Sector: flooring contractors

Job software for flooring contractors

A flooring job is mostly material, and that changes two things at once. On the tax side, the direct cost of the material comes off the CIS deduction base, so a subcontractor who supplied the vinyl is deducted on the labour and not on the roll. On the site side, the material is the money, and a delivery of nine packs against an order for twelve has to be visible as three packs short rather than as a tick. Estimark handles both, raises the subfloor preparation as a priced variation from a photograph of the moisture reading, and puts the uplifted floor on a waste transfer note with the carrier and the destination recorded.

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What actually goes wrong

Deducted on the vinyl

The main contractor took 20% off the whole invoice, material included. That is a chunk of the roll’s cost sitting with HMRC until the return.

Three packs short and nobody knew

The delivery note said twelve, the van had nine, and the fitter found out on the last row of the last room.

The subfloor was somebody else’s problem

The screed read wet, the latex went down anyway because the programme said Thursday, and the prep was never priced.

The skip has no paperwork

Four tonnes of old carpet and underlay went in a skip. The waste transfer note was the skip company’s problem, until it was yours.

Sector: how it works

How does CIS treat the material?

The deduction base is the payment less the direct cost of materials, less VAT and less plant hire. A subcontractor who supplied the floor is deducted on the labour element only.

Everything excluded is still paid in full. It comes off the base the percentage applies to, not off the payment.
The rate is what HMRC verification produces: 0% for gross status, 20% verified, 30% unmatched.
A payment and deduction statement per subcontractor per tax month, and the CIS300 recorded with its declarations. CIS Compliance is included from Solo.
The reverse charge is set on the client once and applied to every invoice for them, with the section 55A wording on the document.

NoteThe material figure comes from what the subcontractor states. No system can read an invoice and decide which part of it was the floor.

How do I know what has actually arrived?

Purchase orders are receipted line by line, so an order shows as partially received with the quantity outstanding until the last pack lands.

The deliveries view lists what is on order across every job and what has been received against it, so the short delivery is visible before the fitter is on his knees.
A purchase order commits its value to the job cost the day it is raised, and job costing shows material committed against material invoiced. Purchase Orders and Job Costing are included from Core.
Van Stock holds adhesive, trims and underlay by van, store or site, as a bolt-on at £99 a month +VAT.

How does the subfloor get paid for?

A variation raised from the phone with the photograph of the reading, priced, sent for approval and carried to the invoice or the valuation as a separate line.

The site diary records the day the floor was found wet, so a programme delay has a dated entry behind it rather than a recollection.
Variations is included from Solo, and the client approves in the portal with a recorded signature.
On a commercial fit-out, approved variations land in the payment application as their own line. Payment Applications is included from Pro.

What about the old floor?

A waste transfer note records the carrier and their registration, the destination site and its permit, the waste code, the quantity in kilograms, whether it is hazardous, and who handed over and who received.

The note is against the job, so the uplifted carpet from the third floor is traceable to the job it came from.
The Environmental module holds the notes and the site waste management plan. It is included from Pro.

How are snags and handover done?

Defects are numbered items with a location, a photograph, an assignee and a status that runs open, in progress, rectified and signed off, and the sign-off date is what releases the first half of retention.

A snag can be pinned to a location on the current drawing.
On a fit-out site, QR site attendance clocks the fitters on and off and can be gated on induction, CSCS card and a signed RAMS, so the principal contractor’s record and yours agree.
Defect Management is included from Core.

Which plan does a flooring firm need?

Core at £129 a month +VAT covers up to 5 users with no job limit and carries Purchase Orders and Job Costing, which in a material-heavy trade is where the margin is.

Solo is £39 a month +VAT for 2 users and 20 open jobs, with CIS and Variations included.
Pro at £299 a month +VAT covers up to 20 users and adds Payment Applications and the Environmental module.

Flooring, in numbers

CIS base: Payment less materials, VAT and plant
Order receipting: Line by line, partially received until done
Waste transfer note: Carrier, destination, code, kilograms
Snag statuses: Open, in progress, rectified, signed off
Core: £129/month +VAT
Purchase Orders: Included from Core

Which plan

Core

£129 +VAT/month

Up to 5 users, no job limit, with Purchase Orders, Job Costing and Defect Management on it.

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What you get

Purchase orders receipted line by line
Job costing with material committed against invoiced
CIS on the labour element, with the CIS300 record
Variations from a photograph on the phone
Snags numbered, photographed and signed off

Solo is £39/month +VAT for 2 users and 20 open jobs. Pro at £299/month +VAT adds Payment Applications and the Environmental module for the waste transfer notes.

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Questions

Flooring contractors: frequently asked

Is CIS deducted on flooring materials?

No. The direct cost of materials comes off the deduction base before the percentage is applied, so a subcontractor who supplied the floor is deducted on the labour. The materials are still paid in full; the exclusion is from the base, not from the payment.

Can Estimark show me a short delivery?

Yes. A purchase order is receipted line by line and shows as partially received with the quantity outstanding until the last item lands. The deliveries view lists what is on order and what has arrived across every job.

Does Estimark produce waste transfer notes?

Yes, in the Environmental module. A note records the carrier and registration, the destination and its permit, the waste code, the quantity in kilograms, whether it is hazardous, and who handed over and received, against the job it came from.

How much is Estimark for a flooring contractor?

Solo is £39 a month +VAT for 2 users and 20 open jobs. Core is £129 a month +VAT for up to 5 users with no job limit. Pro is £299 a month +VAT for up to 20. Every plan has a 14-day free trial.

Try it on a real job.

14 days, full access, every plan. No implementation fee. All prices exclude VAT, added at 20% at checkout.