The Berne & Co Accountancy Services Blog

Insights for Building Contractors

Practical, plain-English advice on job profitability, cash flow, tax and CIS — written specifically for people who run building and construction firms.

Job Costing
4 September 2026 · 5 min read

How to Know Which Jobs Are Actually Making You Money

Turnover tells you nothing about profit. Here's how proper job costing shows you the real margin on every project — while it's still running.

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Tax & CIS
28 August 2026 · 7 min read

Domestic Reverse Charge VAT: A Contractor's Plain-English Guide

Reverse charge VAT trips up more contractors than anything else. This is what it means, when it applies, and how to stop it causing errors.

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Profitability
21 August 2026 · 4 min read

Why Your Turnover Is Up but Your Profit Isn't

Growing revenue can quietly hide shrinking margins. We look at the most common causes of margin erosion in building firms — and the fixes.

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Cash Flow
14 August 2026 · 6 min read

13-Week Cash Flow Forecasting for Building Firms

The single best tool for never being caught short again. How a rolling 13-week forecast works, and why contractors especially need one.

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Tax & CIS
7 August 2026 · 5 min read

CIS Explained: Getting Subcontractor Deductions Right

Verification, deduction rates, monthly returns and the penalties for getting it wrong — everything you need to keep CIS clean and simple.

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Growth
31 July 2026 · 6 min read

Employ or Subcontract? A Straight Cost Comparison

One of the biggest decisions a growing contractor makes. We break down the true cost of each route so you can choose with the numbers, not a hunch.

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Cash Flow
24 July 2026 · 6 min read

Retentions: How to Stop Money You've Earned Draining Your Cash Flow

Retentions tie up money you've already earned — and quietly leak profit when they're never collected. How they work and how to take control of them.

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Cash Flow
17 July 2026 · 6 min read

How to Get Paid Faster: Credit Control for Contractors

"We're always chasing money." Getting paid on time isn't luck, it's a system — from watertight paperwork to a chase routine that actually works.

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Pricing
10 July 2026 · 7 min read

How to Price and Estimate Jobs to Actually Make Money

Most margin problems start at the estimate, not on site. How to price from the cost up, recover overheads, and add real margin — not just markup.

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Business
3 July 2026 · 6 min read

Signs You've Outgrown Your Accountant

Your accountant was fine when you started — but has the service kept up? Seven signs it's time for a change, and why switching is easier than you think.

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Tax & CIS
26 June 2026 · 6 min read

How to Set Aside for Tax So It Never Catches You Out

Surprise tax bills are one of the most avoidable stresses in construction. A simple 'tax pot' system so the money's always there when the bill lands.

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Business
19 June 2026 · 6 min read

Going Digital: Why It's Time to Ditch the Shoebox of Receipts

Cloud accounting gives contractors real-time numbers, receipts snapped on site and job-level insight — so you can run the business, not just do the books.

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Business
12 June 2026 · 7 min read

Sole Trader or Limited Company? A Building Contractor's Guide

It's not just tax — it's liability, credibility, admin and how you get paid. The factors that decide which structure leaves you better off.

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Tax & CIS
5 June 2026 · 6 min read

Getting Ready for Year-End: A Contractor's Checklist

Year-end doesn't have to be a scramble. A checklist to prepare properly — and the one habit (reviewing early) that actually cuts your tax bill.

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