Construction & contracting · project-wise books
Accounting software built for how construction businesses actually bill.
Site-wise costing, subcontractor TDS under Section 194C, works-contract GST, and RA-bill style progressive billing with retention tracked properly — not bolted onto generic invoicing software.
- Reviewed July 2026
- 6 min read
- CA Anil Agarwal & the TatvaBooks team
What construction accounting actually needs
A construction or contracting business doesn't run on one P&L — it runs on many, one per site. Costs, subcontractor bills, retention and progressive billing all need to be tracked per project, while GST and TDS still have to be right on every voucher. Here's what that needs, and how TatvaBooks handles each part.
| What construction accounting needs | How TatvaBooks does it |
|---|---|
| Project-wise / site-wise costing | Every voucher — purchase, expense, labour, subcontractor bill — is tagged to a cost centre for the site or project, so you see true cost and margin per project, not just a company-wide P&L. |
| Sub-contractor bills with TDS under Section 194C | TDS is deducted at the correct rate at the time you book the subcontractor's bill and tracked against their PAN, ready for your 26Q filing. |
| Works-contract GST treatment | Works-contract supplies are billed at the applicable GST rate with the right HSN/SAC, so composite-supply invoices come out GST-correct instead of being reworked by your CA later. |
| RA-bill style progressive billing | Raise running-account bills against a project as work is certified, invoice by invoice, so revenue is recognised as the job progresses rather than in one lump sum. |
| Retention money tracking | Retention held back on RA bills stays visible as a receivable against the client until it's released, so it doesn't quietly disappear from your books. |
| Vendor & client ledgers per project | Supplier and client running balances roll up both company-wide and by project, so you know exactly who's owed what on which site. |
Honest caveat: TatvaBooks gives you project cost tracking through cost centres, not a dedicated construction ERP with BOQ, estimation or site-material scheduling. If you need those, run them alongside TatvaBooks as your accounting and GST layer.
For small & mid-size contractors
Most Indian contractors and small construction firms don't need a heavyweight ERP — they need their site-wise costs, subcontractor TDS and client billing to be correct without a separate spreadsheet for every project. TatvaBooks tags every entry to a project cost centre, so a two-person contracting outfit or a twenty-site builder both get the same clean project-wise view, sized to how they actually work.
Subcontractor bills, TDS and GST — handled where the bill is entered
Two things trip up construction accounting more than anything else: forgetting to deduct TDS under Section 194C on a subcontractor's bill, and getting the works-contract GST rate wrong on a composite supply invoice. Both are decided the moment the voucher is entered in TatvaBooks, not reconstructed at quarter-end — so your 26Q and GSTR-1 workings are built from correct entries from day one.
RA bills and retention, tracked properly
Running-account billing lets you invoice as work is certified rather than waiting for the whole project to finish, and retention held back on each RA bill stays visible as a receivable until it's released — so nothing falls off your books between certification and final payment.
Frequently asked questions
Is TatvaBooks a construction ERP?
Can I track profit and loss for each site separately?
How does TDS on subcontractor payments under Section 194C work in TatvaBooks?
How do RA bills and retention work for a construction business?
What does accounting software for a construction company cost?
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Project-wise costing · subcontractor TDS built in
Get your site-wise books under control.
Track cost, subcontractor TDS and RA billing per project from day one — sign up and see it against your own sites.