What makes electrical work different
Electrical shops often run two businesses on one board. One is residential service: a breaker that trips, an EV charger, a panel upgrade. The other is commercial or project work that runs for weeks, needs an inspection sign-off and is sometimes paid at prevailing wage. Software that's great at one-hour service calls can fall apart on a 3-week tenant improvement, and the reverse is true too.
The electrical software checklist
Panel upgrades
- Options on site. For example: replace the panel at the same amperage, upgrade to 200A, or upgrade plus EV-charger circuit and a whole-home surge protector.
- Photos of the existing panel, meter and service drop attached to the estimate.
- Utility coordination, permit and inspection fees included as their own lines so they aren't forgotten.
- A deposit taken when the customer signs, since material and permit costs come first.
Permits and inspections
- A permit status on the job (applied, issued, inspection booked, passed) that the office can see at a glance.
- Inspection dates on the calendar, with the customer told when someone needs to be home.
- Photos taken before walls close, time-stamped, in case an inspector asks.
Commercial work
- Multi-visit jobs under one job number, with staged or progress billing.
- Signed change orders before the extra work starts.
- Job costing that shows labor, material and drive time against the budget.
Certified payroll
- Hours clocked from the job, with the right classification and wage rate.
- A weekly certified payroll report. The US Department of Labor says contractors and subcontractors on covered federal or federally assisted construction contracts must submit payroll information weekly, with a signed Statement of Compliance. Its WH-347 form is optional as long as the same information is provided.
- State overtime rules applied correctly.
Five field service software options for electricians
Competitor features were checked on each company's own site today. No prices are listed. We make SWITCHBOARD.
SWITCHBOARD: service and project work, plus certified payroll
Best for: electrical shops doing residential service plus some commercial or prevailing-wage work.
- Good/Better/Best panel and EV options with pictures and live margin. Sign and pay the deposit on site.
- Deposits, staged invoices and signed change orders on one job number.
- Time clocked from the job, state overtime rules, certified payroll, and a payroll hand-off to QuickBooks or a Gusto/ADP/Paychex file.
- An AI receptionist and a dispatch board where "Who's free" ranks techs by skills. Unlimited users, no seat fees.
ServiceTitan
Best for: larger residential and commercial electrical contractors.
- Its electrical page describes project management that tracks real-time costs, job progress and profit margins.
- Commercial tools including proposals, job costing, service agreements and a client portal.
- Dispatch that tracks technician availability by skills, and multi-option estimate templates.
FieldEdge
Best for: multi-truck electrical, HVAC and plumbing service shops.
- FieldEdge Flat Rate and a good, better, best price book.
- A dispatch board with GPS tracking and QuickBooks syncing.
Housecall Pro
Best for: residential electrical shops wanting a broad home-service platform.
- Estimates and sales proposals with good, better, best options that customers sign from desktop or mobile.
- Job costing, time tracking and payroll products, plus a QuickBooks integration.
Jobber
Best for: smaller electrical teams focused on residential service.
- Quotes, invoices, online booking and a client portal.
- Job costing and a QuickBooks Online integration.
How to test electrical software before you buy
- Build a panel upgrade with three options and permit lines on a phone.
- Create a 3-week commercial job with a deposit, two progress invoices and a change order.
- Clock one tech on a prevailing-wage job and a service call in the same day, then run that week's payroll report.
- Find every job waiting on an inspection in under a minute.
Common mistakes electrical shops make
- Leaving permit fees and utility time out of the price. See how to price a panel upgrade.
- Running commercial jobs in spreadsheets on the side. That's where change orders go unbilled.
- Rebuilding certified payroll from paper timesheets.
See how it works on the electrical page.
Questions people ask
What is the best software for electrical contractors?
One that quotes panel upgrades as options, tracks permits and inspections, handles commercial jobs with progress billing and change orders, and produces certified payroll if you do public work. SWITCHBOARD, ServiceTitan, FieldEdge, Housecall Pro and Jobber are common choices.
Do electricians need certified payroll software?
Only if you work on prevailing-wage jobs. The US Department of Labor requires weekly certified payrolls on covered federal construction contracts, so software that clocks time to the job saves real hours.
Is the WH-347 form required?
The Department of Labor says using the WH-347 is optional, but the weekly payroll information and signed Statement of Compliance are required on covered contracts.
Can field service software track permits?
Many tools let you add statuses, notes and dates to a job. Test whether the office can see every job waiting on a permit or inspection in one view.
Sources
- US Department of Labor: Form WH-347 (checked November 10, 2026)
- ServiceTitan electrical software (checked November 10, 2026)
- FieldEdge home page (checked November 10, 2026)
- Housecall Pro estimating software (checked November 10, 2026)
- Housecall Pro features (checked November 10, 2026)
- Jobber features (checked November 10, 2026)