Accounting software for contractors: job costing, progress invoicing and 1099s by plan

Three things set contractor bookkeeping apart: costs and income per job, billing a job in stages, and 1099s for subcontractors. Here is what each tool in our accounting ranking says about each, and on which plan. All were read on Sep 26, 2026. Our list for construction and trades ranks the tools whose entry plan states at least two of five contractor features: these three, estimates and mobile receipt capture.

Job costing (profit per job or project)

• FreshBooks: not on Lite ($23 a month); project profitability starts at Premium, $70 a month (source).
• Patriot Software: not mentioned on its pricing, feature or help pages.
• QuickBooks Online: not on Simple Start ($38 a month); job costing starts at Plus, $140 a month (source).
• Wave: not mentioned on its pricing, feature or help pages.
• Xero: not on Early ($25 a month); project costs and profitability are on Established, $90 a month ($97 from October 1, 2026) (source).
• Zoho Books: not on Standard ($20 a month); project profitability starts at Professional, $50 a month ($40 billed annually) (source).

Progress invoicing (billing a job in stages)

• FreshBooks: not mentioned on its pricing, feature or help pages.
• Patriot Software: not mentioned on its pricing, feature or help pages.
• QuickBooks Online: on Plus and Advanced only, not Simple Start (source).
• Wave: not mentioned on its pricing, feature or help pages.
• Xero: progress payments are part of Xero projects, on Established only (source).
• Zoho Books: on the entry plan, Standard ($20 a month) (source).

1099s for subcontractors

• FreshBooks: only through the FreshBooks Payroll add-on ($40 a month plus $6 per user), which pays contractors only alongside at least one W-2 employee (source).
• Patriot Software: an e-file add-on on any Accounting plan: $20 for 1 to 5 forms, $2 per extra form, $80 at most (source).
• QuickBooks Online: on Simple Start; e-filing adds a fee QuickBooks doesn't publish (source).
• Wave: only through Wave payroll (from $40 a month), which needs at least one employee (source).
• Xero: prepares 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC on Early; e-filing goes through a third-party app, which may charge (source).
• Zoho Books: e-files 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC on Standard, with no fee stated (source).

Job costing is the gap: none of the six tools includes it on its cheapest plan, so a contractor who needs profit per job should price the plan that has it.