Home maintenance & specialty services

Books and taxes for babyproofing and childproofing services.

Safety consultations, anchor and gate installs, rental-friendly setups that take extra care, and a holiday rush of grandparent-proofing. Gus sorts all of it, and an accountant checks every transaction.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
NovemberExample month
$3,800
what you made

November came in at $3,800. Two grandparent-proofing packages came in before the holidays, so I kept them separate from your regular new-parent installs.

  • Install job, cardInstalls
  • Grandparent-proofing packageHoliday safety packages
  • Amazon bulk hardware orderSafety hardware
  • Liability insurance premiumLiability insurance
  • Shell fuelVehicle and fuel
Money in$9,200
Money out$5,400
Set aside for taxes$800
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Babyproofing books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and a hardware bill. Your business runs on a consult fee that sometimes gets credited toward the install, rental-friendly jobs that take longer for less, and a holiday rush that does not repeat every month. When the books do not track those apart, the wrong month gets blamed.

  1. 1

    The consult fee sometimes disappears into the install

    Many owners charge a safety walkthrough fee, then credit it toward the install if the customer books one. Rolled into one invoice, you lose track of how many walkthroughs actually turn into paid installs.

    What we doKeeps the consultation fee visible separately, even when it is later credited, so you can see how often a walkthrough converts.
  2. 2

    Rental-friendly installs take more time for a similar price

    A renter who cannot drill into walls needs creative, removable anchor methods that take longer to install than a permanent job in an owned home, but the two often get priced close together.

    What we doKeeps rental-friendly and permanent installs in separate lines, so you can see whether the extra labor time is actually covered.
  3. 3

    A hardware stock-up wrecks the monthly number

    Outlet covers, cabinet locks, corner guards, and anchor straps get bought in bulk to cover months of jobs. One big order makes a good month look thin and the next one look great.

    What we doKeeps safety hardware in one steady line and flags a stock-up so it is not mistaken for a slow month.
  4. 4

    Holiday packages spike and then disappear

    Grandparent-proofing before the holidays brings a real rush of bookings that will not repeat again until next year. Counted the same as your steady new-parent business, it makes the rest of the year look like a letdown by comparison.

    What we doKeeps holiday safety packages in their own category, so the seasonal spike does not distort the year-round picture.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a babyproofing 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

  • InstallsStandard anchor, gate, and outlet safety installs for new parents.
  • ConsultationsStandalone safety walkthrough fees, credited toward an install or not.
  • Holiday safety packagesGrandparent-proofing and other seasonal booking spikes.
  • Rental-friendly installsRemovable anchor methods for renters, kept apart from permanent jobs.

Money out

  • Safety hardwareOutlet covers, cabinet locks, corner guards, and anchor straps.
  • Vehicle and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the vehicle.
  • ToolsDrills, stud finders, and anchoring equipment.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for anchor and furniture tip-over work in a customer's home.
  • Background check feesVetting parents expect for anyone working around their children.
  • Lead feesThumbtack, Angi, or Google local services.
  • Uniforms and phoneBranded shirts and the phone used for scheduling.

What we watch for you

  • Consult conversion

    How often a paid walkthrough turns into a booked install.

  • Rental job margin

    What a rental-friendly install actually nets once the extra labor time is counted.

  • Hardware margin

    What safety hardware costs against what jobs charged.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things babyproofing 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 credit the consult fee toward the install if they book one. Does that mess up my income?

No, I keep the consult visible even when it gets credited, so you can still see how many walkthroughs turn into a paid job.

The rental-friendly job took twice as long as usual but I charged the same price. Is that a problem?

I keep rental-friendly and permanent installs separate so you can see that for yourself, whenever you want to look at pricing.

I hired a friend to help during the holiday rush and paid her cash. Does that need paperwork?

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

The tax side

The tax side of a babyproofing business.

Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing: a consult fee that gets credited away, rental jobs priced like permanent ones, and hardware bought in bulk.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Tools and vehicleYour drills, anchoring tools, and vehicle 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.
  • Sales tax on hardware soldWhether tax applies to the hardware on an install invoice, or to the whole invoice, depends on your state. Gus flags it and the accountant checks how your state treats the split.
  • 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.
  • 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 babyproofing and childproofing services miss

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

  • Vehicle fuel and repairs
  • Outlet covers and cabinet locks
  • Corner guards and anchor straps
  • Drills and stud finders
  • Liability insurance
  • Background check fees
  • Thumbtack and Angi lead fees
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Phone and tablet for scheduling
  • Card processing fees
  • Safety certification courses
  • Small tools under the expensing threshold

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 babyproofing year, kept every month.

New parents book year round, and the holidays bring a grandparent-proofing rush. 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 bookings changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the holiday rush

    Before grandparent-proofing bookings pick up, 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 babyproofing and childproofing services. 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 babyproofing owners ask first.

Can Gus track how many consultations actually turn into installs?

Yes. Consultation fees stay visible even when credited toward an install, so you can see your conversion rate whenever you want.

Do rental-friendly installs get priced differently in my books?

Gus keeps them in their own category, separate from permanent installs, so you can see whether the extra labor time on a rental job is actually worth the price you charge.

I use Thumbtack for a lot of my bookings. Do I need to change anything?

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

Does the holiday rush throw off my numbers for the rest of the year?

Not once Gus separates it. Holiday safety packages get their own category, so the rest of the year is judged on its own steady business.

My books are a mix of Venmo, cash, and one card. Can Gus sort that out?

Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most people know where they stand inside a week.

Do I owe sales tax on the safety hardware I install?

Often, and it depends on your state whether that applies to just the hardware or the whole invoice. Gus flags parts and labor separately so the accountant can check your state's rule.

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