Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for commercial electricians.
Pay applications, retainage the general contractor is holding, change orders, and emergency service calls. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $14,000. The panel gear from Graybar got logged as job materials for the tenant build-out, not a general supply run, so that job's real margin stayed visible.
- GC pay app #4 payoutProgress billing
- Graybar ElectricMaterial and wire
- City permit feePermits and inspections
- Fleet fuel, vansTrucks and fuel
- Bucket truck rentalEquipment rental
Why your books are different
A commercial electrician's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is pay applications, held-back money, crews split across public and private jobs, and material orders that pile up fast. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which job actually paid.
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1
Retainage sits invisible for months
A general contractor holds back 10 percent on a $40,000 panel upgrade and does not release it until the job closes out, sometimes a year later. It looks like the money is gone, but it is still owed.
What we doKeeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see what is still owed and roughly when it should land. -
2
Prevailing wage jobs blur into private ones
A school job runs certified payroll with fringe amounts on top of wages, while your tenant build-outs down the street pay straight time. Mixed together, neither number tells you anything useful.
What we doKeeps certified payroll visibly separate from standard payroll, so nothing gets lost between the two. -
3
A bucket truck looks like a supply run
A used bucket truck or a set of panel testers can cost more than a service van, but filed as supplies it just muddies the month and the deduction gets missed.
What we doFlags big equipment buys the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
4
Three build-outs blur into one pile
Running tenant build-outs in three different buildings at once means Graybar and CED orders, permit fees, and crew hours all hit the account the same week. Without job costing you cannot tell which one is actually profitable.
What we doSorts materials and billing by job wherever the bank data allows, so patterns across jobs start to show. -
5
Change orders get done but never billed
A superintendent asks for two extra circuits on a walkthrough, the crew runs them that afternoon, and the paperwork never catches up. That labor and wire quietly becomes free.
What we doFlags jobs where material costs are climbing without a matching change order on file.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a commercial electrical 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
- Progress billingGeneral contractor pay applications on tenant build-outs and larger jobs, billed monthly.
- Retainage releasesThe 5 to 10 percent held back until a job closes out.
- Change order billingExtra circuits, added conduit runs, and scope beyond the original bid.
- Service and repair callsEmergency panel trips and troubleshooting billed outside a general contractor's job.
- Public and prevailing wage contractsSchool and municipal jobs paid through the awarding agency.
Money out
- Field crew wagesJourneyman and apprentice pay, including certified payroll on public jobs.
- Material and wireGraybar, CED, and Rexel orders for panels, conduit, and wire.
- Trucks and fuelService vans, the bucket truck, fuel and repairs.
- Tools and testersMeters, benders, and hand tools that wear out on site.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage needed to bid larger jobs.
- Permits and inspectionsFees paid per job and per jurisdiction.
- Apprenticeship and union duesTraining fund contributions and dues where the crew is union.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each build-out actually made after wire and labor, job by job.
- Retainage owed
How much of your own money general contractors are holding right now.
- Labor burden
Wages and fringe against revenue, since crew pay is the biggest cost you carry.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things commercial electricians 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 it can. I logged it as equipment, not a supply, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The district is holding 10 percent retainage until closeout. I keep that on its own line so you can see it is still yours, just not paid yet.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of a commercial electrical business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Equipment filed as supplies, a helper paid like a contractor who works like an employee, 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.
- Equipment and vehicle write-offsPanel testers, benders, and a bucket truck can often be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Heavier trucks carry a separate cap.
- Sub-subcontractor 1099sAny helper or specialty crew not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA helper who works your schedule, uses your tools, and takes direction from your foreman is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- 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 commercial electricians miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Meters and testers
- Wire strippers and benders
- Journeyman license renewal
- Continuing education hours
- Apprenticeship program dues
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Bucket truck fuel and repairs
- Permit and inspection fees
- Safety gear and PPE
- Job costing software
- Uniforms with your logo
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 commercial electrical year, kept every month.
Bid season, build-out season, and tax season do not line up on their own. Your team keeps you ahead of all three. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started and the 1099 list for helpers or sub crews is ready. Bid season is picking up, so your monthly set-aside gets planned before spring jobs mobilize.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring build-outs ramp up. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a run of tenant build-outs or a public school job changed the number.
- October
Before year end
As general contractors push jobs toward closeout before December, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything else worth doing before the year ends.
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 commercial electricians. 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 commercial electricians ask first.
Can Gus track the retainage a general contractor is holding?
Yes. He keeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see how much is being held back and roughly when it should be released, instead of it disappearing from view.
I run three tenant build-outs at once. Can the books tell them apart?
Where your bank data allows it, yes. Gus sorts material orders and billing by job, so you can start to see which kind of build-out actually pays and which one just keeps you busy.
Do I write off a new panel tester or bender 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 crew works both prevailing wage and private jobs. Does that complicate the books?
It changes where the money is tracked, not what you do day to day. Gus keeps certified payroll and its fringe amounts visibly separate from standard payroll so nothing gets mixed up.
My books are two years behind and the shop has grown a lot since then. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know exactly 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