HVAC, insulation & chimney
Books and taxes for ductless mini-split installers.
Multi-zone installs, per-head equipment costs, financed retrofits, and heat pump rebates from Mitsubishi or Fujitsu. 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
October came in at $10,400. The Mitsubishi rebate on the Alvarez four-head job posted this month, so I matched it back to that install instead of counting it as new income.
- Wisetack payoutFinanced installs
- Zelle, homeowner depositJob deposits
- Mitsubishi Electric TraneEquipment
- Sparks Electrical LLCSubcontracted electrical
- Facebook adsLead fees and marketing
Why your books are different
Mini-split books go wrong in a few specific spots.
You are not running ductwork, you are hanging heads and running line sets, often room by room on a payment schedule that does not match when the equipment shows up. When the books do not track it that way, a busy month can look broke.
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1
A deposit is not the whole sale
A homeowner puts down $1,500 to start a five-head whole-home retrofit that finishes over three weeks and closes out at $14,000. Booking only the deposit as income in the month it lands understates what the job was actually worth.
What we doTracks the deposit and the final payment against the same job, so the full job value shows up when the work is done, not just the down payment. -
2
Electrical subcontracting gets lost in supplies
Most retrofits need a licensed electrician to run a new circuit or breaker for the outdoor unit. Paid by check and buried with parts, that cost disappears into the wrong line and hides what a job really costs you.
What we doKeeps subcontracted electrical in its own category, so you can see it against each job's price. -
3
Heat pump rebates land after the job is closed out
A Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, or Daikin rebate promised at the sale often pays out a month or two later, sometimes to you and sometimes to the homeowner. Untracked, it either vanishes from income or gets counted against the same job twice.
What we doTies each rebate to the install it came from and books it the month it lands. -
4
Per-head units are not one line item
A whole-home retrofit might use four different indoor heads and one outdoor condenser, each bought separately and sometimes on different invoices. Lumped together, you cannot tell which system sizes and brands actually make money.
What we doKeeps equipment cost tied to the job it went to, whole system by whole system. -
5
A slow-to-close job hides in the month it started
A three-week whole-home job spans two calendar months of costs but pays out in one. Compared side by side, the start month looks like a loss and the finish month looks unusually good.
What we doKeeps job costs visible against the season, so one long job does not make two normal months look wrong.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mini-split installer.
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
- Single-zone installsOne head, one condenser, the smallest and fastest jobs.
- Multi-zone and whole-home retrofitsTwo or more heads on one project, kept apart from single-zone work.
- Job depositsDown payments collected before work starts, tracked against the final job amount.
- Financed installsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Manufacturer rebatesMitsubishi, Fujitsu, and Daikin rebates, matched to the job they belong to.
Money out
- EquipmentIndoor heads and outdoor condensers, tracked by the job and brand.
- Line set and mounting suppliesLine hide, brackets, and pads for each install.
- Subcontracted electricalLicensed electricians for new circuits and disconnects.
- RefrigerantKept apart because prices swing hard.
- Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the install vehicles.
- Lead fees and marketingGoogle ads, Facebook ads, and referral fees to remodelers.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What a whole-home retrofit clears after equipment and subcontracted electrical.
- Deposit to close gap
How much of a job is still owed after the deposit, so a stalled job does not surprise you.
- Rebate backlog
Rebates promised but not yet landed, so they are not forgotten or double counted.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things mini-split installers 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 spanned two months. The deposit landed in September, the final payment in October. I keep both tied to the same job, so the total is right, just spread across the calendar.
Yes, and I already do. Subcontracted electrical stays in its own line, so you can see it against what each job actually charged.
It does, and I match it to the install it came from so it lands in the right month, not as a mystery deposit.
The tax side
The tax side of a mini-split installation business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. A deposit booked too early, a rebate booked too late, and a subcontracted electrician who starts to look like an employee.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Trucks and toolsVans, vacuum pumps, and manifold gauges 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 subcontracted electrician or 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 contractorAn installer who drives your van, works your schedule, and installs on your jobs is usually an employee, not a contractor, regardless of what he is called on paper.
- 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 ductless mini-split installers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Vacuum pumps and gauges
- Line hide and mounting brackets
- Refrigerant
- Subcontracted electrical
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Uniforms with your logo
- Facebook and Google ads
- Manufacturer certification classes
- Tools that live in the van
- Phone and tablet for job photos
- Contractor license renewal
- Card and financing fees
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 mini-split year, kept every month.
Retrofit season runs on comfort, not the calendar. Your team keeps you ahead of the swings 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 for subcontracted electricians is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, right before the spring retrofit season picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer cooling retrofits changed the number.
- October
Before the shoulder rush
Fall is often the busiest season for retrofits. Before it hits, 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 ductless mini-split installers. 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 mini-split installers ask first.
How does Gus handle a job that spans two months?
He keeps the deposit and the final payment tied to the same job, so the total job value is right even though the money landed across two calendar months.
Can Gus track equipment costs by brand or system size?
Yes. Indoor heads and outdoor condensers get tracked against the job they went to, so you can see which system sizes and brands actually make money.
I subcontract electrical work on almost every install. Does that complicate things?
No. Subcontracted electrical stays in its own category, and if you pay one electrician $2,000 or more in a year, Gus keeps the list ready for a 1099 by January 31.
Do rebates from Mitsubishi or Fujitsu count as my income?
Usually yes, once they land. Gus matches each rebate to the install it belongs to and books it the month it actually pays out.
My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?
No. 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