Small manufacturers & fabricators

Books and taxes for custom gate and iron works.

A homeowner deposit, a commercial developer contract on net 30 terms, steel and gate motor costs, and a field measurement change. Your own bookkeeper stays on it all year, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
OctoberExample month
$11,800
what you made

October came in at $11,800. The Bellmont estate gate deposit is held as money still owed, since the install got pushed by an HOA approval delay.

  • Bellmont estate gate depositHomeowner deposits
  • Ridgepoint Developers, phase 2Commercial developer billing
  • Steel and forged component orderRaw material
  • Gate motor and keypad supplierGate motors and electronics
  • Field crew, post settingInstallation labor
Money in$49,000
Money out$37,200
Set aside for taxes$2,900
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Gate and iron works books go wrong between the field and the shop.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your shop welds gates and rails from a drawing, then fits them to an actual grade and masonry that never quite matches the plan, wires in motors and keypads bought from a different supplier than the steel, and works for both homeowners on deposit terms and developers on net 30. When the books do not track those differences, a permit delay or a field change can quietly wreck a job's margin.

  1. 1

    A field measurement change gets absorbed into the job price

    A gate fitted to a real driveway can need rework once a post footing, a slope, or existing masonry does not match the original drawing, and that extra steel and welding time is real cost that a flat quote can quietly eat.

    What we doTracks field change costs against the specific job, so rework from an on-site surprise is visible instead of blended into the original bid.
  2. 2

    Gate motors and electronics get lumped with structural steel

    A driveway gate operator, keypad, and sensors cost and wear differently than the wrought iron itself, and lumped into one material line you cannot see how much of a job's cost is steel versus motors and electronics.

    What we doKeeps gate motors and electronics in their own line, separate from raw steel and forged parts.
  3. 3

    A homeowner deposit and a developer contract get mixed together

    A homeowner paying a deposit and balance and a developer paying net 30 across multiple phases are two very different payment patterns, and blended together neither shows its real timing or risk.

    What we doKeeps homeowner deposits separate from commercial developer billing, so each customer type's cash timing is clear.
  4. 4

    A permit or HOA delay stretches a deposit's timeline

    A gate approved by a homeowners association or a city permit office can sit waiting on approval for weeks or months after a deposit is taken, and if that deposit is treated as income right away, the month it landed looks better than it really was.

    What we doHolds deposits as money still owed until the gate is installed, so a permit delay does not make an old month look wrong.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a gate and iron works shop.

Set up once for how homeowner and developer work get paid and what a gate costs to build and install. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Homeowner depositsHeld as money owed until a gate or fence is installed.
  • Commercial developer billingNet 30 invoices across multi-phase development contracts.
  • Final balancesThe remainder due once a residential job is installed.
  • Repair and motor serviceSmaller jobs fixing existing gates or motors.

Money out

  • Raw materialSteel, forged components, and finials.
  • Gate motors and electronicsOperators, keypads, sensors, and access control hardware.
  • FinishingPowder coat and paint for gates and rails.
  • Installation laborField crew day rates for post setting and on-site welding.
  • Shop rent and utilitiesBuilding costs for the welding bay.
  • Equipment loan or leasePayments on welders, the plasma table, and the delivery truck.
  • Permit feesCity and HOA submission fees pulled for a job.

What we watch for you

  • Field change cost

    Rework from on-site surprises against a job's original bid, so pricing accounts for it next time.

  • Motor and electronics cost share

    Motors and electronics as a percent of a job's total, separate from structural steel.

  • Developer days to get paid

    How long net 30 developer invoices sit before they clear, separate from homeowner terms.

  • Deposit backlog

    The value of deposits held for gates delayed by permits or HOA approval.

Ask Gus

Things gate and iron works 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.

A gate we quoted needed extra steel once we saw the actual grade on-site. Did that eat our margin?

I tagged the extra material and welding time to that job, so you can see exactly how much the field change cost against what you quoted.

A homeowner's gate is stuck waiting on HOA approval. Is the deposit we took still just sitting there?

In the books, yes, it stays as money you owe them until the gate is actually installed, so the delay does not make an old month look wrong.

Do I owe our field welder a 1099?

If he is not on payroll and you pay him $2,000 or more this year, he gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running as we go.

The tax side

The tax side of a gate and iron works business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing on deposits held through permit delays and keeping motor and electronics cost separate from structural steel.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Welders and shop equipmentWelders, the plasma table, and shop equipment can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, and Section 179 covers up to $2,560,000.
  • Deposits and progress billingA deposit taken before a gate is installed is money you owe the customer, not income, until the work is delivered and the final invoice is issued.
  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, including field welders and install crews, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when field changes and gate motor cost are tracked correctly all year.

Deductions custom gate and iron works miss

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

  • Steel and forged components
  • Gate motors and keypads
  • Welding wire and shielding gas
  • Powder coat and paint supplies
  • Permit and HOA submission fees
  • Rigging and lifting equipment
  • Design and rendering software
  • Safety gear and welding hoods
  • Delivery vehicle fuel
  • Shop uniforms
  • Small hand tools
  • Shop insurance

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 gate and iron works year, kept every month.

Jobs land on their own schedule, often tied to permit and approval timelines more than a season. Your taxes still run on their own schedule. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Jobs reviewed

    Open deposits and material on hand get sorted, last year's return gets started, and your monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Gate year filed

    The accountant files and signs your return. Since the set-aside has been running since January, a job stuck waiting on permit approval does not turn into an April surprise.

  3. July

    Midyear gate check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a developer contract this year changed the number.

  4. October

    Before December arrives

    Gus looks at any welder or equipment buy worth making before December and flags it for the accountant's call on depreciation.

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 custom gate and iron works. 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 gate and iron works owners ask first.

How does Gus handle a deposit stuck waiting on HOA or permit approval?

He holds it as money you still owe the customer, not income, until the gate is actually installed. A long approval wait does not distort the month the deposit landed.

Can Gus separate gate motor and electronics cost from the steel itself?

Yes. Motors and electronics get their own line, separate from raw material, so you can see how much of a job's cost is structural versus electronic.

We work for both homeowners and commercial developers. Should those be tracked differently?

Yes, and Gus does that automatically. Deposit-based homeowner jobs and net 30 developer contracts show different timing, so keeping them apart keeps both honest.

A job needed extra steel once we saw the real site conditions. Does that get tracked?

Yes. Field change costs get tagged to the job, so rework from an on-site surprise is visible instead of blending into the original bid.

Our books are behind after a developer contract kept us busy all year. Can that be fixed?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts homeowner and developer billing apart, the accountant checks the result, and most owners know where they stand within a week.

Do I write off a new welder all at once?

Often you can. A welder or plasma table bought for the shop can usually be deducted the year it is bought, though sometimes spreading it out fits the year better. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.

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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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