QuickBooks alone, or a construction software connected to it? The guide for Quebec contractors

What QuickBooks Online does well for a construction contractor

QuickBooks Online is a complete and widely used accounting software. According to its Canadian pricing page, it covers invoices and payments, sales taxes, reports, bank connections and access for your accountant. The Plus plan adds project profitability, time tracking, budgeting and inventory tracking.

• Your accountant may already know it: it is a common accounting software, with dedicated accountant access.
• Prices published in CAD: Lite $20, Démarrage $30, Plus $110 (up to 5 users) and Advanced $220 (up to 25 users) per month at regular price (plan names as shown on the French-language Canadian page), with a 90% promotion for 6 months shown on October 26, 2026.
• 30-day trial and a Canadian site in French.
• Optional payroll: $30, $55 or $80 per month plus a fee per employee, depending on the tier.
• Ecosystem: construction software connects to it, including Procore (Plus and Advanced plans), Jobber, JobTread and SubmitX.

Where QuickBooks alone reaches its limits in construction

QuickBooks is designed for accounting, not for running a job site. The limits show up before the invoice.

The quote

Preparing a quote by trade, with materials, labour, margin and conditions, then having the client sign it: that is not the role of an accounting software. The Canadian pricing page does not mention a construction quoting module.

CCQ payroll

QuickBooks payroll is general Canadian payroll. We found no mention of the CCQ (Commission de la construction du Québec: rates by trade and sector, monthly report) on the pricing page we viewed. For crews covered by the CCQ, see CCQ payroll in a software and the CCQ 2026 guide.

Progress billing and holdbacks

We did not find progress billing or holdbacks on the Canadian pricing page. Test them during the trial with a real contract. Reminder: on a private contract, the holdback depends on the contract, and the Civil Code sets no percentage (details).

The job site

Schedule, tasks, daily reports, photos, RFIs, deficiencies, crew time tracking: none of this is what an accounting software is for. This information often ends up in Excel, text messages and notebooks.

Public tenders

Monitoring SEAO (Quebec's public tender system) is not an accounting function. See the SEAO guide.

When QuickBooks alone is enough

• You work alone or as a pair, with a few contracts a month.
• You bill at a fixed price, in one or two invoices, with no holdback.
• You have no employees covered by the CCQ, or your payroll is handled by an outside service.
• Your quotes fit in a Word or Excel template and you only send a few.
• You do not bid on public tenders.

In that case, adding a construction ERP would probably be premature. Keep QuickBooks and a good quote template (free template).

When to connect a construction software to QuickBooks

A few signs it is time to move to the next step:

• You send several quotes a week and lose track of the ones still pending.
• You do progress billing with holdbacks and change orders on most contracts.
• You have CCQ crews and payroll takes hours every week.
• You do not know, while the job is under way, whether the project is profitable.
• You bid on SEAO tenders.

The principle: the construction software handles everything that comes before accounting (quote, project, hours, invoices), then transfers invoices and payments to QuickBooks, where your accountant keeps working. They are complements, not competitors.

Examples of software that connects to QuickBooks Online

• Procore: QuickBooks Online connector available in Canada for the Plus and Advanced editions; according to its help centre, sales tax outside the United States is configured differently, and importing subcontractor payments is only offered in the US editions.
• Jobber: syncs with QuickBooks Online according to its FAQ (app in English and Spanish, prices in USD).
• JobTread: QuickBooks Online integration listed on its site (prices in USD).
• ProgressionLIVE: QuickBooks Online integration listed in its Base plan (prices in CAD).
• Sercom: sends invoices to QuickBooks in one click, imports clients and products.
• SubmitX: syncs with QuickBooks Online, exports to Acomba and Sage 50.

QuickBooks alone or QuickBooks + construction software: table

Who is it for?

QuickBooks alone is a better fit if…

• Your business is small, your contracts simple and your payroll has no CCQ.
• Your priority is keeping your books and filing your tax returns.
• You want a single subscription.

QuickBooks + SubmitX is a fit if…

• You want to keep QuickBooks for accounting, but get quotes, job sites and CCQ payroll out of Excel.
• You do progress billing with holdbacks.
• You are comfortable betting on a young company (public launch in June 2026) and approving every AI draft before it goes out.

How to test it without risk

See Pricing, the features and construction ERP or Excel.