Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for elevator installation and service companies.
Monthly maintenance contracts, modernization jobs billed like construction, retainage, and after-hours callback calls. 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
September came in at $17,000. A $9,800 control board got logged against that modernization job, not as a routine parts buy, so it will not make a normal month look strange next to it.
- GC pay app #8, modernizationModernization progress billing
- Monthly maintenance batchMaintenance contracts
- Parts order, control boardProprietary parts
- Union trust fund paymentUnion trust fund contributions
- State elevator inspection feeInspection and certification
Why your books are different
An elevator company's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs on per-unit maintenance contracts, modernization jobs billed like construction, proprietary parts, and a union pay structure. Blend those together and you lose sight of what actually holds the business up.
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1
Maintenance contracts hide inside project billing
Monthly per-unit maintenance fees are the steady income that carries you through slow modernization stretches, but lumped in with project billing, you cannot see how much of the business runs on that base.
What we doKeeps maintenance contracts in their own income category, separate from install and modernization jobs. -
2
A modernization job spans more than one calendar year
A $200,000 elevator modernization can run fourteen months, straddling two tax years. Treated as one lump deposit, the timing looks off and neither year tells the real story.
What we doTracks what has been billed against what the job has cost so far, so the accountant has the full picture when the job crosses into a new year. -
3
Retainage on modernization jobs disappears
A building owner holds back 10 percent on a modernization contract and does not release it until final acceptance testing, sometimes months after the cars are running.
What we doKeeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see what is still owed and roughly when it should land. -
4
A single part order looks like a routine parts buy
A proprietary control board or door operator for one elevator car can run into five figures, and next to a normal month of parts spending it looks like something went wrong.
What we doTies big part orders to the specific job that needed them, so a normal month does not look distorted by one part. -
5
Union fringe contributions blur into wages
Pension, health, and training fund contributions for union mechanics can run well above the wage itself, and lumped in as plain payroll, real labor cost against a job gets hidden.
What we doKeeps wages and union trust fund contributions in separate lines, so labor cost stays visible against the work it paid for.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an elevator 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
- Maintenance contractsMonthly or annual per-unit service billed to building owners.
- Install and modernization progress billingGeneral contractor pay applications on new installs and upgrades.
- Retainage releasesHeld-back money on modernization jobs, paid out at final acceptance.
- Callback and emergency serviceAfter-hours entrapment and breakdown calls billed outside a contract.
- Change order billingAdded scope on a modernization or install job.
Money out
- Field mechanic wagesElevator mechanics, including on-call and overtime for round-the-clock coverage.
- Union trust fund contributionsPension, health, and training fund payments for union mechanics.
- Proprietary partsManufacturer components, often special order with a long lead time.
- State inspection and certificationAnnual per-unit inspection and certificate fees.
- Trucks and toolsService vehicles and specialty elevator tooling.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and elevator liability coverage.
- Continuing educationMechanic license renewal and code training.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each install or modernization job actually made after parts and labor.
- Maintenance contract base
How much steady per-unit service revenue is booked against project work.
- Retainage owed
Money building owners are holding on modernization jobs right now.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things elevator company 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 track what has been billed against what the job has cost so far, month by month. When it crosses into next year, the accountant has the full picture to handle it right.
A single control board came in at $9,800. I logged it against that modernization job, not as a routine parts buy, so it will not throw off how a normal month looks.
That is a payroll and union agreement question above what I handle directly, so I flag it and the accountant looks at how it should be paid and taxed.
The tax side
The tax side of an elevator company.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Union fringe buried in wages, a modernization job that spans two tax years, 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 and vehicle write-offsSpecialty elevator tooling and service trucks can often be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Heavier trucks carry a separate cap.
- Sub-subcontractor 1099sAny outside mechanic or specialty crew not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA mechanic who works your schedule, uses your tools, and takes direction from your foreman is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- 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 elevator installation and service companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Specialty elevator tooling
- State inspection and cert fees
- Mechanic license renewal
- Continuing education
- Union trust fund dues
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Service truck fuel and repairs
- Safety gear and PPE
- Job costing software
- Uniforms with your logo
- On-call phone stipends
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
An elevator company's year, kept every month.
Modernization bids, per-unit inspections, and tax season each run on their own clock. Your team keeps you ahead of all three. 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 the 1099 list for outside mechanics is ready. Modernization bids are picking up, so your monthly set-aside gets planned before the season fills in.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring modernization jobs mobilize. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a modernization job crossing into a new tax year changed the number.
- October
Before year end
As building owners push to finish modernization jobs before the holidays, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything else worth doing before the year ends.
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 elevator installation and service 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 elevator company owners ask first.
Can Gus track a modernization job that runs across two tax years?
Yes. He tracks what has been billed against what the job has cost so far, so when the job crosses into a new year, the accountant has the full picture instead of one lump number.
We run union mechanics. Does that change the books?
It changes how labor cost breaks down, not what you do day to day. Wages and union trust fund contributions are kept in separate lines, so labor cost does not look inflated or unclear against a job's revenue.
Do I write off a new diagnostic tool or specialty lift all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
A single part order can run into five figures. Won't that make a month look off?
No. Gus ties big part orders to the specific job that needed them, so a routine month does not look distorted by one large purchase that belongs to a different project.
Our books are behind after a slow year for modernization work. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know exactly 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