IT & tech services

Books and taxes for data recovery services.

A flat evaluation fee, a cleanroom recovery priced by the drive, rush service billed at a premium, and specialty parts kept on hand for a failed drive head. Your own bookkeeper sorts it, 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
MayExample month
$11,800
what you made

May came in at $11,800. Two recoveries failed and those clients were only charged the evaluation fee, so I kept that income separate from the higher-priced jobs that actually recovered data.

  • Evaluation fees, 14 devicesDiagnostic fees
  • Cleanroom recovery, 3 drivesRecovery fees
  • Rush service premiumRush fees
  • Donor drive parts orderSpecialty parts
  • Cleanroom air filtration serviceFacility costs
Money in$31,200
Money out$19,400
Set aside for taxes$2,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Data recovery books go wrong at the evaluation fee and the failed job.

A generalist sees a service invoice. Your business runs on a flat evaluation fee charged whether or not recovery succeeds, cleanroom work priced per device, and donor parts kept on hand for drives nobody else can fix. When the books blend those, you cannot tell what a recovery actually costs you to deliver.

  1. 1

    A failed recovery still needs its fee tracked honestly

    When a drive cannot be recovered, the client still owes the evaluation fee, but if that gets lumped in with successful recoveries priced far higher, you lose sight of your real success rate and what it is worth.

    What we doKeeps evaluation fees separate from completed recovery fees, so a failed job does not get counted like a full recovery.
  2. 2

    Donor drive parts sit as inventory nobody tracks

    Specialty parts and donor drives bought to match a specific failed model can sit on a shelf for months waiting for the right job, and if that cost is not tracked as inventory, a big parts order looks like it wrecked an otherwise normal month.

    What we doKeeps donor parts and specialty inventory in their own line, so a stock-up reads as inventory, not a loss.
  3. 3

    Rush fees blend into the base recovery price

    A client who pays a premium for 24-hour turnaround is paying for urgency, not a harder job, and if that premium is not tracked apart from the base recovery fee, you cannot tell whether rush work is actually worth the strain on your bench.

    What we doKeeps rush premiums in their own line so you can see whether rush work pays enough to justify it.
  4. 4

    Cleanroom operating costs get buried in general overhead

    Air filtration, specialized equipment maintenance, and the controlled environment your cleanroom needs cost real money every month, and if that cost disappears into general rent and utilities, you cannot see what the cleanroom itself needs to earn.

    What we doKeeps cleanroom facility costs visible against recovery income, so you know what the room itself needs to bring in.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a data recovery service.

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

  • Diagnostic feesFlat evaluation charges, whether or not recovery succeeds.
  • Recovery feesPriced per device once data is successfully recovered.
  • Rush feesPremiums for faster than standard turnaround.
  • Forensic and legal recoveriesHigher-priced work tied to litigation or investigations.

Money out

  • Specialty partsDonor drives and matched components for specific failed models.
  • Facility costsCleanroom air filtration and controlled-environment upkeep.
  • Recovery equipmentImaging tools and diagnostic hardware, logged for write-off.
  • Business insuranceCoverage for client devices and data liability.
  • Secure shipping and packagingFor devices sent in or returned to clients.

What we watch for you

  • Recovery success rate

    Completed recoveries against evaluations taken in, since it drives what a job is worth quoting.

  • Parts on hand

    How much is tied up in donor drives and specialty parts, so a stock-up does not surprise you.

  • Rush job share

    Rush fees against total recovery income, worth knowing if urgency work is paying off.

  • The set-aside

    The set-aside builds from every evaluation and completed recovery, so April is a number already sitting there waiting.

Ask Gus

Things data recovery 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 bought a batch of donor drives for a specific model that keeps failing. Why does this month look thin?

I logged those as specialty parts inventory, not a plain expense, and flagged the stock-up. Those parts will earn their keep on future jobs.

A drive I could not recover still cost me the diagnostic time. How does that count?

The evaluation fee shows as income on its own, kept apart from your successful recoveries, so your real success rate stays visible.

Does my cleanroom count as a business expense on its own?

I keep its air filtration and upkeep costs in their own line, so you can see what the room itself needs to earn each month.

The tax side

The tax side of a data recovery service.

Most of what goes wrong here is inventory and timing: donor parts bought ahead of the job, and recovery equipment that should be written off rather than expensed piecemeal.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Equipment write-offsImaging tools, cleanroom equipment, and diagnostic hardware bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them.
  • Specialty parts inventoryDonor drives and matched components bought ahead of a job are inventory, and their cost usually counts against income when a job uses them, not when you buy them.
  • Self-employment tax for solo ownersA one-person recovery shop pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, so the set-aside has to cover both.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when diagnostic, recovery, and parts costs are tracked apart all year.

Deductions data recovery services miss

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

  • Donor drives and specialty parts
  • Cleanroom air filtration
  • Imaging and diagnostic tools
  • Secure shipping and packaging
  • Data liability insurance
  • Facility rent and utilities
  • Continuing education and certifications
  • Business phone and website
  • Encrypted storage devices
  • Anti-static bench supplies
  • Professional association dues
  • Local and referral 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 data recovery year, kept every month.

Failed drives arrive without warning, any week of the year. 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

    Clean slate

    Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned around evaluation and recovery income so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed, done

    Your return is filed and signed, with evaluation fees and completed recoveries already sorted apart.

  3. July

    Midyear on the bench

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether rush work is pulling its weight against the strain it puts on the bench.

  4. October

    Before the bench slows

    Gus looks at recovery equipment worth buying before December and flags any parts inventory piling up unused.

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 data recovery services. 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 data recovery owners ask first.

A recovery failed and I only charged the evaluation fee. Does that hurt my numbers?

No. Gus keeps evaluation fees separate from completed recovery fees, so a failed job shows up honestly instead of dragging down your success rate.

I keep donor drives on hand for models that fail often. How does Gus handle that cost?

Those are tracked as specialty parts inventory, so a stock-up reads as inventory on hand, not a loss for the month you bought it.

Do rush fees get mixed in with my base recovery price?

No, rush premiums get their own line, so you can see whether faster turnaround work is actually worth the strain it puts on your bench.

Does Gus handle the legal side of forensic recovery work for litigation?

That is above his pay grade. Gus tracks the income from forensic work like any other recovery fee, but a real accountant weighs in on anything with legal complexity.

My books are behind because evaluation fees and recoveries were never separated. Can Gus fix that?

Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts diagnostic fees from recovery income, 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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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