Bookkeeping Checklist by Industry: 4 Client Types | HelloBooks A bookkeeping checklist by industry for restaurants, construction, ecommerce and real estate clients, with the tax records each industry needs from 2025.
The monthly checklist is the base. Each industry adds a few items that, if missed, cause most of that industry’s year-end problems.
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Smarter accounting for growing businessesRestaurants
Construction
Ecommerce
Real estate
The IRS gave employers penalty relief for 2025 if they did not separately report tips, tipped occupations or qualified overtime, and said that relief was for 2025 only. Restaurant payroll should now track tips separately so employees can document the qualified tips deduction.
Construction clients pay many subcontractors; for payments made in 2026, the 1099-NEC threshold is $2,000. Collect W-9s before the first payment and let HelloBooks total payments per vendor.
Ecommerce clients may not get a Form 1099-K, which is only required when gross payments exceed $20,000 and transactions exceed 200. Their sales are still income, so keep platform statements and record payouts gross of fees.
Publication 527 tells rental owners to separate repairs from improvements and keep accurate records, and lists common deductible rental expenses such as advertising, cleaning and maintenance, insurance and mortgage interest. Keep each property’s activity in its own accounts.
Efficiency · weekly checklist
Document collection · rental property
For CPA and bookkeeping firms · efficiency
Every federal change for the 2025 and 2026 seasons
General information for tax and accounting professionals, not legal advice. Rules are summarised from the primary sources listed on the date shown; read the current text before relying on it.
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