Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for commercial flooring contractors.
Tenant build-out billing, retainage, material waste on every order, and overnight installs for stores that cannot close. 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
September came in at $14,000. The moisture mitigation coat on the retail job got logged against that job's materials, so you can see exactly why the cost jumped.
- GC pay app #4 payoutInstall progress billing
- Shaw Contract orderFlooring materials
- Moisture mitigation coatMoisture mitigation
- Dumpster rental, tear-outDemo and disposal
- Fleet fuel, service trucksTrucks and fuel
Why your books are different
A commercial flooring contractor's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is install jobs billed like construction, material ordered with a built-in waste factor, and crews working overnight so stores never have to close. Blend those together and a job's real margin disappears.
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1
After-hours installs blur into regular wages
A hospital corridor install has to happen overnight to avoid disrupting patients, paid at a premium rate. Folded into regular payroll, it hides what that specific job actually cost you in labor.
What we doKeeps overtime and premium labor visible against the job that required it. -
2
Material waste looks like a mystery overage
Carpet tile ordered with a 10 percent waste factor for cuts and pattern matching looks like you bought more than you used, when it is a normal, expected part of the job.
What we doKeeps material overage in view as an ordinary job cost, not an unexplained loss. -
3
A failed moisture test becomes a surprise cost
Concrete moisture testing that fails right before a polished concrete or epoxy job means paying for a mitigation coat that was never in the original bid.
What we doFlags mitigation costs against the job, so it is clear why that job's materials line jumped. -
4
Retainage on tenant build-outs disappears
A general contractor holds back 10 percent on a large office build-out and does not release it until closeout, sometimes months after the floor is down.
What we doKeeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see what is still owed and roughly when it should land. -
5
Demo and disposal fees hide inside materials
Tearing out old carpet or vinyl tile and hauling it off costs real dumpster fees that get lost inside a general materials bucket.
What we doKeeps demo and disposal in its own line, so it does not blend into what the new flooring actually cost.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a commercial flooring 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
- Install progress billingGeneral contractor pay applications on tenant build-outs and new construction.
- Retainage releasesHeld-back money on install jobs, paid out at closeout.
- Change order billingAdded square footage or upgraded material mid-project.
- Floor repair and replacement callsExisting tenants needing spot repairs outside a general contractor's job.
- Direct owner contractsRenovation work billed straight to a building owner without a general contractor.
Money out
- Field crew wagesInstallers, including overtime for after-hours retail and hospital work.
- Flooring materialsInterface, Shaw Contract, Mohawk Group, and Tarkett orders.
- Adhesive and leveling compoundSubfloor prep materials used on nearly every job.
- Moisture mitigationTesting and remediation coats when concrete moisture fails.
- Floor prep equipmentGrinders and shot blasters, owned or rented.
- Demo and disposalTear-out of old flooring and dumpster fees.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage for larger jobs.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each install job actually made after materials, waste, and labor.
- Material waste rate
How much of ordered material goes to cuts and overage, worth tracking by job.
- Retainage owed
Money general contractors are holding on install jobs right now.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things commercial flooring 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.
I logged it against that job's materials, so you can see exactly why the cost jumped instead of it looking like a random overage.
Two jobs had to run overnight so the stores could stay open during the day. I kept that overtime against those jobs so it does not blend into your normal labor line.
If they are paid $2,000 or more this year and are not on your payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of a commercial flooring business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Waste treated as a mystery, overnight labor buried in regular wages, 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 write-offsGrinders, shot blasters, and service trucks 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 outside installer 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 contractorAn installer 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 flooring contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Grinders and shot blasters
- Moisture testing meters
- Knee pads and safety gear
- Flooring license renewal
- Continuing education
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Dumpster and disposal fees
- Permit and inspection fees
- 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 flooring year, kept every month.
Build-out season, waste and mitigation costs, and tax season each run on their own clock. 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 outside crews is ready. Bidding is picking up, so your monthly set-aside gets planned before spring build-outs mobilize.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring tenant build-outs get underway. 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 overnight retail installs changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday retail push
Stores often want new floors finished before the holiday shopping season. 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 flooring contractors. 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 flooring contractors ask first.
Can Gus track the material waste factor as a normal cost instead of a red flag?
Yes. Ordering extra material for cuts and pattern matching is a normal part of the trade, and Gus keeps that overage in view as an expected job cost, not an unexplained loss.
We had a moisture mitigation surprise on a job. Does that mess up the books?
No. Gus logs the mitigation cost against that specific job, so you can see exactly why the materials line jumped instead of it blending into a normal month.
Do I write off a new grinder or shot blaster 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.
Our crews get paid overtime for overnight retail installs. Does that complicate things?
It changes where the cost is tracked, not what you do day to day. Gus keeps that overtime visible against the specific job that required it, so your normal labor line stays readable.
Our books are behind after a busy quarter of build-outs. 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