Home maintenance & specialty services

Books and taxes for appliance repair companies.

Diagnostic calls, manufacturer warranty repairs, home warranty payouts, and parts from three different suppliers. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
JulyExample month
$8,300
what you made

July came in at $8,300. Whirlpool's authorized rate on the two warranty jobs ran under what you'd charge a walk-in, so I kept those separate from your regular service calls.

  • Whirlpool warranty pmtManufacturer warranty repairs
  • Square payoutService calls
  • Reliable Parts IncParts and supplies
  • Marcone core creditParts and supplies
  • Shell fuelTruck and fuel
Money in$27,400
Money out$19,100
Set aside for taxes$1,700
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Appliance repair books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and a parts bill. Your business runs on diagnostic calls, manufacturer warranty rates, and parts that sometimes come back as a core credit. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell if warranty work is worth the drive.

  1. 1

    Warranty repairs pay a set rate, not your price

    A manufacturer like Whirlpool or Samsung pays an authorized rate for warranty repairs, often less than what you would charge a customer for the same fix, and the payment lands weeks after the job.

    What we doKeeps manufacturer warranty payments in their own line, so you can see whether that work is worth the slot on your schedule.
  2. 2

    A returned part becomes a credit, not income

    Send a bad compressor or control board back to Marcone or AP Wholesale for a core credit, and it can look like a stray deposit if nobody knows what it was for.

    What we doMatches core credits back to the part they came from, so parts and supplies show what they actually cost you.
  3. 3

    The diagnostic fee disappears into the repair

    Most shops waive the $70 to $100 diagnostic fee when the customer approves the repair. Rolled into one repair invoice, you lose track of how many calls end in a diagnostic charge with no repair at all.

    What we doKeeps diagnostic-only calls visible against repair calls, so you can see how often a visit pays for itself without a repair.
  4. 4

    Property manager accounts pay a month late

    A landlord or property management account often pays net-30, so the invoice for a June dishwasher repair lands in your July deposits. That makes a slow June look worse than it was.

    What we doTracks net-30 accounts so a payment lag does not make a good month look thin.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an appliance repair business.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Service callsWalk-in and same-day repairs paid by card or cash in the home.
  • Manufacturer warranty repairsWhirlpool, GE, Samsung, and similar authorized-rate work.
  • Home warranty company jobsAmerican Home Shield, Choice Home Warranty, and similar contract rates.
  • Property manager accountsLandlord and property management invoices, often paid net-30.
  • Diagnostic feesCalls that end without a repair, kept visible on their own.

Money out

  • Parts and suppliesCompressors, control boards, belts, and seals from Reliable Parts, Marcone, or AP Wholesale, net of core credits.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the service van.
  • Tools and diagnostic equipmentMultimeters, refrigerant gauges, and leak detectors.
  • Lead feesThumbtack, Angi, and Google local services.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for work done inside a customer's home.
  • Uniforms and phoneBranded shirts and the phone and tablet used for dispatch.
  • Card processing feesWhat Square or Stripe kept before the payout landed.

What we watch for you

  • Warranty pay gap

    What manufacturers pay against your normal rate. Worth knowing before you take more of that work.

  • Parts margin

    What parts cost against what the invoice charged, net of any core credits.

  • Diagnostic-only rate

    How many calls end with just a diagnostic fee and no repair.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things appliance repair 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.

Whirlpool paid less than my usual rate on that warranty repair. Is that a mistake?

No, that is their authorized rate. I kept it in its own line so you can compare warranty work against your regular calls whenever you want.

I sent a bad compressor back and got $40 credited. Where does that go?

I matched it to the part it came from, so your parts cost for that job shows the real number after the credit.

My cousin rides along on big jobs and I pay him cash. Do I need to worry about that?

If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he needs a 1099 by January 31. I keep that running total as we go.

The tax side

The tax side of an appliance repair business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: warranty pay treated like a regular invoice, a helper paid like family instead of a contractor, and parts sales tax nobody checked.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Truck and toolsYour service van and diagnostic equipment can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to the Section 179 limit, with 100 percent bonus depreciation on property bought after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Sales tax on partsWhether tax applies to the parts on a repair invoice, or to the whole invoice, depends on your state. Gus flags it and the accountant checks how your state treats it.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions appliance repair companies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Parts and core charges
  • Multimeters and refrigerant gauges
  • Leak detectors and hand tools
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Thumbtack and Angi lead fees
  • Phone and tablet for dispatch
  • Liability insurance
  • Manufacturer certification courses
  • Card processing fees
  • Small tools under the expensing threshold
  • Shop or storage rent for spare parts

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 appliance repair year, kept every month.

Fridges fail in July heat and ovens fail before the holidays. 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer refrigeration calls changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the holiday rush

    Before ovens and dishwashers take a beating over the holidays, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 appliance repair companies. 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 appliance repair owners ask first.

Can Gus handle manufacturer warranty payments and home warranty payouts?

Yes. Each gets kept in its own category at the rate it actually pays, so your books show what warranty and home warranty work are really worth against your regular calls.

I use Housecall Pro to schedule and invoice. Do I need to change anything?

No. Keep scheduling the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.

Do parts I sell get taxed differently than my labor?

Often, yes, and it depends on your state. Gus flags parts and labor separately so the accountant can check how your state treats the split.

I get a core credit sometimes when I return a bad part. Does that count as income?

It is treated as a reduction in your parts cost, not new income, and Gus matches it back to the part it came from.

My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know where they stand inside a week.

I keep meaning to write off my diagnostic tools. Is it too late?

Usually not for the current year. Business equipment can often be deducted in the year you buy it, and Gus flags a purchase like that the day it shows up.

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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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