Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for artificial turf installers.
Deposits, turf priced and bought by the square foot, infill and base rock, and pet turf jobs with their own drainage needs. 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
June came in at $11,500. The pet turf and drainage base for the Alvarado yard went in as materials for that job, not general supplies.
- Deposit, Alvarado backyard turfJob deposits
- Final payment, Boyer front yardFinal payments
- Global Syn-Turf roll orderTurf material
- Crumb rubber infill deliveryInfill material
- Google local servicesLead fees and marketing
Why your books are different
Artificial turf books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business prices turf by the square foot, adds drainage and odor control base for pet yards, and buys infill separately from the turf itself. When the books do not separate that, you cannot tell whether the price per foot is actually covering what a yard costs to turf.
-
1
Turf and infill get bought and logged as one line
Turf rolls and crumb rubber or sand infill come from different costs and different suppliers, but when they are logged together, the owner cannot see how much of the job's material cost is turf versus what goes into it.
What we doKeeps turf material and infill on separate lines against the job, so both costs are visible on their own. -
2
Pet turf jobs cost more and the books do not explain why
A pet-friendly yard needs extra drainage base and sometimes an odor control infill, which raises the cost above a standard lawn job, but if that is not tracked by job, a pet turf job can look like it ran over budget when it actually needed more built into the price.
What we doTags drainage and odor control material to the specific job, so a pet turf job's real cost lines up with what should have been billed for it. -
3
Cost per square foot gets lost in a lump sum
Turf is priced and bought by the square foot, but if the books only show one total material cost for the month, the owner cannot see whether the price per foot on recent jobs is actually covering material cost per foot.
What we doTags material cost to the job it belongs to, so cost per foot can be checked against what was billed per foot. -
4
A deposit looks like profit before the base is even prepped
A deposit on a yard that will not start for two weeks shows up as income the day it lands, so the month looks strong before a single yard of old sod is removed.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so a big deposit month does not hide a thin one underneath it.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an artificial turf installer.
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
- Job depositsCollected at contract signing, tracked against the job it belongs to.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once the turf is installed and seamed.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded square footage or a putting edge billed separately.
Money out
- Turf materialGlobal Syn-Turf or similar rolls, priced and tracked by the square foot.
- Infill materialCrumb rubber, sand, or odor control infill, kept apart from turf.
- Base and drainage materialCrushed rock base and drainage layers, especially for pet turf jobs.
- Crew wages and subsRemoval, base prep, and install crew pay.
- Equipment rentalSod cutters, compactors, and power brooms.
- Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and Angi ad spend.
What we watch for you
- Cost per square foot
Material cost against turf installed, so pricing per foot actually covers what turf and infill cost per foot.
- Pet turf premium
Extra drainage and infill cost on pet jobs, so those jobs are priced to cover what they actually need.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for yards not yet turfed, so a big deposit month does not look like profit that is not there yet.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things artificial turf installers 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.
No. I booked it as a change order on the same job, so the added scope and what it cost are both visible.
I have been tagging the extra drainage base and infill on those jobs. Once I have a few more to compare, I can show you if the price per foot is keeping up.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of an artificial turf business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted too early, infill filed like plain turf, 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-offsA sod cutter, compactor, or trailer bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a removal or install crew, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment taxAn owner not on payroll pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- 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 artificial turf installers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Sod cutter and compactor rental
- Power broom for infill
- Truck and trailer fuel
- Google local services ads
- Turf and infill samples
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Truck wraps and yard signs
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 artificial turf year, kept every month.
Demand climbs as lawns dry out or wear down in spring and stays steady through fall. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. 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 is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before spring demand for turf conversions picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether cost per foot is keeping pace with material prices.
- October
Before the season slows
A look at any equipment worth buying before winter, 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 artificial turf installers. 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 artificial turf installers ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
I run estimates in Jobber. Do I have to change how I work?
No. Keep running jobs the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit or payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off a sod cutter all at once?
Often, yes. Business 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.
My books are behind from last 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.
How does Gus handle pet turf jobs that cost more to install?
He tags the extra drainage base and infill to that specific job, so a pet turf job's real cost is visible instead of looking like it ran over budget.
Do you handle sales tax on the turf and infill I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and contracts varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
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.
More in outdoor living & structures
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Chicken coop & backyard farm structure builders
- Dock & boathouse builders
- Gazebo & pavilion builders
- Outdoor audio & TV installers
- Playground & swing set installers
- Putting green installers
- Retractable screens & motorized shades
- Seawall & bulkhead contractors
- Sport court builders (pickleball, basketball)
- Backyard office & ADU builders
- Decorative & stamped concrete
- Fire pit & outdoor fireplace builders
- Outdoor kitchen builders
- Patio cover & awning companies
- Pergola builders
- Pool resurfacing & repair
- Retaining wall contractors
- Screened porch & sunroom builders
- Storage shed builders & dealers
- Concrete flatwork contractors
- Deck builders
- Driveway paving & sealcoating
- Epoxy & polyaspartic garage floor coatings
- Fence installation companies
- Fiberglass pool installers
- Hardscaping & paver installers
- Hot tub & swim spa dealers
- Pool service & cleaning
- Custom pool builders
- Cedar shake roofing specialists
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