Auto repair & maintenance
Books and taxes for diesel repair shops.
Injector jobs, DPF cleanings, engine overhauls, and fleet accounts billed net 30. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $21,000. The injector set from Cummins landed at $6,200, so I flagged it against that one repair order instead of letting it read like a normal parts month.
- Fleet invoice, ABC HaulingFleet accounts
- Cummins injector setParts and materials
- FleetPride accountParts and materials
- Diesel fuel, shop truckShop vehicle
- Tekmetric payoutsRepair orders
Why your books are different
Diesel shop books go wrong on parts cost and who is actually paying.
A heavy truck or farm rig job carries parts costs a car shop never sees, an injector set alone can run thousands, and half your customers are fleet accounts that pay on their own schedule, not at the counter. A generalist bookkeeper flattens both into one blurry number.
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1
A single injector job dwarfs a normal parts month
A full set of diesel fuel injectors can cost several thousand dollars before labor, enough on its own to make a slow month look busy and a busy month look thin, depending on when the invoice lands.
What we doFlags a large single-job parts purchase against that repair order, so it reads as the cost of that job, not as a swing in the whole month's parts spend. -
2
Fleet invoices get paid on their schedule, not yours
A trucking company or hauler billed net 30 or net 60 pays weeks after the work is done, and sometimes trims the invoice after their own review. Booked as income when the truck rolls out, the shop loses track of what's actually been collected.
What we doTracks fleet invoices as owed until paid, so you can see what's outstanding and catch a short payment. -
3
DPF and emissions service isn't a routine oil change
Cleaning or replacing a diesel particulate filter or servicing the DEF system takes specialized time and often a core exchange on the filter itself, work that a shop doing quick oil changes never sees.
What we doKeeps DPF and emissions service on its own line, separate from routine maintenance, so its real labor and parts cost stays visible. -
4
Engine overhaul deposits span months
A full engine overhaul can take weeks and usually starts with a deposit, with parts ordered and labor billed as the job progresses. Booked the day cash moves, a job that spans two months looks like it belongs to neither one.
What we doTracks an overhaul from deposit to final bill, so the month it's actually finished is the month it shows as income. -
5
Heavy-duty tools get filed like hand tools
An engine hoist rated for a diesel block, a heavy-duty diagnostic reader, or a truck lift can cost tens of thousands of dollars, far more than the wrenches and sockets it sits next to on a supply list.
What we doFlags heavy equipment purchases the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and brings them to the accountant for the depreciation call.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a diesel repair shop.
Set up once for heavy parts and fleet billing, you never pick a category, an accountant checks every one.
Money in
- Repair ordersDiagnostics and repair on trucks, farm equipment, and heavy vehicles.
- Fleet accountsTrucking and hauling companies billed net 30, tracked as owed until paid.
- Engine overhaulsDeposits and final bills on full engine rebuild jobs.
- DPF and emissions serviceFilter cleaning, DEF system work, and related repairs.
Money out
- Parts and materialsFleetPride, Cummins, and dealer parts counter purchases.
- Tech wages and commissionFlat-rate pay kept apart from straight hourly wages.
- EquipmentEngine hoists, truck lifts, and heavy diagnostic readers, logged so they get written off right.
- Shop vehicle costsFuel and repairs for the shop's own truck or service vehicle.
- Disposal feesWaste oil, filters, and DEF fluid disposal.
- InsuranceGaragekeepers and general liability coverage.
What we watch for you
- Fleet receivables
What net-30 fleet accounts still owe, tracked so a slow payer doesn't sneak up on you.
- Parts margin
What's kept on heavy parts after the supplier bill, watched job to job.
- Effective labor rate
What each billed hour nets after commission, tracked so overhaul pricing stays fair.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things diesel 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.
That job started in January with a deposit and finished in February. I booked the whole thing in February, when the truck actually left, so the month shows the real number.
I'm tracking it as owed, not collected. If it comes in short of the invoice, I'll flag the difference when it lands.
Almost always, yes, even paid by the flat-rate hour. That one's above my pay grade for the details, so the accountant is looking at it.
The tax side
The tax side of a diesel repair shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is heavy equipment filed wrong and fleet invoices booked before they're actually paid.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Heavy shop equipmentAn engine hoist, a truck lift, or a heavy-duty diagnostic reader can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Heavy vehicle depreciation capA heavy-duty tow truck or service van over 6,000 pounds is capped at $32,000 under Section 179, even though most other shop equipment can be written off in full.
- Flat-rate tech classificationA technician who works your schedule and uses your equipment is usually an employee, even paid by the flat-rate hour on a big overhaul job. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes routine.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operator shops can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, and it comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions diesel repair shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Heavy diagnostic reader fees
- Engine hoist maintenance
- DEF fluid and filters
- Shop rags and degreaser
- ASE certification fees
- Garagekeepers insurance
- Truck lift recertification
- Waste oil disposal fees
- Uniform rental service
- Shop vehicle fuel
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 diesel shop's year, kept every month.
Overhaul work runs unevenly all year. Your taxes come on a schedule. 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 for machine shops and haulers is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April isn't a surprise.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January and matched what the shop actually made.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a run of fleet work or an overhaul job changed the number this year.
- October
Before winter breakdowns
Cold weather brings more starting and fuel gelling failures. Before the rush, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.
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 diesel 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 diesel shop owners ask first.
How does Gus handle a big injector or overhaul job that spans two months?
He tracks it from the deposit to the final bill and books the income in the month the job actually finishes, so a job that starts one month and ends the next lands in the right place, not split across both.
My fleet accounts pay net 30. Does that mess up the books?
No. Gus tracks what's billed as owed until it's actually paid, so you always know what's outstanding, and he flags it if a payment comes in short.
Do I need separate categories for DPF and emissions work?
Yes, and Gus already keeps them separate from routine maintenance, so you can see what that specialized work brings in versus a standard oil change or brake job.
Can Gus track a heavy tow truck the same as shop equipment?
Mostly, though a heavy vehicle over 6,000 pounds has its own cap under Section 179. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant applies the right rule.
My books are a mess from doing them myself. 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.
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