Guide · Choosing a CPA
Best Construction CPAs in Charleston (2026)
This is Haigler CPA Group's list, so we put ourselves first and disclose it. We handle construction tax work but do not issue reviewed or audited financial statements, so a general contractor who needs those for a South Carolina license group, a surety or a lender should use one of the firms below that lists audit and review work for contractors on its website. Many builders use one firm for attest work and another for tax.
Disclosure: This list is published by Haigler CPA Group, which is included in it and appears first. Other firms are described from what their own websites said when we checked them; they did not review this page and are not affiliated with us.
General contractors, home builders and developers in the Charleston area usually need two different things from accountants: tax planning and compliance that fit how construction income is earned, and CPA-issued financial statements that a surety, bank or the SC Contractor's Licensing Board will accept. The firms below all have Charleston-area offices, and each construction description comes from the firm's own construction page, checked in September 2026. After our entry they appear in no particular order.
What to weigh when you choose
- Whether the firm issues the level of financial statement you need: compiled, reviewed or audited.
- Experience with contractor-specific reporting such as work-in-progress schedules, job costing and percentage-of-completion revenue.
- Familiarity with South Carolina rules: contractor licensing financial statements and sales and use tax on building materials.
- Tax planning around equipment purchases, entity structure and owner compensation, done before year-end.
- Relationships with sureties and bankers, or at least a clear process for turning statements around on their deadlines.
- A written engagement letter that states scope, timing and fees.
1. Haigler CPA Group
James Island, Charleston · Best for: Builders and contractors who need construction tax returns, tax planning and bookkeeping, and already have (or do not need) an attest firm.
Haigler CPA Group is a one-office CPA firm on James Island, founded in 2023, that prepares business and personal returns for construction companies and their owners, provides bookkeeping services, and plans ahead of year-end on entity choice and equipment purchases. We do not perform audit or review engagements. If your license group, surety or lender requires a CPA-reviewed or audited statement, you will need a firm that does that work, and we can coordinate with it on the tax side.
- Business and owner tax returns plus year-round tax planning
- Bookkeeping services and M&A tax work for a sale or succession
- Free consultation, in person or virtual
- No attest work: no reviewed or audited financial statements
2. Hoffman & Hoffman, CPA
Charleston (7 Gamecock Avenue) · Best for: General contractors, subcontractors and residential developers who want tax and attest work from one local firm.
Hoffman & Hoffman, CPA, P.A. lists its office at 7 Gamecock Avenue, Suite 701, in Charleston. Its construction page says it works with construction management firms, general contractors, subcontractors, residential developers and construction-related trades, and that it prepares the financial documents needed for financing from banks, suppliers and bonding companies. It lists financial statement reviews, compilations and audits, construction audits, internal project control reviews, contractor dispute resolution, tax return preparation and payroll.
- Construction page lists reviews, compilations and audits
- Mentions preparing documents for bonding companies and lenders
- Also lists contractor dispute resolution and business valuation
3. Veris CPA
West Ashley, Mount Pleasant and Summerville · Best for: Growing contractors that need statements for SC licensing, bonding and lending.
Veris lists three Lowcountry offices: 1064 Gardner Road in Charleston, 1156 Bowman Road in Mount Pleasant and 202 E 2nd North Street in Summerville. Its construction page offers reviewed and audited financial statements for licensing, bonding and lending, tax planning, and help with job costing, overhead allocation and work-in-progress reporting, and it links contractors to renewing their SC LLR license.
- Construction page lists audit and review for licensing, bonding and lending
- Mentions job costing and work-in-progress reporting
- Three offices across the Charleston area
4. Elliott Davis
Downtown Charleston (100 Calhoun Street) · Best for: Larger commercial and industrial contractors and developers with complex tax or growth plans.
Elliott Davis has a Charleston office at 100 Calhoun Street and a construction practice that its website says works with general contractors, developers and specialty trades. The construction page lists audit, review and attestation services that support bonding and financing, plus tax, consulting and transaction work, and names industry groups it takes part in, including AGC, ABC, ASA, the Carolinas Surety Association and CFMA.
- Construction page lists audit, review and attestation for bonding and financing
- Names membership in AGC, ABC, CFMA and the Carolinas Surety Association
- Tax, consulting and M&A work under one firm
5. WebsterRogers
Downtown Charleston (40 Calhoun Street) · Best for: Builders and real estate developers that want construction and real estate work from a South Carolina firm.
WebsterRogers has a Charleston office at 40 Calhoun Street and a construction and real estate industry page. The page says it provides tax, audit and accounting services to builders and contractors, and lists financial audits, reviews and compilations, internal controls, bonding requirements, Section 1031 exchanges, cash flow projections, feasibility studies and entity structuring for real estate clients.
- Industry page lists audits, reviews and compilations and bonding requirements
- Covers real estate development topics such as 1031 exchanges and feasibility studies
- Offices across South Carolina
6. Forvis Mazars
Downtown Charleston (200 Meeting Street) · Best for: Heavy highway, general and specialty contractors that want a national construction practice with a local office.
Forvis Mazars lists a Charleston office at 200 Meeting Street and names construction among the industries served there. Its construction page says it works with heavy highway, general and specialty contractors, and lists audits, reviews and compilations, construction technology consulting, ESOP work and state and local tax tools for contractors.
