Commercial facility services
Books and taxes for commercial kitchen equipment repair.
Emergency calls on a down walk-in, planned maintenance contracts, a warranty repair that pays slow, and a van stocked with parts worth thousands. 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
July came in at $11,700. The compressor swap on the walk-in cooler at the diner went in as equipment repair, and I flagged the part order as van stock, not a one-off expense.
- Emergency service call, dinerService calls
- Maintenance contract billingRecurring maintenance
- Compressor and refrigeration partsParts and van stock
- Repair van fuelVehicle and route
- Warranty claim, oven manufacturerWarranty receivable
Why your books are different
Kitchen equipment repair books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs emergency calls that pay the day of the job, maintenance contracts that bill on a schedule, and warranty work that pays weeks or months later. When the books do not know that, cash flow looks scarier than it is.
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1
Warranty work looks like a loss until it pays
A warranty repair on a walk-in cooler or fryer gets done today, but the manufacturer or extended warranty company might not pay for six to ten weeks, so the labor and parts cost hits the books long before the income does.
What we doTracks warranty claims as money owed to you, so a slow-paying claim does not read as a loss on the job. -
2
Van parts stock is inventory, not a one-time expense
A tech's van carries thousands of dollars in compressors, thermostats, and gaskets ready for the next call, and buying that stock all at once looks like a huge expense month instead of inventory sitting ready to use.
What we doKeeps van and shop parts stock in its own category, so a big restock does not make a good month look bad. -
3
Emergency calls and maintenance contracts blur together
A same-day emergency repair on a broken walk-in and a scheduled quarterly maintenance visit land in the same revenue line, so you cannot tell whether emergency work or standing contracts are really carrying the business.
What we doKeeps emergency service calls separate from recurring maintenance contract billing, so you can see which side of the business is the steady base. -
4
A big equipment purchase for the shop gets filed as parts
A diagnostic tool, a shop-grade refrigeration gauge set, or a new service vehicle can cost as much as several months of parts orders, and filed as parts it wrecks the month and misses how it should be written off.
What we doFlags major shop equipment and vehicle purchases the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a kitchen equipment repair company.
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
- Service callsSame-day and emergency repairs on refrigeration, cooking, and dish equipment.
- Recurring maintenanceScheduled maintenance contracts billed monthly or quarterly.
- Warranty receivableClaims paid by manufacturers or extended warranty companies.
- Installation workNew equipment installs billed separately from repair calls.
Money out
- Parts and van stockCompressors, thermostats, gaskets, and refrigerant kept on hand.
- Vehicle and routeFuel, insurance, and repairs for the service van fleet.
- Tech wagesTechnician pay, kept apart so labor is visible against calls run.
- EquipmentDiagnostic tools, gauges, and shop equipment logged so they get written off right.
- Certifications and licensingEPA refrigerant certification and any state trade licenses.
- Bid and marketing costsProposals for restaurant groups and property management accounts.
- InsuranceGeneral liability and commercial auto for the service fleet.
What we watch for you
- Warranty aging
How long a warranty claim has been outstanding, so a slow-paying manufacturer does not surprise you.
- Emergency call share
Emergency work against total income, so you know how dependent the month is on breakdowns versus contracts.
- Parts cost per call
What parts actually cost against calls run, so pricing keeps up when supplier prices move.
- Recurring contract count
How many standing maintenance accounts you hold, tracked as the steady base of the business.
Ask Gus
Things kitchen equipment repair 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.
The manufacturer usually takes six to ten weeks to pay a warranty claim. I booked it as money owed to you, so the job still counts, it just has not landed in the bank yet.
I kept it in parts and van stock, separate from your regular monthly parts spending, so it does not read like a bad month.
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 as the calls come in.
The tax side
The tax side of a kitchen equipment repair business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. A diagnostic tool filed as parts, a fill-in tech paid like a contractor who works like an employee, and a set-aside nobody started until the return was due.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Shop equipment and service vehiclesDiagnostic tools and service vans bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA fill-in technician paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current all year.
- Employee or contractorA tech who drives your van, uses your parts stock, and works your schedule is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- The pass-through deductionA profitable repair shop owner can usually take up to 20 percent of business profit off taxable income under the pass-through deduction, once the books are right all year.
Deductions commercial kitchen equipment repair companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Compressors and refrigeration parts
- Diagnostic tools and gauges
- EPA refrigerant certification fees
- Service van fuel and maintenance
- Refrigerant and disposal fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Phone and tablet for dispatch
- Tools that live in the van
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card processing fees
- Liability insurance
- Proposal and bid software
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 kitchen equipment repair year, kept every month.
Breakdowns come whenever equipment fails, and warranty claims arrive on their own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Shop year kickoff
Filing on last year's return begins, the fill-in tech's 1099 gets confirmed, and a monthly set-aside starts building toward the spring deadline.
- April
Signed and closed out
The return goes out filed and signed this month, no scramble, since the set-aside has been building all year starting in January.
- July
Midyear call check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer restaurant volume changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday push
As restaurants push equipment hard for holiday volume, Gus looks at van stock and shop equipment worth buying before December.
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 kitchen equipment repair companies. 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 kitchen equipment repair owners ask first.
Can Gus track warranty claims that take months to pay?
Yes. He books a warranty claim as money owed to you the day the job is done, so a slow-paying manufacturer does not make a good job look like a loss.
My van carries a lot of parts stock. Does that mess up the books?
No. Parts and van stock get their own category, so a big restock does not read as a bad month of spending.
Do I write off a new diagnostic tool all at once?
Often you can. A diagnostic tool bought for the shop can usually be deducted the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading the write-off out works better for your year. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
I run both emergency calls and maintenance contracts. Does that matter for the books?
Yes. Emergency service calls are kept separate from recurring maintenance billing, so you can see which side of the business is the steady base.
My books have gotten away from me. Is that a problem?
No. Send whatever statements you have, warranty claims and all. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and you will know where you stand within 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