HVAC, insulation & chimney
Books and taxes for dryer vent cleaning companies.
Small tickets, a fast fall rush, apartment property management contracts, and a bird guard or vent repair sold at the door. 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
November came in at $6,500. The Ridgeview Apartments contract paid on time again, that steady account is carrying more of the month than the walk-in jobs.
- Ridgeview ApartmentsProperty management contracts
- Square payoutsResidential job revenue
- Angi lead feesLead fees
- Home DepotVent parts and supplies
- Costco fuel, crew truckTruck and fuel
Why your books are different
Dryer vent books go wrong around tiny tickets and one big account.
Your average job is under $150, you run a lot of them in a short fall window, and one apartment complex contract might be worth more than a week of walk-ins. When the books blend all that together, you cannot tell if the steady account or the rush season is actually carrying you.
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1
One property contract hides inside residential revenue
A 40-unit apartment complex on a standing cleaning contract pays a lump sum that looks the same as a pile of $120 house calls. Mixed together, you cannot tell if that one account is your most valuable customer or a break-even chore.
What we doKeeps property management contracts in their own category, separate from one-off residential jobs. -
2
A bird guard or vent repair gets lost in the base job
A $130 cleaning turns into a $240 ticket once a damaged vent cover or a bird guard install gets added. Booked as one number, you lose track of how much repair work is actually selling.
What we doKeeps the base cleaning and any repair or part sold separate, so the upsell is visible. -
3
A short, packed season reads like a wild swing
Most of the year's calls land in a few weeks before winter, when dryers run longer and the fire risk climbs. Compared to a slow summer month, that rush can look like an error instead of the calendar doing what it always does.
What we doTracks the books with the season in view, so a slow month is read against the right month, not the busiest one. -
4
Small cash and Venmo jobs go untracked
A lot of one-off house calls in this trade get paid in cash or a personal payment app at the door, and those are the easiest deposits to lose track of by year end.
What we doAsks about any deposit that does not match a known payment source, so cash and Venmo jobs get counted.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a dryer vent cleaning 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
- Residential vent cleaningThe standard house call, whether paid by card, cash, or app.
- Property management contractsApartment complexes and property managers billed on a schedule.
- Vent repairs and bird guardsParts and repair work sold alongside a cleaning.
- Fire safety inspectionsStandalone inspection visits for landlords and insurers.
Money out
- Lead feesAngi, Google local services, and directory commissions.
- Vent parts and suppliesBird guards, vent covers, and duct sections.
- Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the crew truck.
- EquipmentRotary brush systems and inspection cameras, logged so they get written off right.
- Uniforms and marketingBranded shirts, door hangers, and flyers for property managers.
- Card and processing feesWhat Square or Stripe keep before you get paid.
What we watch for you
- Contract revenue share
How much of the month comes from steady property contracts versus one-off calls.
- Upsell rate
How often a base cleaning turns into a repair or bird guard sale.
- Season concentration
How much of the year lands in the fall rush, so you plan cash for the slow months.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things dryer vent cleaning 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.
It looks that way this fall. I have it tracked separately from residential calls, I will send you the comparison.
It matters that it gets counted. When a deposit does not match a known source, I ask you once and log it, so cash jobs show up in your income.
No. That is the season, not a problem. Fall is your busiest stretch, and I track the year with that in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a dryer vent cleaning business.
Most of what goes wrong here is small amounts adding up wrong. Cash jobs missed, a bird guard sale not tracked as its own income, and a helper paid like a contractor who works like an employee.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Truck and equipmentThe crew truck and rotary brush equipment bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA helper you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, outside of payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Employee or contractorA helper who drives your truck, works your schedule, and cleans on your jobs is usually an employee, not a contractor, whatever he is called on paper.
- All income countsCash and personal payment app deposits for a job are taxable income the same as a card payment, whether or not a form ever gets sent to report them.
Deductions dryer vent cleaning companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Rotary brush and camera equipment
- Bird guards and vent covers
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Lead fees and directory listings
- Uniforms with your logo
- Door hangers and flyers
- Phone for scheduling calls
- Card processing fees
- Business license renewal
- Liability insurance
- Ladder and safety gear
- Vacuum bags and filters
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 dryer vent cleaning year, kept every month.
Most of the year's calls land in a few cold-weather weeks. Your team keeps you ahead of that swing and the return. 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, right as the slow season sets in and calls thin out.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer property contracts are carrying the slow season.
- October
Before the fall rush
The busiest weeks are about to hit. Before they do, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything worth doing 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 dryer vent cleaning 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 dryer vent cleaning owners ask first.
Can Gus track my apartment complex contracts separately from house calls?
Yes. Property management contracts get their own category, so you can see exactly what that account is worth against your residential jobs.
A lot of my jobs get paid in cash. Does that still count?
Yes, and it needs to be tracked. When a deposit does not match a known payment source, Gus asks you once and logs it, so cash jobs show up in your income.
My year is really lopsided toward fall. Is that a problem for the books?
No. Gus tracks the calendar with your season in view, so a slow summer month is read against your other slow months, not your busiest one.
How does Gus handle a bird guard or repair I sell during a cleaning?
It gets kept separate from the base cleaning price, so you can see how much of your revenue comes from repairs and parts, not just cleanings.
My books have never been organized. Can Gus start from scratch?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people 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