Electrical, energy & home tech

Books and taxes for Christmas and holiday light installers.

Spring deposits for fall installs, a crew that grows tenfold for ten weeks, stored customer lights, and one huge summer bulb order. 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
NovemberExample month
$15,000
what you made

November brought in $15,000. Six early-bird deposits from June finally converted into finished installs this month.

  • Housecall Pro payout, install seasonInstall and removal packages
  • Meridian Plaza commercial contractCommercial and HOA contracts
  • Holiday Bright Lighting bulk orderSeasonal inventory
  • Seasonal crew payrollSeasonal crew wages
  • Storage warehouse rentStorage rent
Money in$62,000
Money out$47,000
Set aside for taxes$3,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A holiday light installer's books go wrong around compressing a year into ten weeks.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business collects money months before the work happens, hires a crew that disappears by January, and stores other people's lights all summer. When the books do not know that, nothing about the calendar makes sense.

  1. 1

    A summer deposit books revenue for a November job

    Many customers book and pay a deposit in the spring for a discount, months before a single light goes up. Counted as income the day it lands, a slow summer suddenly looks busy while the fall, when the actual work happens, looks unusually quiet.

    What we doTracks each deposit as a job draw until the install happens, so income lands with the season's real work.
  2. 2

    A whole year's payroll happens in ten weeks

    A crew that barely runs in June can jump to a dozen seasonal hires by November, and if wages are not measured against just that install window, comparing October's labor cost to March's tells you nothing useful.

    What we doTracks seasonal crew wages against the install and removal window specifically, so labor cost is judged against the weeks it actually covers.
  3. 3

    Storing a customer's own lights creates a liability with no sale

    A concierge plan that stores a customer's personal lights over the summer means a lost or damaged string is your cost to replace, and if that expense is not flagged apart from your own inventory, it looks like an unexplained loss with no job attached.

    What we doFlags customer property replacement costs as their own category, so they never get confused with normal inventory loss.
  4. 4

    A summer bulk buy wrecks the slow season's numbers

    A large order of bulbs, clips, and extension cords bought in July for the coming season shows up as one massive expense in the quietest month of the year, making summer look like a loss right before the business's best quarter.

    What we doHolds seasonal inventory as an asset until it goes out on a job, so a summer buy does not wreck the month and the season's real margin shows through.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a holiday light installer.

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

  • Install and removal packagesDesign, install, and January removal, billed per address.
  • Commercial and HOA contractsStorefronts and common areas billed under a seasonal contract.
  • Storage concierge plansAnnual fees to store and reinstall a customer's own lights each year.
  • Early season depositsSpring and summer deposits tracked as job draws until the install happens.

Money out

  • Seasonal crew wagesKept apart and measured against the install and removal window they cover.
  • Seasonal inventoryBulbs, clips, and cord bought in bulk each summer, held as an asset until used.
  • Storage rentWarehouse space for both inventory and stored customer lights.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for install vehicles.
  • Liability and roof insuranceCoverage for ladder and roofline work.
  • Lead fees and marketingSpring pre-book promotions and Google local services leads.

What we watch for you

  • Deposit backlog

    Early-bird deposits collected for installs not yet done, so a summer sign-up rush does not look bigger than it is.

  • Labor cost per install week

    Seasonal payroll measured against the install and removal window it actually covers.

  • Customer property losses

    Replacement cost for a customer's own lights lost or damaged in storage.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things holiday light 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.

We took a bunch of early-bird deposits in June for November installs. Why doesn't summer look busier?

Those deposits are tracked as job draws, not sales, until the install happens. The income lands in November with the actual work.

Our crew goes from two people to fifteen in October. Does that mess up my labor numbers?

No, I measure seasonal wages against the install and removal window, so October's big payroll gets judged against what it actually covers, not against a quiet month in June.

A customer's stored lights got damaged over the summer and we had to replace them. Where does that go?

Into its own category for customer property replacement, so it never gets confused with your own inventory loss.

The tax side

The tax side of a holiday light install business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing crammed into a few months. A deposit counted too soon, payroll measured against the wrong window, 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.

  • Seasonal equipment and inventoryLadders and lifts can usually be written off the year you buy them, while inventory held until it goes out on a job is treated differently. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for equipment acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sA seasonal helper not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026. The form is due January 31.
  • Employee or contractorA seasonal crew member who uses your ladders and trucks and works your schedule is usually an employee, not a contractor, even for a ten-week season.
  • 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 Christmas and holiday light installers miss

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

  • C9 and C7 bulk bulb stock
  • Roofline clips and cord
  • Ladder and lift rental
  • Truck signage and wraps
  • Liability and roof insurance
  • Storage warehouse rent
  • Spring pre-book ad spend
  • Phone for route photos
  • Vehicle registration
  • Background check fees

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 holiday light installer's year, kept every month.

Almost the whole year builds toward ten weeks in the fall. Your taxes come on a schedule that does not care. 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 as light removal wraps up.

  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 how this summer's early-bird deposits are shaping up for the season ahead.

  4. October

    Before the season starts

    The install rush is about to hit. Before it does, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing before the year closes.

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 Christmas and holiday light 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 holiday light installers ask first.

We collect deposits in the spring for installs that happen in November. Does that skew the books?

No. Deposits are tracked as job draws until the install happens, so a summer sign-up rush does not read as bigger than the work actually completed.

Our crew size changes wildly through the year. Does Gus handle that?

Yes. Seasonal wages are measured against the install and removal window they actually cover, so a big October payroll is judged against the season, not a quiet spring month.

We store customers' own lights over the summer. What if something gets damaged?

The replacement cost is tracked in its own category, so it never gets confused with your own inventory loss.

We buy a whole season's bulbs and cord in one summer order. Does that wreck the books?

No. Seasonal inventory is held as an asset until it goes out on a job, so a big summer buy does not make the quietest month look like a loss.

Do I write off ladders and lifts 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 with your whole year in view.

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 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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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