- Charleston office lists construction among local industries
- Construction page lists audits, reviews and compilations
- Mentions ESOP and state and local tax services for contractors
7. Carr, Riggs & Ingram (CRI Charleston)
Mount Pleasant (235 Magrath Darby Blvd) · Best for: Contractors focused on growing bonding capacity and working capital.
Carr, Riggs & Ingram lists its Charleston office at 235 Magrath Darby Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. Its construction page says its construction advisors work with contractors to maximize bonding capacity, optimize tax savings and improve working capital, and it publishes articles for contractors on topics such as cost verification and succession planning.
- Mount Pleasant office
- Construction page focuses on bonding capacity, tax savings and working capital
- Publishes contractor-specific articles
What the SC Contractor's Licensing Board asks for
General and mechanical contractors licensed by the SC Contractor's Licensing Board are placed in license groups that set how large a job they can bid. Each group has a net worth or working capital requirement, and the board's FAQ says a financial statement must be submitted at every renewal, with the accountant's report (on letterhead, dated and signed) attached to any compiled, reviewed or audited statement. The board also says an audited statement is required to receive Group 5 unlimited status for the first time, and that a reviewed statement prepared by a licensed CPA, or a surety bond, is required to renew Group 5. Instead of meeting the net worth or working capital test, an applicant may provide a surety bond equal to the required net worth for its group. A firm that does no attest work, such as Haigler CPA Group, cannot issue reviewed or audited statements.
| Level | What the CPA does | SC Contractor's Licensing Board note |
|---|---|---|
| Compilation | Presents the company's financial information in statement form without giving assurance | Not accepted in place of a reviewed statement to renew a Group 5 license |
| Review | Performs analytical procedures and inquiries and gives limited assurance | Required (or a surety bond) to renew a Group 5 license |
| Audit | Tests the records and gives reasonable assurance with an opinion | Required to receive Group 5 unlimited status for the first time |
Tax issues specific to builders and developers
- Long-term contracts: Section 460 generally requires the percentage-of-completion method for long-term contracts, with exceptions for residential construction contracts and for contractors who meet the Section 448(c) gross receipts test and expect to finish the job within two years.
- Sales and use tax: the SC Department of Revenue treats a construction contractor as the user or consumer of everything it buys, so building materials are taxed when purchased, and materials bought out of state for a South Carolina job owe SC use tax, with a credit for tax paid to the other state.
- Equipment: 100% federal bonus depreciation is permanent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, but South Carolina does not follow federal bonus depreciation, so expect a state adjustment.
- Subcontractor 1099s: for payments made after December 31, 2025, the Form 1099-NEC threshold is $2,000 per payee.
Using two firms
Plenty of contractors keep a tax-focused CPA for returns and planning and hire a second firm to issue the reviewed or audited statements. It works well when both firms are told about each other at the start, the books are closed on a schedule both can meet, and the statement year-end lines up with the surety's and the licensing board's deadlines.
Sources
The information on this site is general in nature and is not tax, legal, or accounting advice for your situation. Tax law changes and the right answer depends on facts we would need to review with you. Please speak with a qualified professional before acting on anything you read here.
Questions people ask about this
Can Haigler CPA Group prepare reviewed or audited statements for my bonding company?
No. We do not perform audit or review engagements. For those, use a firm that lists construction audit and review work, such as several firms on this list, and we can handle your tax work alongside them.
Does South Carolina require an audited financial statement for a contractor's license?
According to the SC Contractor's Licensing Board, an audited statement is required to receive Group 5 unlimited status for the first time, and a CPA-reviewed statement or a surety bond is required to renew Group 5. Every group has a net worth or working capital requirement, which can instead be met with a surety bond, and a financial statement is required at every renewal.
Do contractors in South Carolina charge sales tax to their customers?
In general the SC Department of Revenue treats a construction contractor as the consumer of the building materials it buys, so the contractor pays sales or use tax when it buys the materials. The rules for businesses that both sell and install goods are more detailed, so check the SCDOR guidance or ask your CPA.
Why is Haigler CPA Group listed first?
This list is published by Haigler CPA Group. We list ourselves first and disclose it, and describe the other firms only from their own websites.
Keep reading
- Best CPAs for Contractors and Trades in the Lowcountry (2026)Haigler CPA Group's 2026 list of CPA firms for Lowcountry HVAC, plumbing, electrical and specialty subcontractors, and what to look for in one.
- Best Accounting Software for ContractorsSeven accounting and job-costing tools contractors use, from QuickBooks and Xero to FOUNDATION, Knowify, JobTread, ServiceTitan and Procore, and how to choose.
- Best CPA Firms in Charleston, SC (2026)Haigler CPA Group's 2026 list of CPA firms with Charleston-area offices, from a James Island tax practice to regional firms offering audit work.
- ConstructionGeneral contractors and trades — contract accounting, job costing, retainage and equipment.
- Business TaxYear-round planning, corporate returns, pass-through entities and multi-state compliance.
- Tax Planning & AdvisoryThe plan that ties entity choice, timing, property and exit decisions together.
- Section 179 and Bonus DepreciationBoth write-offs are larger and more permanent than they have been for years. Neither of them is a reason to buy something, and one of them does considerably less in South Carolina than it does on the federal return.
- Succession Planning for a Family BusinessSuccession is not one decision. It is a sequence of them, most of which are cheap to make early and expensive to make late, and one of which was quietly rewritten by the Supreme Court.
- All Charleston tax & accounting guidesEvery list, choosing a CPA and the tax reference lists.
Talk to a tax expert
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