Remodeling & interiors
Books and taxes for drywall repair specialists.
A restoration company referral job, a homeowner's small patch paid on the spot, texture matching that takes real skill, and a high volume of quick jobs every week. Gus sorts every dollar to the job it came from, 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 $10,500. Three of the jobs this month came from ServiceMaster referrals, so I kept them in their own line to see how much that relationship is worth.
- ServiceMaster referral payoutRestoration company referrals
- Client payment, patch jobDirect homeowner jobs
- Joint compound and tape orderDrywall and finishing materials
- Texture sprayer maintenanceEquipment
- Truck fuelTrucks and fuel
Why your books are different
Drywall repair books go wrong across a lot of small jobs, not one big one.
A generalist sees a deposit and a bill. Your business runs a high volume of small patch and texture jobs, many of them referred by water or fire damage restoration companies instead of found directly. When the books do not track where each job came from, you cannot tell what referral relationships are actually worth.
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1
Restoration company referrals pay differently than direct jobs
Water and fire damage restoration companies often refer drywall repair work and sometimes route the payment through themselves rather than the homeowner paying you directly, and if that is not tracked separately, you cannot tell how much of your income depends on those relationships.
What we doKeeps restoration company referral income in its own category, so you can see what each relationship is actually worth to the business. -
2
A high volume of small jobs makes one underpriced job easy to miss
Running many quick patch and texture jobs a week means a single job priced too low for the texture match it needed can get lost in the noise, since no one job is big enough on its own to raise a flag.
What we doTracks material and time cost against revenue every month, so an underpriced job type gets caught early, not at year end. -
3
Texture matching skill does not show up as its own value
Matching an existing knockdown or orange peel texture takes real skill and often more time than a flat patch, but if every drywall job is priced and tracked the same way, you cannot see whether texture work is worth what you charge for it.
What we doKeeps texture matching jobs visible against flat patch jobs, so pricing decisions are based on what each type actually takes. -
4
Joint compound and tape get bought in bulk, not per job
Mud, tape, and texture material are often bought in larger batches to save trips to the supply house, used across many small jobs over following weeks. One supply order can make one month look thin and the next few look artificially strong.
What we doKeeps drywall materials in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not a slow month, is behind a thin number.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a drywall repair business.
Set up once for how your jobs get paid and what they cost. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Restoration company referralsJobs from water or fire damage restoration companies, tracked by source.
- Direct homeowner jobsPatch and texture work found and paid outside a referral relationship.
- Commercial and property manager jobsRental turnover and multi-unit drywall work billed separately.
- Texture matching jobsWork billed for skilled texture matching, tracked apart from flat patches.
Money out
- Drywall and finishing materialsSheetrock, joint compound, and tape, tracked as a steady cost.
- Texture materialsKnockdown and orange peel texture supplies, kept apart from basic patch materials.
- EquipmentTexture sprayers, sanders, and their upkeep.
- Trucks and fuelThe vehicle that carries materials and equipment between jobs.
- Dumpster and debris disposalHauling out damaged drywall and sanding dust.
What we watch for you
- Referral income share
How much of your income comes from restoration company referrals versus direct jobs.
- Job margin by type
Whether texture matching or flat patch jobs are actually earning what they should.
- Jobs per week
Volume against income, so a busy-feeling week that is not actually more profitable gets noticed.
- Material cost share
Drywall and texture supplies against revenue, watched so a supplier price jump gets caught early.
Ask Gus
Things drywall repair 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 kept those jobs in their own line, and referrals made up nearly a third of your income this month. Worth knowing how much you lean on that relationship.
No, I kept it in your steady materials line and flagged the stock-up, so it does not look like one bad month.
If you paid him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, yes, by January 31. I have been keeping that list all year so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of a drywall repair business.
Most of what trips up this business is timing on small purchases and knowing who works for you, since most jobs are quick and low dollar.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Helper and subcontractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a helper you bring in for a busy week, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list as the year goes.
- Employee or subcontractorA helper who works your schedule and uses your sprayer usually looks like an employee, not a sub, no matter what the invoice says. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- EquipmentTexture sprayers and sanders can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right only when the books track material costs correctly all year.
Deductions drywall repair specialists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Texture sprayer maintenance
- Sanding supplies and dust masks
- Joint compound and tape stock
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Liability insurance
- Dumpster and disposal fees
- Small tool replacement
- Continuing education and certifications
- Branded uniforms
- Phone and tablet for scheduling
- Mileage between jobs
- Texture match sample boards
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 drywall repair year, kept every month.
Restoration referrals and direct jobs run at their own pace all year. Gus keeps taxes on a schedule of their own. 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. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how much referral work is carrying the year.
- October
Before year-end
Gus looks at whether new equipment before December makes sense, and where the year is landing.
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 drywall repair specialists. 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 drywall repair specialists ask first.
Can Gus track how much of my income comes from restoration company referrals?
Yes. Referral income gets its own category, so you can see what a relationship like that is actually worth to your business.
I run a lot of small jobs a week. Can Gus still keep them straight?
Yes. Every job gets tracked, no matter how small, so a single underpriced job type gets caught in the monthly numbers instead of getting lost in the volume.
I buy joint compound and texture material in bulk. Will that throw off my books?
No. Gus keeps materials in a steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not a slow month, is behind a thin number.
Do I write off a texture sprayer all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted the year you buy it, and 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 a few months behind. 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 within a week.
Should texture matching jobs be tracked differently from flat patches?
It helps. Gus keeps them visible against each other, so you can see whether texture work is priced to match the extra skill it takes.
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