Commercial facility services
Books and taxes for commercial pressure washing companies.
Storefront contracts, a one-time parking garage strip, chemical orders, and a trailer rig that cost as much as a truck. 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 $9,300. The new hot water unit went on the trailer rig, so I logged it as equipment, not supplies.
- Storefront route invoicesRecurring contracts
- Parking garage strip jobOne-time jobs
- SurfacePro chem orderChemicals and detergent
- Diesel, rig trailerFuel and vehicle
- Hot water unit repairEquipment repair
Why your books are different
Pressure washing books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is storefront routes, one-off strip jobs, water reclaim rules on some sites, and a rig that costs more than most trucks. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which contracts pay and which just fill the schedule.
-
1
Route accounts and one-time strips get mixed together
A shopping center's monthly storefront wash and a one-time parking garage strip job land in the same revenue line, so you cannot see whether the steady accounts or the occasional big job is really carrying the month.
What we doKeeps recurring contract billing apart from one-time job invoices, so you can see the dependable base under the busy weeks. -
2
The trailer rig is not a supply purchase
A hot water pressure washing rig with a trailer, pump, and burner can run as much as a work truck. Filed as supplies, it wrecks the month and misses how it should be written off.
What we doFlags major rig purchases and upgrades the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
3
A chemical stock-up wrecks the monthly number
Degreaser, surface cleaner concentrate, and detergent bought by the drum last for months, so one big SurfacePro or Jon-Don order makes a good month look thin and the next one look great.
What we doKeeps chemicals in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up is the reason a month looks light. -
4
Water reclaim and runoff costs get lost in general supplies
A site that requires wastewater capture and disposal, like a fleet yard or a drive-through, adds a real cost that gets no attention when it is buried with everyday chemical spending.
What we doKeeps disposal and reclaim costs visible on their own line, so you know which contracts carry that extra cost.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pressure washing 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
- Recurring contractsStorefront, shopping center, and property management routes billed monthly.
- One-time jobsParking garage strips, building washes, and single visits billed on their own.
- Fleet and equipment washingTrucking yards and rental fleets that pay per visit or per unit.
- Restoration and specialty workGraffiti removal, gum removal, and rust or stain treatments.
Money out
- Chemicals and detergentDegreaser, surface cleaner, and detergent from SurfacePro or Jon-Don.
- Fuel and vehicleDiesel or gas for trucks and trailer rigs, plus repairs and insurance.
- EquipmentPressure washer units, hot water heaters, surface cleaners, and reels.
- Equipment repairPump seals, hoses, burner parts, and unloader valves.
- Wastewater and reclaimVacuum recovery, filtration, and disposal fees at sites that require it.
- Bid and marketing costsProposal software and referral fees from property management companies.
- Insurance and licensingGeneral liability, commercial auto, and any local permits required.
What we watch for you
- Route income share
Recurring contracts against total income, so you know how much of the month is steady versus one-time work.
- Chemical cost per job
What detergent and degreaser actually cost against jobs run, so pricing keeps up when supplier prices move.
- Rig uptime cost
Repairs and parts against the rig, so you know when a unit is heading toward replacement instead of one more fix.
Ask Gus
Things pressure washing 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 it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
That drum of degreaser you bought in bulk landed this month. It will last a few months, so I kept it in chemicals and noted it as a stock-up, not a slow 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 jobs come in.
The tax side
The tax side of a pressure washing business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. A rig filed as supplies, a helper 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.
- Rigs, trailers, and pumpsRigs, trailers, and hot water units bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA helper 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 helper who drives your trailer, runs your equipment, 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 rig 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 pressure washing companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Diesel and rig fuel
- Degreaser and surface cleaner
- Pump seals and hoses
- Surface cleaner attachments
- Uniforms with your logo
- Wastewater disposal fees
- Trailer tires and maintenance
- Proposal software
- Tools that live on the rig
- Phone for site photos and bids
- Licenses and insurance
- Card processing fees
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 pressure washing year, kept every month.
Storefront routes run steady while strip jobs come and go with the weather. 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
Season planning
Last year's return gets started, the helper's 1099 list is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Signed and filed
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Midyear rig check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring bid season moved the number.
- October
Before the slow stretch
As storefront routes carry the winter months, Gus looks at rig upgrades worth buying and anything worth doing 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 pressure washing 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 pressure washing owners ask first.
Can Gus tell my storefront routes apart from one-time jobs?
Yes. He keeps recurring contract billing in its own category from one-time strip and restoration jobs, so you can see which part of the business is the steady base.
I bid jobs through property management companies. Does that change the books?
No. Keep bidding the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off a new rig all at once?
Often you can. A rig bought for the business can usually be deducted the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading the cost out works better for your tax picture. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
Some sites make me capture and haul off the wastewater. Does that matter for the books?
Yes. Reclaim and disposal costs get their own line, so you can see which contracts carry that extra expense and price the next bid accordingly.
My books have not been touched in months. Is that a problem?
No. Send whatever statements you have, even a few months worth. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks every job, 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