Cleaning services
Books and taxes for eco-friendly and green cleaning companies.
Recurring clients who pay a premium for plant-based products, a Green Seal certification to maintain, allergy-sensitive customers who ask real questions, and supply costs that run higher than a standard cleaning company's. 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 $8,400. Your recurring clients are paying the premium rate without pushback, which is holding steady even as your supply costs went up this spring.
- Recurring client billingRecurring premium clients
- One-time allergy-sensitive cleanOne-time jobs
- Branch Basics wholesale orderCertified cleaning supplies
- Crew payrollCrew wages
- Green Seal certification renewalCertification and marketing
Why your books are different
Green cleaning books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business charges a premium for certified nontoxic products, carries a certification cost most cleaning companies never think about, and serves a customer base that specifically wants to know what is in the bottle. When the books do not know that, you cannot see if the premium is really paying off.
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1
Certified supplies cost more and that gets hidden in one supplies line
Plant-based, Green Seal or EPA Safer Choice certified products often cost noticeably more than standard commercial cleaning supplies, and if that cost is not tracked apart from a typical cleaning company's, you cannot tell if your premium pricing is actually covering it.
What we doKeeps certified supply costs in their own line so you can compare that spending directly against the premium you charge. -
2
The premium price does not always show up as its own number
Charging more per visit than a standard cleaning company is the whole business model, but if recurring client revenue is not separated by rate, it is hard to prove the premium is holding as clients renew.
What we doKeeps recurring premium client revenue visible on its own so you can see whether your rate is holding steady over time. -
3
Certification renewal is a real recurring cost, not a one-time fee
Maintaining a Green Seal or similar certification takes regular renewal and paperwork, and it is easy to file that cost as a random yearly expense instead of the ongoing cost of the brand promise you are selling.
What we doKeeps certification costs in their own line so the ongoing cost of staying certified is visible every year. -
4
Allergy-sensitive and specialty jobs take more time than they bill for
A client with chemical sensitivities or small children may ask for extra precautions, product substitutions, or a slower pace, and if that extra time is not accounted for, those jobs can quietly run at a lower margin than standard visits.
What we doTracks labor time against job type when it is reported, so specialty jobs that take longer are visible instead of blending into the average.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a green 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
- Recurring premium clientsWeekly, biweekly, or monthly clients paying your certified-product rate.
- One-time jobsSingle visits, often booked by clients specifically seeking nontoxic products.
- Allergy and sensitivity cleansSpecialty jobs with extra precautions for chemically sensitive clients.
- Add-on servicesDeep clean or move-out add-ons priced with the same certified-product standard.
Money out
- Crew wagesPay for cleaners trained on certified nontoxic product use.
- Certified cleaning suppliesPlant-based and certified nontoxic products, priced above standard commercial supplies.
- Certification and marketingGreen Seal or similar certification renewal, plus marketing to eco-conscious clients.
- Vehicles and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the vehicles running routes.
- Insurance and bondingGeneral liability and the bonding many clients expect before letting a crew in the house.
What we watch for you
- Premium rate
Recurring revenue per client compared to a standard cleaning rate. It shows whether your premium is holding as clients renew.
- Supply cost ratio
Certified supply spending against money in. It confirms whether the premium you charge covers the higher product cost.
- Labor share
Crew wages against money in, watched closely since specialty jobs can quietly run longer than standard visits.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things green 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.
I keep certified supply costs in their own line against your premium client revenue, so you can see that comparison plainly instead of guessing.
Yes, and I keep it in its own line so you can see the real yearly cost of staying certified, not just a one-off charge.
Worth watching. If you tell me roughly how much longer jobs like that run, I can help you see whether the price still covers the extra time.
The tax side
The tax side of a green cleaning business.
Most of what goes wrong here is separating certified-product costs and certification fees from a standard cleaning company's expenses. Get those tracked and the rest tends to be steady.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Vehicle costsVehicles running client routes can deduct business mileage at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026, or actual vehicle costs instead.
- Employee or contractorA cleaner trained on your certified-product standards, using your supplies and schedule, is usually an employee. Gus flags it if a pay pattern starts looking like that.
- 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.
- Self-employment taxAn owner who takes profit directly instead of a paycheck owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base.
Deductions eco-friendly and green cleaning companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Certified nontoxic cleaning products
- Reusable microfiber cloths
- Green Seal certification fees
- Vehicle fuel and repairs
- Liability and bonding insurance
- Marketing to eco-conscious clients
- Uniforms and gloves
- Phone for scheduling
- Background check fees for crew
- Business licenses
- Workers compensation premiums
- Website and booking software
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 green cleaning year, kept every month.
Spring brings a wave of new clients looking to switch to nontoxic cleaning. 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 and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring wave of new clients changed the number.
- October
Before certification renews
Gus looks at certification renewals and supply costs worth locking in before December, so nothing lapses.
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 eco-friendly and green 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 green cleaning owners ask first.
How do I know if my premium pricing actually covers the cost of certified products?
Gus keeps certified supply costs in their own line against your premium client revenue, so you can see that comparison directly instead of guessing.
Is my Green Seal certification renewal a normal deductible cost?
Yes, it is a legitimate business expense. Gus keeps it in its own line so you can see the real yearly cost of staying certified.
Some clients need extra precautions because of chemical sensitivities. Does that change how the books work?
Not the bookkeeping itself, but Gus can track labor time against job type when you report it, so specialty jobs that run longer are visible instead of getting lost in the average.
I only use plant-based products. Do I need special record-keeping for that?
No special record-keeping required. Just send your bank statements as usual, and Gus keeps certified supply purchases in their own category so the cost is easy to see.
My books are behind because I have been focused on growing my client list. Can you catch up?
Yes. 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