Aviation & marine services
Books and taxes for aircraft maintenance shops.
Annual inspections, AOG rush calls, engine overhaul cores, and parts orders that cover three tail numbers at once. Your own bookkeeper sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
October came in at $17,300. The Continental engine core charge from the overhaul shop got logged as a deposit, not an expense, until your old core goes back.
- Annual inspection invoiceInspections and annuals
- AOG rush job, Cessna 182Emergency repairs
- Aircraft Spruce parts orderParts and materials
- Continental engine core depositEngine overhauls
- Hangar rentShop and hangar
Why your books are different
An aircraft maintenance shop's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees invoices and bills. Your business is annuals that grow mid-inspection, engine cores with a refund attached, and rush jobs that carry a premium. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies about what the shop actually earned.
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1
Engine core charges look like straight costs
An engine overhaul often carries a core charge that comes back as a credit once your old case and cylinders go back to the shop. Booked as a flat expense, the refund gets lost and the month looks worse than it was.
What we doBooks the core charge as a deposit and tracks the credit separately, so the refund shows up when it lands instead of vanishing. -
2
AOG rush premiums hide inside regular labor
A Saturday AOG call for a stranded owner carries a rush rate on top of normal labor. Logged as an ordinary squawk fix, that premium disappears and you cannot tell which jobs actually pay for the after-hours work.
What we doKeeps rush and after-hours labor in its own line, so the premium you charge for AOG work is visible every month. -
3
A squawk found mid-annual gets billed late
An annual quoted at a flat rate often grows once a squawk turns up corrosion or a bad magneto. The extra parts and labor get billed weeks later, landing in a different month than the inspection itself.
What we doTies the extra billing back to the inspection it belongs to, so one annual does not look like two separate jobs. -
4
One parts order covers three tail numbers
An Aircraft Spruce or Wentworth order can supply parts for several airplanes on the shop floor at once. Filed as one lump cost, it makes whichever job it lands in look overpriced and the others look free.
What we doKeeps parts and materials in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not a single job, is why a month looks thin. -
5
A busy-season A&P helper looks like payroll
Bringing in another certified mechanic for a heavy annual season, paid by the job, looks like a shortcut on payroll if the books do not separate it out.
What we doKeeps contractor payments in their own line and flags anything that looks more like an employee relationship before it becomes a habit.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an aircraft maintenance shop.
Set up once for how you bill and what you buy. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Inspections and annualsAnnual and 100-hour inspections, billed flat or by the hour.
- Emergency repairsAOG and after-hours calls, kept apart to show the rush premium.
- Avionics and upgradesPanel work and equipment installs, billed as their own job.
- Parts markupWhat you charge over cost on parts sold as part of a job.
Money out
- Parts and materialsAircraft Spruce, Wentworth, and engine shop orders.
- Engine overhauls and coresOverhaul invoices and the core charges tied to them.
- Mechanic wages and contractorsKept apart so you can see labor against what each job brought in.
- Shop and hangarHangar rent, utilities, and tie-down space for aircraft in for work.
- Tools and test equipmentDiagnostic gear, torque wrenches, and engine stands.
- Licensing and trainingA&P and IA renewals, recurrent training, and manuals.
- InsuranceShop liability and hangarkeeper's coverage.
What we watch for you
- Labor per annual
What an average annual actually bills in labor, so quotes keep pace with what the work costs.
- Parts margin
What you keep on parts sold in a job, tracked against what the shop paid for them.
- AOG share
How much of the month came from rush calls, useful for pricing the next one.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things aircraft maintenance shop owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Bill it however you want, I will tie it back to the same annual on the books so it does not look like a second job in a different month.
No. I booked it as a deposit, not a cost. It only shows up as an expense if the core never comes back.
That is worth a real look before it becomes a habit. I flagged it and the accountant will walk through how he worked and how he was paid.
The tax side
The tax side of an aircraft maintenance shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A core charge booked as an expense, a rush job that looks like a regular squawk, and a helper who should probably be on payroll.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Shop equipment and toolingTest equipment, engine stands, and tugs can often be expensed the year you buy them under Section 179, up to $2,560,000. Bonus depreciation is currently 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAny outside A&P or shop help you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 and who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA mechanic who uses your tools, works your schedule, and takes direction from you is usually an employee, whatever the pay arrangement looks like. Getting it wrong gets expensive.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when core charges, parts, and labor are booked right all year.
Deductions aircraft maintenance shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- A&P and IA renewal fees
- Recurrent and continuing education
- Hangar rent and utilities
- Diagnostic and test equipment
- Tool sets and tool insurance
- Engine stands and tugs
- Shop uniforms and safety gear
- Service manuals and publications
- Liability and hangarkeeper's insurance
- Parts washer solvent and disposal
- Tow bar and ground support maintenance
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An aircraft maintenance year, kept every month.
Annuals come whenever an owner's certificate is due. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for outside A&P help is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January, right as the spring annual rush picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring annual season changed the number more than usual.
- October
Before the winter annual rush
Owners book annuals before winter down time. Gus looks at any equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for aircraft maintenance shops. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions aircraft maintenance shop owners ask first.
Can Gus separate a rush AOG job from a normal squawk fix?
Yes. He keeps after-hours and rush labor in its own line, so the premium you charge for emergency work is visible instead of buried in ordinary repairs.
What happens to the engine core charge on the books?
It goes in as a deposit, not an expense. If the core comes back and the shop refunds or credits you, that shows up too. It only becomes a real cost if the core never returns.
One parts order supplied three different jobs. Does that mess up the month?
No. Gus keeps parts and materials in one steady line and can tell you when a big order, not the work itself, is why a month looks thin.
Do I need to change how I write up work orders?
No. Keep writing them up the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement and deposits, and asks once if something is unclear.
My books are behind from a busy annual season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Do I write off a new engine hoist all at once?
Often yes. Shop equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever