Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for commercial glaziers and storefront glass installers.
Curtain wall pay applications, retainage, insurance-billed board-ups, and glass that cracks before it ever gets installed. 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
May came in at $14,000. The tempered glass panel that cracked on delivery got logged as a breakage cost on that job, so the reorder did not just vanish into general materials.
- GC pay app #5 payoutInstall progress billing
- Insurance claim, board-up jobInsurance-billed repairs
- Oldcastle BuildingEnvelopeGlass and aluminum materials
- Crane rental, panel liftCrane and lift rental
- Fleet fuel, service trucksTrucks and fuel
Why your books are different
A commercial glazier's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is install jobs billed like construction, glass that breaks before it ever gets set, and repair work split between property owners and their insurers. Blend those together and the real margin on a job disappears.
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1
Insurance-paid board-ups get mixed with owner billing
A storefront break-in board-up gets billed to the property's insurer, who might pay 60 to 90 days later, while a same-week owner-paid repair clears right away. Lumped into one revenue line, the cash flow timing looks confusing.
What we doKeeps insurance-billed repairs in their own line so you can see what has cleared and what is still pending. -
2
Broken glass in transit looks like a mystery loss
A shipment of tempered glass cracks on delivery and has to be reordered before the job can finish. That is a real cost against that job, not a random expense floating in general materials.
What we doKeeps breakage and reorder costs visible against the job, so a loss shows up where it actually happened. -
3
Retainage on curtain wall jobs disappears
A general contractor holds back 10 percent on a $150,000 curtain wall install and does not release it until closeout, sometimes months after the panels are in.
What we doKeeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see what is still owed and roughly when it should land. -
4
A sealant failure sends the crew back for free
A sealant joint that fails months after install means sending a crew back with no additional pay. Buried into regular service costs, it makes a paying job look less profitable than it actually is.
What we doKeeps that return-trip labor in its own bucket, so it reads as a callback, not a discount on a job you already finished. -
5
A crane rental for one panel job spikes the month
Lifting curtain wall panels into place on a high-rise job can need a crane rented for a week, a cost that towers over a normal month of storefront work.
What we doTies equipment rental to the specific job, so one big install does not make an otherwise normal month look off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a commercial glazing 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 storefront and curtain wall installs.
- Retainage releasesHeld-back money on install jobs, paid out at closeout.
- Insurance-billed repairsBoard-ups and glass replacement billed to a property's insurance carrier.
- Owner-paid glass serviceSame-day repairs billed directly to property managers.
- Change order billingDesign changes and added scope mid-project.
Money out
- Field crew wagesGlaziers, including certified payroll on public jobs.
- Glass and aluminum materialsOldcastle, Vitro, PPG, and CRL orders.
- Breakage and reorder costsGlass cracked in transit or during install.
- Crane and lift rentalRented by the day or week for heavy panel installs.
- Trucks and fuelService trucks running the crew between sites.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage for larger installs.
- Permits and inspectionsFees paid per job and per jurisdiction.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each install job actually made after materials, breakage, and labor.
- Breakage rate
How much of materials cost is lost to cracked glass, worth watching by supplier.
- 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 glaziers 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 the reorder as a breakage cost on that job, so you can see the margin took a hit before you even sent the invoice, instead of it blending into materials.
Insurers usually take longer to pay than a property owner does. I keep insurance-billed repairs in their own line so you can see what is still pending versus what already cleared.
That is a payroll question above what I handle directly, so I flag it and the accountant looks at how the overtime should be paid and taxed.
The tax side
The tax side of a commercial glazing business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Breakage buried in materials, a crew paid like contractors who work like employees, 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-offsGlass carts, vacuum lifters, 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 glazier 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 glazier 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 glaziers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Glass carts and vacuum lifters
- Safety harnesses and PPE
- Glazing license renewal
- Continuing education
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Permit and inspection fees
- Crane and lift rental
- Sealant and glazing compound
- 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 glazing year, kept every month.
Install bids, breakage, 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 installs mobilize.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring storefront and curtain wall installs 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 big curtain wall job or a run of insurance-billed repairs changed the number.
- October
Before year end
As outdoor install work slows into winter, 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 glaziers. 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 glaziers ask first.
Can Gus track work billed to a property's insurance separately from owner-paid work?
Yes. Insurance-billed repairs sit in their own category, so you can always see what has cleared versus what is still waiting on the insurer's timeline.
A glass shipment arrived cracked and we had to reorder. Does that mess up the books?
No. Gus logs the reorder as a breakage cost against that specific job, so the loss shows up where it happened instead of blending into general materials spending.
Do I write off a new glass cart or vacuum lifter 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.
We do warranty callbacks on old curtain wall jobs. Does that affect our numbers?
Gus keeps that return-trip labor in its own bucket, separate from billed service work, so an old job's sealant problem does not quietly drag down how a current job's numbers read.
Our books are behind after a big high-rise job. 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