Guide · Choosing a CPA
Best CPAs for Contractors and Trades in the Lowcountry (2026)
This is Haigler CPA Group's list, so we rank ourselves first and disclose it. HVAC, plumbing, electrical and other specialty contractors in the Lowcountry mostly need clean job-level books, correct SC sales and use tax on materials, subcontractor 1099s and year-round tax planning; a shop moving into a higher SC mechanical license group or a bonded commercial job may also need a CPA-reviewed or audited statement, which Haigler CPA Group does not provide.
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.
This list is for the trades and subs, not the general contractors and developers covered in our construction CPA list. Service-and-repair shops and specialty subcontractors have their own accounting rhythm: many small tickets or progress billings, trucks and tools, parts that become part of a customer's building, and crews that may be employees or subcontractors. Each firm below says on its own website, checked in September 2026, that it works with contractors or trades. After our entry they are in no particular order.
What to weigh when you choose
- The firm understands your trade's billing: service tickets, maintenance agreements, or progress billings with retainage.
- It can set up or clean up job costing so you can see which jobs and techs are profitable.
- It knows South Carolina's rules for contractors: sales and use tax on materials and mechanical license financial statements.
- It plans for vehicle and equipment purchases, entity choice and owner pay before year-end.
- If you need a reviewed or audited statement for a license group or bond, it provides one, or works smoothly with a firm that does.
- Scope and fees are in writing.
1. Haigler CPA Group
James Island, Charleston · Best for: HVAC, plumbing and electrical owners who want tax returns, tax planning and bookkeeping from one CPA firm.
Haigler CPA Group is a one-office CPA firm on James Island, founded in 2023, with industry pages for HVAC and plumbing contractors and for electricians. We prepare business and owner tax returns, provide bookkeeping services, plan ahead of year-end on entity choice and truck and equipment purchases, and help with IRS and SC Department of Revenue notices. We do not process payroll and do not issue reviewed or audited financial statements, so a shop that needs one for its license group or a surety should add a firm that does.
- Industry pages for HVAC and plumbing, and for electricians
- Tax returns, tax planning and bookkeeping under one engagement
- Free consultation, in person or virtual
- No payroll processing and no attest work
2. Fringe Advisory
Mount Pleasant (1125 Bowman Road) · Best for: Subcontractors and tradesmen who want outsourced bookkeeping with job costing.
Fringe Advisory's construction subcontractors page says it works with commercial construction, residential contractors and local tradesmen. It lists outsourced accounting and bookkeeping, month-end and year-end closings, bank and credit card reconciliations, sales tax processing, tax planning and compliance, job estimating and costing, fixed asset accounting and depreciation, payroll processing and QuickBooks support.
- Dedicated construction subcontractors page
- Lists job estimating and job costing
- Lists payroll processing and sales tax processing
3. Division 26 CPA
Serves Charleston remotely (no Charleston office address listed) · Best for: Electrical contractors who want a firm that works only with electricians.
Division 26 CPA says it works exclusively with electrical contractors in North and South Carolina, and its Charleston page says it serves electricians in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and North Charleston. It lists bookkeeping, job costing and work-in-progress reporting, business tax planning and returns, fractional CFO services, 1099 filing for subs, SC sales tax compliance, and bonding and surety support. The office locations it names are in the Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh-Durham and Greenville, SC areas.
- Electrical contractors only
- Lists job costing and WIP reporting
- Lists bonding and surety support; no Charleston office listed
4. Veris CPA
Summerville, West Ashley and Mount Pleasant · Best for: Mechanical and specialty contractors that need a CPA statement for an SC license group or a bond.
Veris lists offices on E 2nd North Street in Summerville, Gardner Road in Charleston and Bowman Road in Mount Pleasant. Its construction page offers reviewed and audited financial statements for licensing, bonding and lending, job costing and overhead allocation help, work-in-progress reporting and tax planning, and links contractors to renewing their SC LLR license.
- Summerville office for Dorchester County shops
- Construction page lists audit and review for licensing and bonding
- Mentions job costing and WIP reporting
5. Tideline CPA Group
Mount Pleasant (1214 Chuck Dawley Blvd) · Best for: Trade businesses that want payroll, bookkeeping and bill pay handled by a local firm.
Tideline CPA Group names construction contractors among its tax specialty areas and lists construction among the industries it serves. Its services list covers payroll, bookkeeping and bookkeeping consulting, client bill pay, tax planning, tax compliance, compilation of financial statements and sales tax.
- Names construction contractors as a tax specialty area
- Lists payroll and client bill pay
- Lists compilation of financial statements
6. Hoffman & Hoffman, CPA
Charleston (7 Gamecock Avenue) · Best for: Subcontractors and construction-related trades that need reviewed or audited statements plus tax work.
