Collision & appearance

Books and taxes for ceramic coating and PPF installers.

High-ticket packages, financed jobs that pay out short, film bought by the roll, and warranty registrations tied to every install. 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
JuneExample month
$22,300
what you made

June came in at $22,300. Two full-front PPF packages financed through Wisetack paid out short, so I booked the lender's fee as a cost, not a discount.

  • Wisetack payoutFinanced packages
  • Customer, card paymentCash and card jobs
  • XPEL film orderFilm and wrap stock
  • Gtechniq coating orderCoating product
  • Installer commission, D. ChoCommission pay
Money in$68,500
Money out$46,200
Set aside for taxes$4,700
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A PPF and coating shop's books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and film invoices. Your business sells four-figure packages, buys film by the roll for a dozen jobs at once, and often gets paid through a financing company that keeps a cut. When the books do not know that, margin on your biggest jobs is a guess.

  1. 1

    A financed package pays out short

    A customer finances a $3,800 full-front PPF and ceramic package through Wisetack, and the payout that lands is less than the invoice because the lender keeps a fee. Booked as the full sale, both your revenue and your real cost of offering financing come out wrong.

    What we doBooks the full package price as money in and the lender's cut as a financing fee, so your pricing and your true cost both show up honest.
  2. 2

    A film roll gets used across a dozen jobs before it runs out

    A roll of paint protection film or wrap vinyl covers several installs over weeks. Expensed the day it is bought, one week looks terrible and the following weeks look better than they are.

    What we doKeeps film and wrap stock in one steady materials line and tells you when a big roll order is the reason a week looks thin.
  3. 3

    Bay time gets billed the same for every job

    A ceramic coating job that takes half a day and a full vehicle PPF job that takes two days both eat bay time, but if labor is not tracked apart from materials, it is hard to know which package actually pays for the bay.

    What we doKeeps installer commission and labor apart from film and coating costs, so job profitability by package type is visible.
  4. 4

    Warranty registration fees get buried in supplies

    Registering an install with a film or coating manufacturer for the customer's warranty often carries a small fee per job. Lost in a general supplies line, it is easy to lose track of which jobs are actually covered.

    What we doKeeps warranty registration costs visible and tied to the job they belong to, so nothing slips through.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a PPF and coating shop.

Set up once for how packages get sold and what an install costs in film and time. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Cash and card jobsPackages paid outright at booking or pickup.
  • Financed packagesThe full package price, with the lender's fee booked separately.
  • Dealer new-car protection contractsRecurring PPF or coating packages sold through a dealership.
  • Warranty and touch-up workFollow-up jobs covered under an existing install's warranty.

Money out

  • Film and wrap stockPPF and vinyl rolls from XPEL, 3M, or Avery Dennison.
  • Coating productCeramic coating from Gtechniq, Ceramic Pro, or a similar line.
  • Commission payWhat installers are paid per package, apart from hourly wages.
  • Warranty registration feesManufacturer fees paid to register a customer's coverage.
  • Financing and card feesWhat Wisetack, Square, or a card processor keeps before you get paid.
  • Bay and booth costsRent, lighting, and climate control for the install bays.

What we watch for you

  • Film cost share

    Film and coating cost against sales, so package pricing keeps up with material costs.

  • Financing cost

    What lenders keep on financed packages, worth knowing before offering it on every ticket.

  • Bay hours per package

    How install time compares across package types, so quoting stays accurate.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things PPF and coating 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.

Why does the Wisetack payout show less than what I invoiced?

The lender kept a fee before paying you out. I booked the full package price as your sale and the fee as a cost, so your pricing stays honest.

I bought a full roll of XPEL for $4,000 to cover the next ten jobs. Is that just a normal expense?

I am keeping it in your steady film line, not one big hit to this week. When you use it across jobs, the cost stays smoothed out instead of wrecking one week's numbers.

My installer wants a cut of every package he closes on top of his hourly pay. Is that a problem for the books?

Not for the books, I will keep the commission in its own line. Whether that changes how he should be classified is above my pay grade, so I flagged it for the accountant.

The tax side

The tax side of a PPF and coating shop.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A financed package counted as a discount instead of a fee, film bought in bulk skewing a slow week, and an installer 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.

  • Bay equipment write-offsLighting rigs, lifts, or climate control systems for the install bays can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sAn 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 contractorAn installer who works your schedule, uses your bay, 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 financed jobs and film costs are tracked correctly all year.

Deductions ceramic coating and paint protection film installers miss

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

  • Film and wrap rolls
  • Ceramic coating product
  • Squeegees and heat guns
  • Warranty registration fees
  • Bay lighting and climate control
  • Financing and card fees
  • Uniforms and shop coats
  • Trade certification courses
  • Shop rent and utilities
  • Marketing and before-after photos
  • Liability insurance
  • Waste disposal for backing film

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 PPF and coating shop's year, kept every month.

New-car protection packages sell whenever a customer drives off the lot. 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 the summer install rush changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the season slows

    Before cooler weather thins out walk-in interest, Gus looks at film stock and bay equipment worth buying 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 ceramic coating and paint protection film 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 PPF and coating installers ask first.

Can Gus handle packages paid through Wisetack or another financing company?

Yes. He books the full package price 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 buy film and coating product by the case. Does that wreck my monthly numbers?

No. Gus keeps materials in one steady line and tells you when a bulk order, not a bad week, is behind a thin-looking month.

My installers get a commission on top of hourly pay. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Commission stays its own line, so you can see install labor against what each package brought in.

Do I write off a new lighting rig or lift for the bay 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.

How does Gus handle dealer contracts for new-car protection packages?

The same way as any recurring account. Payments get tracked against the contract, so you can see whether that relationship is steady, growing, or slowing.

My books are a year 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 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