Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for concrete flatwork contractors.
Deposits, ready-mix concrete ordered by the yard, forms and rebar, and a finishing crew paid for a job that has to happen in a single pour. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $13,800. The ready-mix order for the Dutton patio slab went in as materials for that job, not general supplies.
- Deposit, Dutton patio slabJob deposits
- Final payment, Amaro walkwayFinal payments
- Ready-mix concrete deliveryConcrete material
- Forms and rebar orderForms and reinforcement
- Finishing crew paymentFinishing crew
Why your books are different
Concrete flatwork books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business orders ready-mix by the yard for a pour that has to happen the day the truck shows up, sets forms and rebar ahead of time, and pays a finishing crew whose skill determines whether the surface holds up. When the books do not separate that, you cannot tell what a slab actually cost.
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1
Ready-mix cost per yard gets lost in a monthly average
Concrete is bought by the yard and priced per delivery, but if the books only show one total material cost for the month, the owner cannot see whether the price on a specific slab actually covered what that pour cost per yard.
What we doTags ready-mix cost to the job it was poured for, so cost per yard can be checked against what was billed for that slab. -
2
Forms and rebar get bundled with the concrete itself
Forming lumber and rebar are bought and set before the pour, and when their cost gets lumped in with the concrete delivery, the owner cannot see how much of the job's cost is prep work versus the pour itself.
What we doKeeps forms and reinforcement on their own line against the job, so prep cost and pour cost are both visible. -
3
A rained-out pour day scatters costs unevenly
A scheduled pour pushed by rain means the concrete order and the crew's time shift to a different day, sometimes a different month, and if costs are not tagged to the job, a delayed pour can make one month look thin and the next unusually busy.
What we doKeeps costs tagged to the job regardless of which day weather actually allowed the pour. -
4
A deposit looks like profit before the forms are even set
A deposit on a slab that will not be poured for two weeks shows up as income the day it lands, so the month looks strong before a single form is set.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so a big deposit month does not hide a thin one underneath it.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a concrete flatwork contractor.
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
- Job depositsCollected at contract signing, tracked against the job it belongs to.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once the slab or walkway is poured and finished.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded square footage or a broom finish upgrade billed separately.
Money out
- Concrete materialReady-mix concrete, priced and tracked per yard by job.
- Forms and reinforcementForming lumber, rebar, and wire mesh set before the pour.
- Finishing crewCrew paid to trowel, edge, and finish the surface.
- Equipment rentalPower trowels, vibrators, and saws for cutting control joints.
- Vehicle and fuelTruck fuel and maintenance.
- Lead fees and marketingAngi and Google local services ads.
What we watch for you
- Cost per yard poured
Concrete cost against job size, so pricing per square foot actually covers what a yard costs.
- Prep versus pour cost
Forms and rebar cost compared to the concrete itself, so bids account for both parts of the job.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for slabs not yet poured, so a big deposit month does not look like profit that is not there yet.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things concrete flatwork contractors 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.
No. I keep the concrete and crew cost tagged to that job, so the delay just shifts when it shows up, not what the job actually cost.
The ready-mix order for the Dutton slab landed this month before the job was billed. I tagged it to that job, so it is not really a loss, it is a job still in progress.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a concrete flatwork business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted too early, forms and rebar blended with the pour, 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 write-offsA power trowel, vibrator, or trailer bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a finishing crew, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment taxAn owner not on payroll pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- 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 concrete flatwork contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Power trowel and vibrator rental
- Concrete saw blades
- Truck and trailer fuel
- Angi and Google local services ads
- Forming lumber stock
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Truck signage
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 concrete flatwork year, kept every month.
Pours depend on dry weather and ground that is not frozen, so the season runs hardest in warmer months. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. 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
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before the pouring season ramps up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether cost per yard is keeping pace with ready-mix prices.
- October
Before the ground freezes
A look at any equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December, timed to when pours slow down.
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 concrete flatwork contractors. 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 concrete flatwork contractors ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
I run estimates in Jobber. Do I have to change how I work?
No. Keep running jobs the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit or payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off a power trowel all at once?
Often, yes. Business equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
My books are behind from last season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
How does Gus handle a pour that gets rained out and rescheduled?
He keeps the concrete and crew costs tagged to that job, so a delay shifts when the cost shows up, not what the job actually cost or earned.
Do you handle sales tax on the concrete and forms I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and contracts varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
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