Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for decorative and stamped concrete companies.
Deposits, color hardener and release agent priced by the job, stamp mat rental, and a finishing crew whose timing on the pour decides how the pattern turns out. 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 $15,800. The color hardener and stamp mat rental for the Petrosky patio went in as materials for that job, not general concrete cost.
- Deposit, Petrosky stamped patioJob deposits
- Final payment, Yancey pool deckFinal payments
- Ready-mix concrete deliveryConcrete material
- Color hardener and release agentDecorative coloring
- Stamp mat rentalStamp and texture tools
Why your books are different
Decorative concrete books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and concrete bills. Your business adds color hardener, release agent, and stamp texture on top of a standard pour, and the timing of the finishing crew during the pour is what actually determines whether the pattern comes out clean. When the books blend decorative cost with plain concrete cost, you cannot tell what the decorative work is really worth.
-
1
Color hardener and release agent get bundled with plain concrete
Decorative color and release products can add real cost per job, but if they are logged under the same category as the base concrete, the owner cannot see how much extra the decorative finish actually costs, or whether it is priced right.
What we doKeeps decorative coloring costs on their own line against the job, so plain concrete cost and decorative upgrade cost are both visible. -
2
Stamp mat rental gets treated like a routine tool cost
Stamp mats are rented for specific jobs and patterns, and if that rental is filed the same as owned hand tools, the owner cannot see how much a specific pattern choice actually added to a job's cost.
What we doTags stamp mat rental to the job it was used for, so pattern-specific costs are visible against that job's price. -
3
A rained-out pour day scatters costs unevenly
A scheduled decorative pour pushed by rain means the concrete order, color products, and crew 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 color order even arrives
A deposit on a stamped patio that will not be poured for two weeks shows up as income the day it lands, so the month looks strong before a single bag of color hardener is opened.
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 decorative concrete 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
- Job depositsCollected at contract signing, tracked against the job it belongs to.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once the pour and stamping are finished and sealed.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded square footage or a border pattern upgrade billed separately.
Money out
- Concrete materialReady-mix concrete, tracked per job.
- Decorative coloringColor hardener, release agent, and acid stain products.
- Stamp and texture toolsStamp mat rental and texture skins, tagged to the job.
- Sealer and finish coatsSealer applied after curing to protect the pattern and color.
- Crew wages and subsFinishing crew pay, tracked apart from plain flatwork.
- Lead fees and marketingHouzz and Google local services ads.
What we watch for you
- Decorative premium per job
Color and stamp cost against plain concrete cost, so decorative work is priced to actually cover the upgrade.
- Stamp mat cost per job
Rental cost tagged to the pattern chosen, so pattern-specific pricing stays accurate.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for pours not yet done, 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 stamped concrete 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.
No. I booked the added color cost as a change order on the same job, so the upgrade and what it cost are both visible.
No. I keep the concrete and color cost tagged to that job, so the delay just shifts when it shows up, not what the job actually cost.
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 decorative concrete business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted too early, color products blended with plain concrete, 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-offsOwned stamp mats, a power trowel, or a 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 decorative and stamped concrete companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Stamp mat rental
- Color hardener and release agent stock
- Truck and trailer fuel
- Houzz and Google local services ads
- Sealer and finish coat products
- 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 decorative concrete year, kept every month.
Pours depend on dry, warm weather, so the season runs hardest in spring and summer. 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 decorative upgrades are priced to cover their real cost.
- 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 decorative and stamped concrete 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 stamped concrete owners 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 owned stamp mats 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 tell what a decorative upgrade actually costs?
He tags color hardener, release agent, and stamp mat rental to the job, so the decorative premium is visible against what plain concrete would have cost.
Do you handle sales tax on the concrete and color products 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.
More in outdoor living & structures
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Chicken coop & backyard farm structure builders
- Dock & boathouse builders
- Gazebo & pavilion builders
- Outdoor audio & TV installers
- Playground & swing set installers
- Putting green installers
- Retractable screens & motorized shades
- Seawall & bulkhead contractors
- Sport court builders (pickleball, basketball)
- Artificial turf installers
- Backyard office & ADU builders
- Fire pit & outdoor fireplace builders
- Outdoor kitchen builders
- Patio cover & awning companies
- Pergola builders
- Pool resurfacing & repair
- Retaining wall contractors
- Screened porch & sunroom builders
- Storage shed builders & dealers
- Concrete flatwork contractors
- Deck builders
- Driveway paving & sealcoating
- Epoxy & polyaspartic garage floor coatings
- Fence installation companies
- Fiberglass pool installers
- Hardscaping & paver installers
- Hot tub & swim spa dealers
- Pool service & cleaning
- Custom pool builders
- Cedar shake roofing specialists
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