Back office help for landscaping and hardscape companies
Outrigger Back Office does the billing, change orders, crew payroll and paperwork for small landscaping and hardscape companies, so the owner can stay on the mower, the skid steer or the patio job. We work remotely with landscape contractors anywhere in the U.S., and you approve everything before it goes out.
Why landscaping & hardscape companies call us
A landscaping company can send more invoices in one month than a grading company sends in a year. Weekly mowing accounts, a retaining wall here, a paver patio there, an irrigation repair that took twenty minutes. Every one of those needs a bill, and every bill that sits in a truck console is money you already earned and haven't asked for yet.
We take that pile off your plate. You text or email us what got done, we send the invoice from your own billing email under your company name, we track who paid, and we send polite reminders to the ones who didn't. Each Monday you get one email that tells you where the money stands, so you are not guessing while you quote the next job.
What usually falls behind
Small invoices nobody sends
Dozens of small residential and maintenance bills go out late or not at all because there is always a bigger job to deal with first.
Patio grew, price did not
A customer asks for extra pavers, another step or more lighting on site. It gets done on a handshake and never makes it onto the final bill.
Seasonal crew paperwork
New hires and helper crews show up in spring with no W-9, no new-hire packet and hours tracked in five different places.
Property managers want documents
Commercial maintenance accounts ask for a current COI and W-9 before paying, and an expired certificate can hold up a payment.
What the office looks like at a landscaping company
Landscaping offices run two kinds of work at once. There is the recurring side: maintenance accounts billed every month, some to homeowners, some to property managers and HOAs who want a W-9 and a certificate of insurance before they will cut a check. Then there is the project side: hardscape and install jobs with a deposit up front, a balance at the end, and a homeowner who decides halfway through that the patio should be bigger and the fire pit should move.
On top of that, the crew changes with the seasons. Spring brings new hires and helper crews, fall cleanup brings overtime, and winter can bring snow work or a slow stretch. Hours come in on a time clock app, a group text or a notebook on the dash. Photos of finished beds and walls live on three different phones. Somebody has to sort all of that into invoices, payroll and job files, usually after dark.
How we handle it
- Invoices out in 1 business day. Text or email us what was done and we send the invoice within 1 business day from your billing email. Recurring maintenance bills go out on the schedule you set.
- Change orders written the same day. Send us the customer, project, added scope, price and payment terms. If we get it by 2 pm, it is written up that day for your approval.
- Crew packets and payroll. We send new-hire and 1099 crew packets, collect W-9s, and on the right plan pull hours from your time clock or timesheets into QuickBooks Payroll for your approval.
- Your documents ready to send. We keep your COI and W-9 on file, remind you before renewals come due, and send your document packet when a property manager or GC asks for it.
Where we start
Billing & Collections
We set up each job from your contract, send invoices within 1 business day of your request, track what is owed, and send polite reminders from your own billing email.
Learn moreChange Orders
Text or email us 5 details from the field. We write the change order the same day, you reply APPROVED, and it goes to the GC from your billing email.
Learn morePayroll
We pull hours from your time clock or timesheets, send you a weekly approval email, enter payroll in QuickBooks Payroll and track 1099 crew payments for year end.
Learn moreLandscaping & Hardscape Companies FAQ
Can you handle monthly billing for my lawn maintenance accounts?
Yes. At setup we load each maintenance account with its monthly amount and billing date, and the invoices go out from your own billing email on that schedule. You approve the list before anything is sent. If a customer adds a cleanup or a repair that month, text or email us and we add it to the bill.
Do you work with landscaping companies outside Georgia?
Yes, we work with landscaping and hardscape companies anywhere in the U.S. We are based in Georgia, but the service is fully remote. Everything happens by phone, text, email and shared Google folders, inside your own QuickBooks and Gmail, so there are no office visits and no new software to buy.
Which plan fits a small landscaping company?
It depends mostly on how many invoices you send. Plans start at $699 a month for Essentials, which covers up to 8 invoices and 4 change orders a month. A company with many maintenance accounts often fits Standard or Full Office, which allow more invoices and include payroll. The Plans page has the full details, and the free office checkup will point you to the right one.
Can you tell me if my seasonal helpers should be employees or 1099?
No, that decision belongs to your CPA. Worker classification is a tax and legal question, and we do not give that kind of advice. Once your CPA tells you how each worker should be set up, we send the right paperwork, collect W-9s for 1099 crews, and track payments so year-end forms are ready for your CPA.