QuickBooks Premier Contractor Edition: Do I really need it for my construction business?

The short answer is No.

The QuickBooks Premier Contractor edition includes some reports and forms customized for contractors, and a specialized menu that pulls together in one place several things that contractors might want to do. In theory, you can create any of these reports and forms yourself in QuickBooks Pro.

The one function missing from QuickBooks Pro that is available in the QuickBooks Premier Contractor Edition is the ability to enter expiration dates for your subcontractors’ liability and workers compensation insurance, and to have QuickBooks “nag” you that you need updated certificates when you try to pay a subcontractor whose insurance is expired. You can create these fields as custom fields in QuickBooks Pro, but it will not remind you when the dates have passed. You’ll have to devise a system yourself to monitor your subcontractors' insurance certificates.

At this writing a Google search finds QuickBooks Pro listed at between $150 and $250. QuickBooks Premier is $200 to $400. You decide for yourself whether the added functionality is worth the price difference.