Expense Management for Trades & Construction
Transform your trades & construction expense management with custom automation built by Harvard-educated experts. Measurable outcomes in 4-8 weeks, backed by 98% client retention.
Expected Outcomes
Measurable results our trades & construction clients achieve with expense management.
Expenses that previously waited in glove boxes and tool belts until month end are now captured and processed in real time from site.
Every expense is allocated to the correct job immediately, providing accurate project cost visibility throughout the build.
GST categorisation is handled automatically, dramatically reducing the time your bookkeeper spends on BAS preparation.
The Challenge
Common expense management challenges facing trades & construction businesses.
Crumpled receipts accumulating in ute consoles and tool belts, many lost before they reach the bookkeeper
Job costs unknown until weeks after a project is complete because expenses are not allocated in real time
Tradies submitting expense claims on scraps of paper with missing details and no GST breakdowns
Fuel cards and supplier accounts reconciled manually against individual jobs each month
Implementation
How we implement expense management for your trades & construction business.
Capture Expenses from the Field
Tradies and site supervisors photograph receipts using a mobile app. The system uses OCR to extract supplier, amount, GST, and date, then categorises the expense against the relevant job in ServiceM8, Tradify, or Buildxact.
- ✓ Tools: Make, Google Vision, ServiceM8, Tradify
Route Approvals by Job and Value
Expenses are routed automatically based on job allocation and dollar thresholds. Materials under a set limit are auto-approved, while larger purchases require project manager sign-off via mobile notification.
- ✓ Tools: Make, Slack, Airtable
Categorise and Allocate to Jobs
Each expense is automatically categorised for tax purposes and allocated to the correct job for accurate job costing. Fuel, materials, tool hire, and subcontractor costs each flow to their proper cost codes.
- ✓ Tools: Make, Xero, Airtable
Generate Job Cost and Tax Reports
Weekly job cost reports, monthly expense summaries, and BAS-ready GST categorisation reports are generated automatically, giving builders clear visibility of project profitability.
- ✓ Tools: Make, Google Sheets, Xero
Why Choose Clever Ops
What makes our expense management solution different.
Mobile Receipt Capture
Site workers snap a photo of any receipt and the system handles the rest. OCR extracts the details, categorises the expense, and allocates it to the job automatically.
Real-Time Job Costing
Every materials purchase, fuel fill, and tool hire is allocated to the correct job as it happens, giving project managers live cost visibility rather than month-end surprises.
Automated Approval Workflows
Low-value site purchases are auto-approved while larger expenses route to the appropriate project manager, eliminating bottlenecks without losing control.
Tax-Ready Expense Reporting
GST, FBT, and deductible categories are applied automatically, making BAS lodgement and tax return preparation significantly faster and more accurate.
Trades & Construction Compliance
Compliant with Safe Work Australia requirements, state WHS legislation, and Building Code of Australia (NCC) documentation standards.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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