Hoffman & Hoffman's construction page names subcontractors and businesses in the construction-related trades among the clients it serves. It lists financial statement reviews, compilations and audits, review of internal project controls, contractor dispute resolution, tax return preparation, payroll and business valuation and succession planning, and says it prepares the financial documents bonding companies and lenders ask for.
- Construction page names subcontractors and construction-related trades
- Lists reviews, compilations and audits
- Lists payroll and tax return preparation
South Carolina rules every trade contractor should know
- Licensing: under S.C. Code Title 40, Chapter 11, mechanical construction means installing, replacing or repairing plumbing, heating, air conditioning, process piping, refrigeration, lightning protection or electrical components. The SC Contractor's Licensing Board says a license is required when the total cost of the work is greater than $10,000.
- License groups: each mechanical license group has a net worth or working capital requirement (or a surety bond in its place), and the board requires a financial statement at every renewal. For Group 5 it requires an audited statement to receive unlimited status for the first time and a CPA-reviewed statement, or a surety bond, to renew.
- Sales and use tax on materials: the SC Department of Revenue treats a construction contractor as the user or consumer of everything it buys, and its definition of building materials includes plumbing supplies and fixtures, electrical fixtures, wire and cable, air conditioning systems and heating systems. Materials bought out of state for an SC job owe SC use tax, with a credit for tax paid to the other state. Shops that also sell equipment without installing it into real property should have their CPA check the retailer-versus-contractor rules.
- Subcontractor 1099s: for payments made after December 31, 2025, you generally file Form 1099-NEC for a non-employee paid $2,000 or more for services during the year.
- Employee or subcontractor: the IRS looks at behavioral control, financial control and the relationship of the parties.
How this list differs from our construction CPA list
Our construction CPA list is aimed at general contractors, home builders and developers, where long-term contract accounting, larger bond lines and real estate structures drive the choice. Trades and specialty subs usually care more about job costing on many smaller jobs, vehicle and tool purchases, technician pay and SC mechanical license statements. Some firms, such as Veris and Hoffman & Hoffman, appear on both lists because their construction pages cover both.
| Firm | Job costing | Reviewed or audited statements |
|---|---|---|
| Haigler CPA Group | Not a listed service | No |
| Fringe Advisory | Yes | Not listed on pages checked |
| Division 26 CPA | Yes | Not listed on pages checked |
| Veris CPA | Yes | Yes |
| Tideline CPA Group | Not listed on pages checked | Compilations listed; reviews and audits not listed |
| Hoffman & Hoffman, CPA | Not listed on pages checked | Yes |
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
Do HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractors need a license in South Carolina?
Mechanical construction, which includes plumbing, heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and electrical work, is licensed by the SC Contractor's Licensing Board when the total cost of the work is greater than $10,000, according to the board. Residential work can fall under different rules, so check with SC LLR for your situation.
Can Haigler CPA Group prepare the financial statement for my mechanical license renewal?
No. We do not perform review or audit engagements. Use a firm that issues CPA financial statements, such as Veris or Hoffman & Hoffman, and we can handle your tax returns and planning alongside them.
Do I charge my customers sales tax on parts I install?
Generally the SC Department of Revenue treats a contractor as the consumer of the materials it installs into real property, so the contractor pays sales or use tax when it buys them. Sales of equipment that is not installed can be treated differently, so ask your CPA to review how your invoices are set up.
Why is Haigler CPA Group listed first?
Haigler CPA Group publishes this list, so we list ourselves first and disclose it. Other firms are described only from their own websites.
Keep reading
- Best Construction CPAs in Charleston (2026)Haigler CPA Group's 2026 list of Charleston CPA firms for general contractors, builders and developers, including firms that do reviews and audits for bonding.
- 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 Small Business Accountants in Charleston (2026)Haigler CPA Group's 2026 list of Charleston-area CPA firms for small businesses: tax, bookkeeping and planning, with what each firm's own site says.
- HVAC & PlumbingService and installation trades — job mix, trucks, truck stock and seasonal cash flow.
- ElectriciansTwo customers in one company: general contractors on new work, homeowners on service calls.
- Bookkeeping ServicesClean books, reconciled monthly, ready for tax time.
- 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.
- Payroll Setup for Your First EmployeeThe first employee changes the shape of a business more than the second through the twentieth put together, because it is the point at which you start holding other people's money and answering to three agencies about it.
- All Charleston tax & accounting guidesEvery list, choosing a CPA and the tax reference lists.
Talk to a tax expert
Tell us what you are dealing with and we will tell you how we would handle it.