Collision & appearance
Books and taxes for auto upholstery shops.
Leather and vinyl repair, headliner replacement, custom stitching on a classic restoration, and the occasional insurance claim for fire or water damage. 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
November came in at $11,600. A full leather interior restoration on a classic pickup carried the month, so I kept that project apart from the smaller weekly repairs.
- Customer, restoration depositRestoration projects
- Insurance claim payoutInsurance work
- Leather and vinyl orderMaterial stock
- Stitcher commission, L. ParkCommission pay
- Foam and padding supplierMaterial stock
Why your books are different
An upholstery shop's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and material bills. Your business does a quick seat tear repair one day and a months-long classic car interior restoration the next, sometimes paid in stages, sometimes billed to insurance. When those get mixed together, it is hard to see what any single project actually earned.
-
1
A restoration project spans months but gets billed in pieces
A full classic car interior restoration can take weeks, paid with a deposit up front and a balance at pickup, sometimes with a milestone payment in between. Booked as separate unrelated sales, it is hard to see whether the whole project was actually profitable.
What we doTies every payment on a restoration project back to that job, so you can see the full project's total against what it cost, once it wraps. -
2
Leather and vinyl bought by the roll skews the wrong month
A roll of leather or marine-grade vinyl bought for one big project can also stretch across several smaller repairs. Expensed all at once, the month it was bought looks weak and the following months look better than they are.
What we doKeeps material stock in one steady line and tells you when a bulk order is the reason a month looks thin. -
3
An insurance claim for fire, water, or vandalism looks like a normal repair
A seat or headliner replaced under an insurance claim after damage gets billed to a carrier, on a different timeline than a customer paying directly. Lumped in with regular repairs, it is hard to see how much of the shop's income depends on insurance work.
What we doKeeps insurance-billed jobs in their own line, so you can see that income apart from direct customer repairs. -
4
A commercial embroidery or stitching machine is not a supply run
An industrial sewing machine or embroidery unit for custom stitching can cost several thousand dollars. Filed as supplies, it can get missed when it is time to write it off.
What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an upholstery shop.
Set up once for how projects get billed and what a job costs to complete. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Repair jobsQuick tears, burns, and small fixes paid outright by the customer.
- Restoration projectsFull interior restorations billed in a deposit, milestone, or final payment.
- Insurance workClaims billed to a carrier for fire, water, or vandalism damage.
- Fleet and dealer accountsRecurring interior repair work for a rental fleet or dealership.
Money out
- Material stockLeather, vinyl, and fabric rolls kept for repairs and restorations.
- Foam and paddingSeat foam, padding, and backing material replaced during repairs.
- Commission payWhat stitchers and installers are paid per project, apart from hourly wages.
- EquipmentIndustrial sewing machines and embroidery units, logged so they get written off right.
- Shop rent and utilitiesBay space and power for cutting and stitching work.
- MarketingBefore-after photos for social media and classic car show sponsorships.
What we watch for you
- Project margin
What a restoration project earned against its material and labor cost, once it wraps.
- Material cost share
Leather, vinyl, and foam cost against sales, so pricing keeps up with material costs.
- Insurance share
How much of your income depends on insurance-billed work versus direct customer repairs.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things upholstery 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 tied all three payments back to that one project, so once it wrapped I could show you the full total against what the leather and labor cost.
No, I am keeping it in your steady material line. It will not make this month look bad or the next few look artificially good.
I keep it in its own line, yes, since it pays on a different timeline than a customer paying you directly. Same work, tracked so you can see both sides clearly.
The tax side
The tax side of an upholstery shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing across long projects. A restoration billed in pieces without being tied together, material bought in bulk skewing a slow month, and a stitcher paid like a contractor who works like an employee.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsAn industrial sewing machine, embroidery unit, or cutting table can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA stitcher or installer 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.
- Employee or contractorA stitcher who works your schedule, uses your machines, and takes direction on every job usually looks like an employee, even if paid by commission.
- The pass-through deductionMost shop owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when long restoration projects are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions auto upholstery and interior repair shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Leather and vinyl rolls
- Foam and padding
- Thread and stitching supplies
- Sewing machine maintenance
- Cutting tools and blades
- Shop rent and utilities
- Card processing fees
- Uniforms and shop coats
- Trade certification courses
- Marketing and show sponsorships
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 upholstery shop's year, kept every month.
Restoration projects run on their own timeline, not a calendar. Your taxes still come on one. 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. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a big restoration project changed the number.
- October
Before the show season
Before classic car show season picks up, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and material stock to order 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 auto upholstery and interior repair 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 upholstery shop owners ask first.
Can Gus track a restoration project that gets paid in a deposit and a final payment?
Yes. He ties every payment on that project back to the same job, so once it wraps you can see the full total earned against what it cost in material and labor.
I buy leather and vinyl in bulk rolls. Does that mess up my monthly numbers?
No. Gus keeps material stock in one steady line and tells you when a bulk order, not a bad month, is behind a thin-looking number.
Some of my work is billed to insurance after damage claims. Does that change the books?
It changes the timeline, not the category. Gus keeps insurance-billed work in its own line, so you can see it apart from direct customer repairs.
My stitcher is paid commission per project. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Commission stays its own line, so you can see stitching labor against what each project brought in.
Do I write off a new sewing machine or cutting table 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.
My books are behind because a long project ran through several months. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts out the payments and ties them to the right project, and most owners know 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