Small manufacturers & fabricators
Books and taxes for CNC shops.
Prototype quotes, production run invoices, a quarterly software license, and a new fixture bought for one customer. Your own bookkeeper stays on it all year, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $16,800. The Mastercam renewal landed in software, not tooling, so the month reads clean.
- Vantage Product Group, run 12Production run invoices
- Northfield prototype depositPrototype fees
- Mastercam renewalCAM software
- Titanium bar stockRaw material
- Fixture build, job 8834Tooling and fixtures
Why your books are different
CNC shop books go wrong between the prototype and the production run.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your shop runs a one-off prototype one week and a two hundred piece production run the next, on the same machines, for the same customer. When the books do not separate them, you cannot tell which kind of work is actually paying for the shop.
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1
Prototype work and production runs blend together
A customer pays for three prototype iterations and then a 300 piece run, but if both land in one revenue line, you cannot see that the prototype rate barely covered the engineering time it took.
What we doKeeps prototype and production invoices in their own categories, so each shows its true margin. -
2
A one-customer fixture looks like a shop expense
A fixture built for one customer's part can cost more than the first production run pays, and if it is filed like general tooling, the shop absorbs a cost that really belongs to that job.
What we doTags customer-specific fixtures and tooling to the job they were built for, so the real cost of landing that account is visible. -
3
A revision change gets lost in the material line
A customer's part revision means scrapped inventory and a new setup, but on the bank statement it just looks like another material order.
What we doKeeps scrap from revision changes in its own line so it does not quietly blend into ordinary stock spend. -
4
CAM and simulation software gets mixed with tooling
A Mastercam or Fusion license renewal and a box of carbide inserts both hit the card in the same week, and lumped together neither cost is easy to track against the work it supports.
What we doKeeps software subscriptions separate from consumable tooling, so both are easy to see year over year. -
5
A five axis machine buy skews the whole quarter
A new machining center can cost as much as the shop's yearly profit, and booked wrong it makes a strong quarter look like a loss.
What we doFlags the purchase as equipment the day it lands and gets the accountant's call on how it is written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a CNC shop.
Set up once for how quotes turn into jobs and how the shop spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Production run invoicesMulti-piece orders billed once the run ships.
- Prototype feesOne-off and low-quantity work billed apart from production.
- Fixture and setup chargesWhat a customer pays toward tooling built for their part.
- Rush feesThe premium for a quick-turn job.
Money out
- Raw materialAluminum, titanium, and specialty alloy bar stock.
- Tooling and insertsCutters, drills, and holders that wear out on any job.
- Job specific fixturesTooling built for one customer's part, tracked against that account.
- CAM and simulation softwareMastercam, Fusion, or similar licenses.
- Equipment loan or leasePayments on machining centers and Swiss lathes.
- PayrollProgrammers, setup techs, and machine operators.
- CalibrationGauge and CMM checks that keep quality current.
What we watch for you
- Margin by run type
Prototype work against production runs, so pricing reflects what each really earns.
- Fixture cost recovery
What a customer's tooling charge covers against what the fixture actually cost to build.
- Material cost share
Stock cost as a percent of sales. A jump means quotes need a look.
- Days to get paid
How long production run invoices sit before payment actually lands.
Ask Gus
Things CNC shop 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.
Usually equipment like that can be. I tagged it to that job and flagged it, so the accountant decides how it is written off with your year in view.
I logged it as scrap tied to that job, not general material, so it will not blend into your usual stock spend and hide a real cost.
That one is above my pay grade, since agency staffing is usually billed and taxed differently than a direct contractor. The accountant is looking at how your agreement is set up.
The tax side
The tax side of running a CNC shop.
Most of what trips up a CNC shop's return is which spend is equipment, which is a job cost, and which stock is still on hand.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Machine and fixture depreciationA machining center, Swiss lathe, or major fixture build can usually be written off, often in the year it is bought. Section 179 covers up to $2,560,000 and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Stock and work in processBar stock on hand and jobs partway through a run get valued at year end and matched to what actually sold, rather than expensed the day they were bought.
- Credit for process developmentTime spent developing a new fixture design, a faster setup, or solving a real tolerance problem on a new part can sometimes earn a credit. The accountant looks at what the work actually involved.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated shops can take up to 20 percent of profit off taxable income. Getting the full deduction depends on prototype and production work being tracked accurately all year.
Deductions CNC shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- CAM and simulation software
- Carbide inserts and drills
- Coolant and cutting fluid
- Gauge and CMM calibration
- Fixture materials
- Shop rags and degreaser
- Freight on incoming stock
- Safety glasses and hearing protection
- Machine maintenance parts
- Trade show and sample costs
- Coveralls and shop uniforms
- Small hand tools
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 CNC shop year, kept every month.
Quotes and runs land all year long, not on a season. Your taxes still run on one. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Runs planned ahead
Year end stock and open runs get valued, last year's return gets started, and your monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Run return signed
The return is filed and signed once the accountant reviews it. Because the set-aside started building back in January, a heavy prototyping quarter does not turn into a scramble.
- July
Midyear run check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether new customer runs changed the number.
- October
Ahead of year end
Gus looks at any machine or fixture buy worth making before December and flags it for the accountant's call on depreciation.
What you get
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 CNC shops. 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 CNC shop owners ask first.
Can Gus keep prototype work separate from production runs?
Yes. He keeps them in their own categories so you can see whether prototype pricing actually covers the engineering time it takes.
We quote and track jobs in our own shop software. Do we have to change anything?
No, keep quoting prototypes and runs however you already do. Gus reads it off your bank statement, and if a payment is not obvious, he asks once and remembers the answer going forward.
A customer owns some of our tooling. Does that change the books?
It changes what counts as your asset, not what you do. Gus keeps customer-owned tooling reimbursements apart from your own equipment spend.
Do we write off a new machining center all at once?
Often you can. A machining center or major fixture bought for the business can usually be deducted the year it is bought, though sometimes spreading the deduction out fits a shop's year better. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
Our books fell behind while we chased a big production contract. Can you catch it up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus works through prototype and production charges alike, the accountant checks the result, and most shops see where they stand within a week.
Do you track which parts revisions caused scrap?
Gus tags scrap tied to a specific job so it does not blend into general material spend, which makes it easier to see when a revision change actually cost you.
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