IT & tech services

Books and taxes for computer and phone repair shops.

Walk-in screen repairs, a phone bought for parts and resold, a batch of cracked-screen inventory from Mobile Sentrix, and warranty claims that pay out weeks later. Your own bookkeeper sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

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  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
MarchExample month
$6,900
what you made

March came in at $6,900. Two water-damaged laptops turned out to be beyond repair, so I moved the diagnostic fees to service income and left the parts cost out since no repair shipped.

  • Walk-in repair ticketsRepair tickets
  • Buyback trade-ins resoldDevice resale
  • Mobile Sentrix parts orderParts and screens
  • RepairShopr subscriptionShop software
  • Storefront rentRent and utilities
Money in$23,800
Money out$16,900
Set aside for taxes$1,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Repair shop books go wrong at the parts bin and the buyback counter.

A generalist sees a register total and a supplier bill. Your business runs on screens and batteries bought in bulk, phones bought for parts or resale, and warranty claims that pay out on their own schedule. When the books blend those, you cannot tell which side of the shop actually makes money.

  1. 1

    A parts stock-up wrecks the monthly number

    A bulk order of screens, batteries, and charging ports from a supplier like Mobile Sentrix gets used across the next several months of repairs, but booked as a single expense it makes that one month look like a loss.

    What we doKeeps parts purchases in one steady line and flags when a stock-up, not a slow month, is why spend looks high.
  2. 2

    Buyback and resale gets mixed with repair income

    A phone bought cheap from a customer, refurbished, and resold at a profit is a different kind of income than a repair ticket, but lumped together neither number shows which side of the shop actually earns.

    What we doKeeps device resale income separate from repair tickets, so you can see which part of the business is carrying the shop.
  3. 3

    Warranty claims pay out weeks after the repair

    A defective screen replaced under a supplier's warranty gets credited back weeks later, and if that credit is not tied to the original purchase, it looks like unexplained income instead of a refund on a part.

    What we doTies warranty credits back to the original parts purchase so a late refund does not read as a random deposit.
  4. 4

    A diagnostic fee on an unrepairable device gets miscounted

    When a device turns out too damaged to fix, the diagnostic fee is still real income, but the parts that were never installed should not show up as a cost, and shops that do not separate the two overstate what a bad repair actually cost them.

    What we doBooks the diagnostic fee as service income and keeps unused parts out of the cost side entirely.
  5. 5

    A part-time counter hire looks like a plain payroll expense

    Bringing on a part-time technician or counter staff during a back-to-school rush and paying them the same way as full-time staff can blur whether the extra help actually paid for itself in ticket volume.

    What we doKeeps seasonal and part-time wages visible against ticket volume, so a busy stretch shows whether the extra hire was worth it.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a computer and phone repair shop.

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

  • Repair ticketsScreen, battery, and board repairs paid at the counter.
  • Device resaleRefurbished phones and laptops bought for parts or resale.
  • Diagnostic feesCharged even when a device cannot be repaired.
  • Warranty creditsRefunds from suppliers on defective parts, tied back to the purchase.

Money out

  • Parts and screensBulk orders of screens, batteries, and charging ports.
  • Shop softwareTicketing and point-of-sale tools like RepairShopr.
  • Rent and utilitiesStorefront lease, electricity, and internet.
  • WagesCounter and repair staff, kept apart from seasonal help.
  • Buyback inventoryDevices purchased from customers for parts or resale.
  • Business insuranceGeneral liability and inventory coverage.

What we watch for you

  • Repair margin

    Ticket income against parts cost, so you know a repair still pays after the part it took.

  • Resale margin

    What buyback devices earn after refurbishing, separate from repair income.

  • Parts on hand

    How much is tied up in unused screens and batteries, so a stock-up does not surprise you.

  • The set-aside

    The set-aside grows with every walk-in ticket and resale, so the April bill is a number you have been watching build all year.

Ask Gus

Things repair shop 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 just placed a big parts order that ate most of this month's cash. Is that a bad sign?

No, I kept it in your regular parts line and flagged that it was a stock-up, not a slow month. Those parts cover repairs for months to come.

A screen I installed turned out defective and the supplier credited me back weeks later. What happened to that money?

I tied that credit back to the original parts order, so it shows as a refund, not a mystery deposit.

I hired someone part-time for the holiday rush. Does that need a 1099?

If she is on your payroll, no, that stays wages. If you are paying her outside payroll and it hits $2,000 or more, she gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.

The tax side

The tax side of a computer and phone repair shop.

Most of what goes wrong here is inventory timing: parts bought in bulk, devices bought for resale, and a diagnostic fee that got tangled with a part that was never installed.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Parts inventory and cost of goodsScreens, batteries, and boards you keep in stock are inventory, and their cost usually counts against income when a repair uses them, not when you buy them.
  • Buyback and resale as its own activityDevices bought for parts or resale and later sold are treated differently than repair labor, since it is a sale of goods rather than a service.
  • Equipment write-offsDiagnostic tools, soldering stations, and shop equipment can usually be written off the year they are bought.
  • The pass-through deductionMost shop owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when repair, resale, and parts costs are tracked apart all year.

Deductions computer and phone repair shops miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Screens and replacement parts
  • Diagnostic and repair tools
  • Storefront rent and utilities
  • Shop point-of-sale software
  • Buyback device inventory
  • Security cameras and alarm monitoring
  • Business insurance
  • Employee training on new devices
  • Storefront signage
  • Anti-static work mats and supplies
  • Business phone and internet
  • Local advertising

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 repair shop year, kept every month.

Cracked screens come in any week of the year, and a back-to-school or holiday rush shifts the pace. Your team stays on the books every month, not just at tax time. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Shelves stocked, books set

    Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned around this year's parts stock-ups so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed and signed

    Your return is filed and signed, with repair income and parts inventory already sorted apart.

  3. July

    Midyear tally

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether resale devices are carrying their weight against repair income.

  4. October

    Before the holiday rush

    Before the season's busiest ticket volume, Gus looks at parts stock-ups worth timing and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 computer and phone repair shops. 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 repair shop owners ask first.

I buy phones for parts and resell some whole. Does Gus separate that from repairs?

Yes. Device resale gets its own income line, apart from repair tickets, so you can see what each side of the shop actually earns.

A supplier credited me back for a defective part months after I bought it. How does that get booked?

Gus ties the credit back to the original parts purchase, so it reads as a refund on a part, not as unexplained income.

I bought a big batch of screens before a busy season. Why does that month look bad?

It should not read as bad. Gus flags a parts stock-up so you can see it is inventory for future repairs, not a loss.

Does Gus track sales tax on the phones I resell?

Gus flags device sales so you and the accountant can confirm what your state requires, but collecting and filing sales tax is not part of the subscription.

My books are a mess of register totals and supplier receipts I never sorted. Can Gus start there?

Yes. Send your bank and register statements. Gus sorts repair income from resale, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they 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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  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever