Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for dock and boathouse builders.
Deposits, pilings driven by a barge-mounted crew, floating dock sections, and permits that sometimes need a state or federal waterway review. 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
May came in at $21,000. The pile-driving crew for the Osgood dock got booked against that job, not general subcontractor costs.
- Deposit, Osgood dock and boathouseJob deposits
- Final payment, Prentiss dockFinal payments
- Pile-driving crew, barge dayPile driving
- Treated timber and decking orderDock lumber and decking
- State waterway permit feeMarine permits
Why your books are different
Dock and boathouse books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and lumber bills. Your business drives pilings from a barge, waits on marine permits that can take longer than most land-based approvals, and builds in conditions that change with water level and weather. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell whether a dock's price actually covered what it took.
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1
Pile-driving day costs get buried in general labor
A barge-mounted pile-driving crew costs real money for the day or two they are on site, and if that cost is lumped in with regular carpentry labor, the owner cannot see how much of a dock's price is the piling work versus the decking above it.
What we doTags pile-driving costs to the job, so the true cost of the structural work below the waterline is visible. -
2
Marine permit costs and timelines get treated like a land permit
A dock or boathouse permit often needs state or, in some cases, federal waterway review, which can run longer and cost more than a typical land-based building permit, and if it is filed the same way, the owner cannot see how much approval really adds to the job.
What we doBooks marine permit costs against the job and flags when a job is waiting on a longer review, so the timeline and the cost both stay visible. -
3
A deposit looks like profit while the job waits on permits
A deposit on a dock that will not break ground for months due to permitting shows up as income the day it lands, so the month looks strong before a single piling is driven.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so a long permit wait does not distort the month. -
4
Weather and water level delays scatter a job's costs unevenly
High water or a storm can push a barge crew's schedule by weeks, so costs for one job can land in a very different month than planned, making a normal month look unusually thin or thick.
What we doKeeps costs tagged to the job regardless of when weather pushes the schedule, so a delay does not distort what any given month actually earned.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a dock and boathouse builder.
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.
- Progress drawsPayments collected at piling and decking milestones.
- Final paymentsWalkthrough payment once the dock or boathouse is complete.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded boat lifts or a larger boathouse footprint billed separately.
Money out
- Pile drivingBarge-mounted crew and equipment for driving pilings.
- Dock lumber and deckingTreated timber, composite decking, and hardware for the structure.
- Marine permitsState or federal waterway permit fees and review costs.
- Boat lifts and hardwareLift systems and mounting hardware, kept apart from decking.
- Crew wages and subsBuild crew pay, tagged to the job.
- Lead fees and marketingHouzz and Google local services ads.
What we watch for you
- Piling cost per job
What the barge crew's day actually cost, so it stays priced right into every bid.
- Permit timeline
How long marine permitting takes on average, so bids and schedules account for the wait.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for docks stuck in permitting or weather delays, so a wait does not look like a loss.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things dock and boathouse builders 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.
Yes, and that is correct. I am holding it against the job until the work happens, so it does not count as income before the pilings go in.
The Prentiss dock closed out this month instead. Its costs landed in earlier months, so this month is mostly the payoff.
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 dock and boathouse business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing around permits and weather. A deposit counted before a permit clears, pile-driving cost buried in general labor, 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 barge, pile-driving attachment, 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 pile-driving 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 dock and boathouse builders miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Barge and pile-driving equipment
- Treated timber and hardware
- Fuel for boats and equipment
- Houzz and Google local services ads
- Marine permit and review fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the boat or truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Truck and trailer 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 dock and boathouse year, kept every month.
Permitting can take months before a piling is ever driven, so a season's income often lands well after the job that earned it. 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 spring deposits start coming in for the season ahead.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how permit timelines have affected the season's schedule.
- October
Before water levels change
A look at any equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December, timed to when weather starts limiting barge work.
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 dock and boathouse builders. 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 dock and boathouse builders 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 scheduling in Buildertrend. 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 barge or pile-driving attachment 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 job stuck waiting on a waterway permit?
He tracks the deposit against its job and only counts the income as the work gets done, so a long permit wait does not make an early month look stronger than it is.
Do you handle sales tax on the lumber and hardware 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