HVAC, insulation & chimney

Books and taxes for boiler and radiant heat specialists.

Cast iron boiler replacements, oil-to-gas conversions, radiant floor jobs in older homes, and a winter that carries most of your year's income. Gus sorts all of it, 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
JanuaryExample month
$13,300
what you made

January came in at $13,300. The Delgado oil-to-gas conversion closed, and I kept the gas line permit fee and the old tank removal as separate line items from the boiler itself.

  • Wisetack payoutFinanced replacements
  • Check, Delgado jobBoiler replacements
  • F.W. WebbEquipment and parts
  • Oil tank removal contractorSubcontracted labor
  • Sunoco fuel, service truckTrucks and fuel
Money in$52,400
Money out$39,100
Set aside for taxes$3,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Boiler and radiant books go wrong in a few particular ways.

Your work leans on older homes, cast iron equipment, and a season that is short and brutal. When the books do not track a conversion job's permits, an old tank removal, or a winter that carries the whole year, the monthly number stops telling the truth.

  1. 1

    An oil-to-gas conversion is three jobs in one

    A conversion means a new boiler, a gas line permit and hookup, and removing or decommissioning the old oil tank. Booked as one lump sale, you cannot tell what part of the job actually made money.

    What we doKeeps the boiler, the gas line work, and the tank removal in separate lines tied to the same job, so each piece is visible.
  2. 2

    Winter carries the whole year, and the books need to know it

    A boiler business can earn most of its year in a few cold months. Compared to a quiet July, that winter surge can look alarming instead of normal, and owners sometimes overspend on a good month thinking it is the new pace.

    What we doTracks the calendar with your winter season in view, so a strong January is read against your other Januarys, not against July.
  3. 3

    Cast iron parts are not a quick supply run

    A cast iron boiler section or a circulator pump for an older radiant system can run into real money and take weeks to source. Filed with everyday parts, it muddies a month that was actually about one hard-to-find part.

    What we doFlags larger equipment and specialty parts the day they show up, kept separate from routine supplies.
  4. 4

    Emergency no-heat calls get priced differently than they get booked

    A midwinter no-heat emergency often carries a premium rate, but if it lands in the same category as a routine tune-up, you lose track of how much emergency work is actually worth to the business.

    What we doKeeps emergency service calls in their own category, separate from scheduled maintenance.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a boiler and radiant heat 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

  • Boiler replacementsFull system swaps, kept apart from repairs.
  • Oil-to-gas conversionsNew boiler, gas line work, and tank removal, tied to one job.
  • Emergency no-heat callsPremium-rate winter emergency visits.
  • Radiant floor installsNew radiant systems, kept apart from boiler-only work.
  • Financed replacementsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.

Money out

  • EquipmentBoilers and cast iron sections, logged so they get written off right.
  • Parts and circulatorsPumps, valves, and radiant tubing.
  • Subcontracted laborGas line hookups and old tank removal, tracked by job.
  • Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the service fleet.
  • Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and winter emergency ad campaigns.
  • Licensing and permitsGas fitting license and local permit fees.
  • Financing and card feesWhat the lender, Square, or Stripe kept before you got paid.

What we watch for you

  • Emergency call share

    How much of your revenue comes from premium winter no-heat calls versus scheduled work.

  • Conversion job margin

    What an oil-to-gas conversion clears after the boiler, gas work, and tank removal.

  • Winter concentration

    How much of the year lands in the cold months, so cash gets planned for the quiet ones.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things boiler and radiant heat 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.

The Delgado conversion had three different costs. How does that all get tracked?

I kept the boiler, the gas line permit and hookup, and the old tank removal as separate lines under that one job, so you can see what each part actually cost.

Should I be worried January made way more than July did?

No. That is the season, not a problem. Winter carries most of your year, and I track the calendar with that pattern in view.

I do a lot of midnight no-heat emergency calls in January. Are those worth tracking separately?

Yes, and I already do. Emergency calls stay in their own category, so you can see what that premium rate is actually worth to you.

The tax side

The tax side of a boiler and radiant heat business.

Most of what goes wrong here is a job with too many pieces getting booked as one, and a busy winter making the numbers look off when they are not.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Trucks and shop equipmentService vehicles and shop equipment bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Subcontractor 1099sA gas line contractor or helper you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, outside of payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Employee or contractorA helper who drives your truck, works your schedule, and installs on your jobs is usually an employee, not a contractor, whatever he is called on paper.
  • 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 boiler and radiant heat specialists miss

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

  • Cast iron sections and circulators
  • Radiant tubing and manifolds
  • Gas fitting license renewal
  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Permit fees for conversions
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Google local services ads
  • Tools that live on the truck
  • Phone and tablet for dispatch
  • Liability insurance
  • Card and financing fees
  • Winter emergency answering service

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 boiler and radiant heat year, kept every month.

Winter carries this business, and the return still comes on its own 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, right in the middle of your busiest month.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, right as the season winds down and the shop slows for spring.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and what winter's pace suggests for the rest of the year.

  4. October

    Before the cold hits

    Before the emergency calls start, 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 boiler and radiant heat specialists. 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 boiler and radiant heat owners ask first.

How does Gus handle a conversion job with a boiler, gas line work, and tank removal all in one?

Each piece gets its own line tied to the same job, so you can see what the boiler, the permit and hookup, and the tank removal each actually cost.

Is it normal for January to be so much bigger than the rest of the year?

Yes, for this trade. Gus tracks the calendar with your winter season in view, so a strong cold month is read against your other winters, not against a slow summer.

I charge more for emergency no-heat calls. Can that be tracked separately?

Yes. Emergency calls stay in their own category, so you can see exactly what that premium work is worth against scheduled maintenance.

Do I write off a cast iron boiler section I bought for the shop truck 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 a mess from a slow year to file. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people 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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We keep books for the business next door too.

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