online.
Florida lists cement and concrete work as work on real property. The concrete company is the final buyer of what it pours. You pay sales tax on ready-mix, rebar, wire mesh, and forms at the supplier, and you charge none on a lump-sum contract.
The same rule holds when you sub to a general contractor. Tax on materials belongs in your bid.
Concrete is construction for workers’ compensation. Florida’s construction class list carries several concrete codes, from residential foundations to driveways and sidewalks. Coverage starts with the first employee. A finishing crew paid as a sub, with no coverage of its own, counts as your employee under the statute.
Off-road equipment goes on the county tangible property return by April 1: mixers, trowels, screeds, saws, compactors, forms, and the skid steer. Titled dump trucks and pump trucks stay off. The first $25,000 of value is exempt once the first return is on file.
Example: A concrete company reports $72,000 of equipment value on its return. The first $25,000 is exempt. The county taxes the remaining $47,000.
Dump trucks, flatbeds, and pump trucks are well over 6,000 pounds, so the passenger-car depreciation caps do not apply. Anything acquired after January 19, 2025 qualifies for 100 percent bonus depreciation. Our section 179 vs bonus guide covers which election fits.
Florida has no personal income tax. For a concrete owner, the S corporation question comes down to federal self-employment tax against a reasonable salary.
We close your books monthly with retainage, job costs, and equipment each in their own place. Payroll runs through Gusto, overtime included. We prepare the business and personal returns, and Greg Neilsen, JD, LLM, reviews each one before it is filed.
Plans start at $750 per month. One flat fee covers bookkeeping, tax planning, and tax consulting on most plans. We price it after we see the books, in writing, before any work starts. No onboarding fee.
We work from our Tampa office by phone, email, and video. You hear back within 24 hours. See every trade we serve, including remodelers and roofers.
On the cash basis, when the check arrives. On the accrual basis, timing turns on when your right to the money becomes fixed under the contract. We set that up from your actual contract terms.
Yes, at purchase, on lump-sum work. Florida treats the concrete contractor as the final buyer of the material. Build that tax into the bid.
Only if they carry their own workers’ comp or hold a valid exemption. Without that, Florida counts them as your employees for coverage. Ask for the certificate before pour day.
Often, yes. Trucks over 6,000 pounds and equipment acquired after January 19, 2025 qualify for 100 percent bonus depreciation once placed in service. Whether you should depends on this year’s profit and next year’s.
For payments made in 2026, an unincorporated sub paid $2,000 or more for the year gets a 1099-NEC. Collect a W-9 before the first payment either way.
This page is educational and is not tax or legal advice for your situation. Rules change, and the right move depends on your numbers. Talk to a tax professional before you act.
Greg Neilsen, JD, LLM (Master of Laws in Taxation), reviews our guides. Last reviewed: October 5, 2026.
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