Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for architectural millwork and woodworking shops.
Progress billing on custom millwork, retainage, a wood species upgrade that changes everything, and a finished piece scratched by another trade. Gus 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 $16,000. The walnut veneer order for the lobby job got tied to that job, so it did not make the whole month look like spending got out of hand.
- GC pay app #6 payoutProgress billing
- Walnut veneer orderHardwood lumber and veneer
- Blum hardware orderHardware
- Spray booth filtersFinish materials
- Fleet fuel, delivery vanTrucks and fuel
Why your books are different
A millwork shop's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is one-off custom jobs, shop fabrication that hands off to field installation, and material costs that swing wildly based on the wood an architect picks. Blend those together and a job's real margin disappears.
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1
A wood species upgrade blows up the material line
An architect swaps white oak for walnut mid-project, tripling the lumber cost for that job, and without a change order to match, that cost quietly eats the margin.
What we doFlags jobs where material costs jump well beyond the original estimate. -
2
Shop work and install work blur together
A millwork job includes weeks of shop fabrication, then a few days of field installation and touch-up. Lumped into one number, you cannot tell if the shop priced it right or the install ate the profit.
What we doKeeps shop labor and field installation visible enough to compare separately by job. -
3
Job site damage to a finished piece looks like free rework
A finished cabinet run gets scratched by another trade on site, and sending the crew back to repair it costs real labor and finish materials that were never billed to anyone.
What we doFlags repair labor and materials as their own cost, so it does not quietly disappear into that job's numbers. -
4
Retainage on millwork packages disappears
A general contractor holds back 10 percent on a large lobby or hospitality package and does not release it until closeout, sometimes months after the pieces are installed.
What we doKeeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see what is still owed and roughly when it should land. -
5
An exotic hardwood order skews the month
A single order of book-matched veneer for one job can cost more than a month of ordinary lumber, and next to a normal month it can look like spending got out of hand.
What we doTies large lumber and veneer orders to the specific job, so one order does not distort a normal month.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a millwork shop.
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
- Progress billingGeneral contractor pay applications on custom millwork packages.
- Retainage releasesHeld-back money on install jobs, paid out at closeout.
- Change order billingWood species upgrades and design revisions after shop drawings are approved.
- Shop-only fabrication billingWork billed direct to architects or designers without a general contractor.
- Field installation billingOn-site install and touch-up billed separately from shop fabrication.
Money out
- Shop and install crew wagesCabinetmakers and finish carpenters, including certified payroll on public jobs.
- Hardwood lumber and veneerLumber yard and veneer supplier orders.
- HardwareHinges, slides, and pulls.
- Finish materialsStain, lacquer, and spray booth supplies.
- Shop equipmentCNC machines and finishing equipment.
- Trucks and fuelDelivery of finished pieces to the job site.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage for larger jobs.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each package actually made after lumber, hardware, and labor.
- Material cost variance
How far actual lumber cost strays from the original estimate, job by job.
- Retainage owed
Money general contractors are holding on install jobs right now.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things millwork 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.
I flagged it. Material cost on that job is running well past the original estimate, which is worth a change order conversation before it closes out.
Yes. I logged the repair labor and finish materials as their own cost, so it does not just disappear into that job's numbers.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, yes, a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of a millwork shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Material swings buried in a normal month, repair costs written off as free, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsCNC machines and finishing equipment can often be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Sub-subcontractor 1099sAny outside cabinetmaker or install crew not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA cabinetmaker or installer who works your schedule, uses your shop, and takes direction from you is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- 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 architectural millwork and woodworking shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- CNC and shop equipment
- Spray booth filters and supplies
- Hand tools and clamps
- Continuing education
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Shop rent
- Safety gear and PPE
- Job costing software
- Uniforms with your logo
- Sample boards and finish samples
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
A millwork shop's year, kept every month.
Bid season, material swings, and tax season each run on their own clock. Your team keeps you ahead of all three. 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 and the 1099 list for outside crews is ready. Bidding is picking up, so your monthly set-aside gets planned before spring millwork jobs mobilize.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring installs get underway. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a large hospitality package changed the number.
- October
Before year end
As hospitality and retail clients push to open before the holidays, Gus looks at shop equipment worth buying and anything else worth doing before the year ends.
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 architectural millwork and woodworking 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 millwork shop owners ask first.
The architect changed the wood species mid-job. Does Gus catch that?
He flags jobs where material cost is running well past the original estimate, so you notice the swing early enough to have the change order conversation before the job closes out.
We do shop fab and field install. Can the books tell them apart?
Yes. Shop labor and field installation costs are kept visible enough to compare separately by job, so you can see whether the shop or the install side is carrying the margin.
Do I write off a new CNC machine all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
Another trade damaged our finished work on site. Does that repair cost get tracked?
Yes. Repair labor and finish materials get logged as their own cost, so a job you already finished does not quietly absorb a cost that was not yours to begin with.
Our books are behind after a big custom job. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know exactly where they stand inside a week.
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