Commercial facility services
Books and taxes for snow and ice management companies.
A seasonal prepay contract collected in October, per-push billing during a big storm week, salt and brine bought by the ton, and a plow truck that needs a new blade every winter. 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
January came in at $14,700. The rebuilt plow blade for truck 3 went in as equipment repair, and I kept the salt order in its own line since it will cover more storms ahead.
- Seasonal contract, retail plazaSeasonal prepay accounts
- Per-push billing, storm weekPer-push billing
- Bulk rock salt orderSalt and brine
- Diesel, plow fleetFuel and vehicle
- Plow blade rebuild, truck 3Equipment repair
Why your books are different
Snow and ice management books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business collects a season's worth of money before the first storm, bills some accounts per push during the season, and spends most of its money in a few winter months. When the books do not know that, the whole year reads wrong.
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1
A seasonal prepay counted the day it lands wrecks the picture
A retail plaza that prepays the whole winter season in October makes that month look enormous, while the snowy months that follow, when the actual plowing, salting, and labor happen, look thin by comparison.
What we doNotes when a big prepay covers work spread over the winter ahead, so October does not read as a huge win and January does not read as a loss. -
2
Per-push billing and seasonal contracts blur together
An account that pays per visit during a storm and an account that paid a flat seasonal rate in the fall land in the same revenue line, so you cannot tell which pricing model is actually more profitable for your fleet.
What we doKeeps seasonal prepay accounts separate from per-push billing, so you can see which pricing model earns more for the routes you run. -
3
A salt stock-up makes one storm month look brutal
Rock salt and brine bought by the ton to get through the season land as one enormous cost in the month they are bought, even though that stock covers every storm for weeks or months ahead.
What we doKeeps salt and brine in one steady category and flags stock-up months, so a bulk order does not read as the worst month of the year. -
4
Plow damage gets treated like routine maintenance
A plow blade, cutting edge, or spreader that takes real damage in a bad storm season is a bigger cost than a routine oil change, and filed the same way it hides how hard the fleet actually got used.
What we doKeeps major plow and spreader repairs in their own line, so you can see fleet wear against how tough the winter really was.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a snow and ice management 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
- Seasonal prepay accountsFlat winter-long contracts paid up front, mostly in fall.
- Per-push billingAccounts billed per visit or per storm event.
- De-icing and sidewalk serviceWalkway and entrance treatment billed separately from lot plowing.
- Off-season landscapingMowing or grounds work some crews run in the warmer months.
Money out
- Salt and brineRock salt, brine mix, and calcium chloride bought in bulk for the season.
- Fuel and vehicleDiesel for the plow fleet, plus repairs and insurance.
- EquipmentPlow blades, spreaders, and salt storage bins logged so they get written off right.
- Equipment repairCutting edge replacement, spreader motors, and hydraulic repairs from storm wear.
- Driver wagesOvernight and on-call plow drivers, kept apart so labor is visible against storms run.
- Insurance and licensingCommercial auto and general liability, often higher for snow work.
- Storage and yard rentSalt shed and equipment storage between storms.
What we watch for you
- Seasonal versus per-push mix
How much of the season's income is locked in prepay versus billed per storm, so cash flow through a light winter is not a surprise.
- Salt cost per storm
What salt and brine actually cost against storms run, so pricing keeps up when supplier prices spike.
- Fleet repair cost
What plow and spreader repairs are running against the season, so a rough winter's toll on the fleet is visible, not just felt.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month even through the off-season, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things snow and ice management 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.
Not exactly. I flagged it as prepay for the season ahead, so it does not make October look like your best month when the real work and cost come later in winter.
You bought a big load of rock salt to get through the storms this month, and it will cover you for a while. I kept it in salt and brine so you can see it is a stock-up, not a losing month.
If you pay one of them $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 season goes.
The tax side
The tax side of a snow and ice management business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. A seasonal prepay booked all at once, a storm-season driver 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.
- Plow trucks and spreadersBusiness equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. A heavy plow truck over 6,000 pounds may be capped at $32,000 under Section 179.
- Contractor 1099sA storm-season driver 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 driver who runs your truck on your route during a storm is usually an employee, even if only working the season. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- The pass-through deductionA profitable snow and ice 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 snow and ice management companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Rock salt and brine
- Diesel for the plow fleet
- Plow blades and cutting edges
- Spreader repairs
- Truck insurance
- Two-way radios and GPS
- Uniforms and cold weather gear
- Salt shed and storage rent
- Proposal software
- Tools that live on the truck
- Licenses and permits
- 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 snow and ice management year, kept every month.
Winter carries most of the income and nearly all of the cost, while the rest of the year is planning and equipment upkeep. 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
Off-season planning
Last year's filing gets underway, the storm-season driver's 1099 gets confirmed, and the coming winter's monthly set-aside gets planned out.
- April
Filed once the snow clears
Once winter's storms and prepay income are fully sorted, the return is filed and signed, no surprise bill because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Summer maintenance check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how last winter's storm count actually shook out against what was billed.
- October
Before the first storm
As seasonal prepay contracts get collected, Gus looks at fleet repairs and equipment worth buying before the season starts.
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 snow and ice management 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 snow and ice management owners ask first.
I collect seasonal prepays in the fall. Does that make my books look wrong?
Not once Gus flags it. He notes when a prepay covers the winter ahead, so the month it lands does not read as a huge win and the storm months that follow do not read as a loss.
Some accounts pay per push and others pay a flat season rate. Does that matter?
Yes. Per-push billing and seasonal prepay accounts are kept separate, so you can see which pricing model actually earns more for the routes you run.
Do I write off a new plow truck all at once?
Often you can, though a heavy truck can run into a lower cap under Section 179. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
A big salt order made one month look brutal. Is that normal?
It happens whenever a bulk salt purchase lands ahead of the storms it covers. Gus keeps salt and brine in their own line so a stock-up month does not read as your worst month of the year.
My books are behind from last winter's chaos. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know 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