Remodeling & interiors

Books and taxes for bathroom remodelers.

Tile and fixture draws, waterproofing costs, a glass shower sub's invoice, and the surprise rot behind the old tub. Gus sorts every dollar to the job it came from, 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
JuneExample month
$17,000
what you made

June came in at $17,000. The Ferguson fixture order for the Alvarez job went out before the tile even started, so it's booked against that job, not this month.

  • Wisetack payoutFinanced jobs
  • Client draw, Alvarez jobProgress draws
  • Ferguson showroomFixtures and plumbing
  • Schluter Kerdi orderWaterproofing and tile setup
  • Glass sub, Turner jobSubcontractors
Money in$61,000
Money out$44,000
Set aside for taxes$4,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Bathroom remodel books go wrong at the tear-out.

A generalist sees a deposit and a bill. A bathroom job is a fixture order, a waterproofing system, a tile setter's invoice, and often a surprise once the old tub comes out. When the books do not track each job on its own, one bathroom's rot problem eats another bathroom's profit on paper.

  1. 1

    Tear-out finds rot nobody bid on

    You pull the old tub and find subfloor damage or a leaking pipe nobody could see until the wall opened up. The extra material and labor to fix it often gets buried in the original job cost instead of billed as a change order, so the job looks like it ran over for no reason.

    What we doKeeps unplanned repair costs tagged as their own change order line, so you can see the job actually earned what it cost, once the surprise got billed.
  2. 2

    A fixture order lands weeks before the tile starts

    You order the tub, vanity, and fixtures from a supply house before the crew even starts demo, sometimes a full billing cycle ahead of the job. Booked as a plain expense, it makes a slow month look worse than it is.

    What we doTies the fixture order to its job, so an early purchase does not read as a bad month.
  3. 3

    Waterproofing and tile costs blend into the fixture bill

    A Schluter Kerdi membrane system, thinset, and tile all get bought around the same time as the vanity and shower valve, and it all reads as one lump of job cost. You cannot tell whether a job ran over on materials or on the tile setter's hours.

    What we doKeeps waterproofing and tile costs separate from fixtures, so you can see what actually drove a job's cost.
  4. 4

    A financed bathroom pays out short

    When a homeowner finances a $14,000 bathroom through Wisetack, the lender pays you less than the invoice and keeps a fee. Booked as the deposit alone, both your sales and your real cost of offering financing come out wrong.

    What we doBooks the full job as money in and the lender's cut as a financing fee, so your prices and your costs both stay honest.
  5. 5

    A glass shower sub gets paid off the books that job earned

    A shower door installer paid the week a different job's draw lands can look like it belongs to that job instead of the one it was actually for, throwing off which bathrooms were profitable.

    What we doMatches subcontractor payments to the job they were for, even when the timing does not line up with when that job's money came in.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a bathroom remodeling business.

Set up once for how your jobs get paid and what they cost. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Progress drawsDemo, rough-in, tile, and final payments on a signed bathroom contract.
  • Change order billingRot repairs, an upgraded vanity, or added tile work billed on top of the original price.
  • Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's fee booked as a cost.
  • Small job and single-fixture workVanity swaps and fixture replacements outside a full remodel.
  • RetainageThe final percentage held back until the walkthrough, tracked so it does not get forgotten.

Money out

  • Fixtures and plumbingTubs, vanities, valves, and fixtures from the supply house, tied to the job.
  • Waterproofing and tile setupMembrane systems, thinset, and tile purchased for the job.
  • SubcontractorsPlumbers, electricians, and glass installers paid trade by trade.
  • Permit feesPaid to the local building department for plumbing relocation.
  • Dumpster and demo disposalHauling out the old tub, tile, and subfloor.
  • Lead feesAngi, Houzz Pro, and paid leads that turn into signed jobs.

What we watch for you

  • Job margin

    What each bathroom actually cleared after fixtures, tile, and subs, not just the contract price.

  • Change order value

    How often tear-out surprises turn into billed work instead of eaten cost.

  • Sub and material split

    Whether an over-budget job ran long on labor or on fixtures and tile.

  • Open draws

    Money billed but not yet collected, so a slow-paying job does not become a cash surprise.

Ask Gus

Things bathroom remodelers 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.

We found soft subfloor behind the Alvarez tub. I billed an extra $1,400. Does that count as part of the original job?

I tagged it as a change order on that job, separate from the original contract, so you can see the tear-out surprise got billed and paid for.

The Wisetack payout was $600 short of the invoice. Did we get shorted?

No, that was the lender's financing fee. I booked the full $9,200 job as your sale and the $600 as a cost, so your real price still shows.

Do I owe the glass shower guy a 1099 this year?

If you paid him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, yes, by January 31. I have been keeping that list all year so it is ready.

The tax side

The tax side of a bathroom remodeling business.

Most of what trips up a bathroom business is timing: a fixture order booked too early, a repair that should have been a change order, 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.

  • Subcontractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a glass installer or electrician you bring in job to job, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list as the year goes.
  • Employee or subcontractorA tile setter who works your schedule and uses your tools usually looks like an employee, not a sub, no matter what the invoice says. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
  • Tools and equipmentWet saws, vacuums, and other job equipment can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right only when the books track each job correctly all year.

Deductions bathroom remodelers miss

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

  • Tile and fixture samples
  • Wet saw blades and repairs
  • Waterproofing membrane stock
  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Angi and Houzz Pro lead fees
  • Liability insurance
  • Dumpster and disposal fees
  • Small tool replacement
  • Continuing education and certifications
  • Branded uniforms
  • Phone and tablet for jobsite use
  • Mileage to supply houses

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 bathroom remodeling year, kept every month.

Bathroom jobs turn faster than kitchens, so your schedule fills quick and your taxes need to keep pace. 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 subcontractor 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, since the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this season's booking pace changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the holiday push

    Homeowners want bathrooms done before guests arrive. Gus looks at any equipment worth buying before December and where the year is landing.

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 bathroom remodelers. 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 bathroom remodelers ask first.

Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies like Wisetack?

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.

We found water damage mid-job and billed a change order. Does that mess up the books?

No. Gus tags it as its own line on that job, so the original bid and the added repair both show up honestly instead of blending together.

My fixture order goes out before the crew even starts demo. Does that hurt my monthly number?

It would if it sat as a plain expense. Gus ties it to the job it belongs to, so an early purchase does not make an unrelated month look thin.

Do I write off a wet saw or vacuum all at once?

Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted the year you buy it, and 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 a few months behind. 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 within a week.

I run more, smaller jobs than a kitchen remodeler. Does that change anything?

It just means more jobs to keep separate. Gus tracks each one the same way, whether it is a full remodel or a single vanity swap, so nothing gets lumped together.

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