Auto repair & maintenance
Books and taxes for emissions and state inspection stations.
Inspection fees owed to the state, sticker inventory, high car counts at a low ticket, and repairs sold when a car fails the test. 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
December came in at $11,000. Registration renewals always spike the sticker count this month, so I kept the state's share of each fee separate from what the station actually earned.
- Inspection fees collectedInspection fees
- State fee remittanceState fees owed
- Failed-inspection repairsRepair-to-pass work
- Sticker stock orderState fees owed
- Testing equipment calibrationEquipment
Why your books are different
Inspection station books go wrong on money that isn't yours yet.
Every inspection fee you collect has a piece that belongs to the state, not the shop, and a car that fails often turns into a repair job on the spot. A generalist bookkeeper counts the whole fee as income and mixes repair work into the same line as the test itself, and both mistakes cost you at tax time.
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1
The state's share of the fee isn't station income
An inspection fee often splits between what the station keeps and what gets remitted to the state, and counted entirely as income when it's collected, the books overstate what the station actually earned from the test itself.
What we doKeeps the state's share separate from the station's own portion, so the monthly number reflects what the business actually kept. -
2
Sticker inventory is money sitting in a drawer
Inspection stickers are usually bought from the state in batches ahead of the cars that will need them, and expensed the day a batch arrives, a normal restock can make a slow week look like an unusual loss.
What we doKeeps sticker stock as inventory tied to inspections actually performed, not that week's expense, until the batch is used. -
3
Repair-to-pass work is a different business than the test
A car that fails inspection for a bad brake light or worn tires often gets repaired on the spot, and that repair income mixed into inspection fees hides how much of the month is testing versus actual repair work.
What we doKeeps repair-to-pass work in its own category, apart from inspection fees, so you can see what each side of the business brings in. -
4
Registration season swings hide a slow month
Inspection volume often spikes around registration renewal months and drops the rest of the year, and a generalist bookkeeper comparing month to month without knowing that pattern can read a normal seasonal dip as a problem that isn't there.
What we doTracks inspection volume against the season, so a normal seasonal dip doesn't get mistaken for a real slowdown.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an inspection station.
Set up once for state fees and repair-to-pass work, you never pick a category, an accountant checks every one.
Money in
- Inspection feesThe station's own portion of the fee, kept apart from the state's share.
- Repair-to-pass workRepairs sold when a car fails the test, tracked separate from the inspection itself.
- Retest feesFees charged for a follow-up inspection after a repair.
- Fleet inspection accountsLocal business fleets billed net 30 for required inspections.
Money out
- State fees owedThe state's share of each inspection fee, plus sticker or certificate stock.
- Repair parts and materialsParts used on repair-to-pass work, kept apart from inspection costs.
- Tech wagesInspector and technician pay, kept apart from any repair commission.
- EquipmentEmissions testing equipment and calibration, logged so it gets written off right.
- Certification and licensingStation and inspector licensing fees required by the state.
- InsuranceGaragekeepers and general liability coverage.
What we watch for you
- Station's fee share
What the business actually keeps per inspection after the state's portion.
- Repair conversion rate
How often a failed test turns into a repair job, tracked as its own revenue source.
- Seasonal inspection swing
How volume moves with registration renewal months, tracked to spot a real slowdown.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things inspection station 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.
Most of what you collected gets remitted to the state. I kept your actual portion separate, so the number reflects what the station really earned.
As repair-to-pass work, its own category apart from the inspection fee, so you can see how much of the month came from actual repairs.
No, I track inspection volume against the season, so a normal dip after the fall renewal rush doesn't get flagged as a real problem.
The tax side
The tax side of an inspection station.
Most of what goes wrong here is state fees counted as station income and sticker stock filed the wrong way.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Sticker and certificate inventoryInspection stickers or certificates bought from the state ahead of the cars that will need them are inventory, and the cost only counts against income once they're actually used, not the day the batch arrived.
- Emissions testing equipmentEmissions and safety testing equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- State fees are not station revenueThe portion of each inspection fee owed to the state is a pass-through, not income, and should never be counted as the station's own revenue for tax purposes.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operator stations can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, and it comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions emissions and state inspection stations miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Testing equipment calibration
- Inspector licensing fees
- Station certification renewal
- Shop towel service
- Garagekeepers insurance
- Waste fluid disposal fees
- Uniform rental service
- Repair diagnostic tool fees
- Point of sale software fees
- Continuing training courses
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 inspection station's year, kept every month.
Registration renewal months drive real swings in volume. 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, sticker inventory is reviewed, and you get a monthly set-aside so April isn't a surprise.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January and matched what the station actually made.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a summer registration renewal spike changed the number this year.
- October
Before the renewal rush
A registration renewal spike is coming. Before it hits, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making 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 emissions and state inspection stations. 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 inspection station owners ask first.
Does the state's share of the inspection fee count as our income?
No. Gus keeps the state's portion separate as money owed, not station revenue, so your books show what the business actually earned from each test.
Can Gus track repairs we do when a car fails inspection separately?
Yes. Repair-to-pass work stays in its own category, apart from inspection fees, so you can see how much of the month came from actual repairs.
Our volume drops every winter. Will that look like a problem in the books?
No. Gus tracks inspection volume against the season, so a normal dip after a registration renewal rush doesn't get mistaken for a real slowdown.
Do we need to remit sales tax on the inspection fee itself?
That depends on your state and it's above Gus's pay grade to say for sure. He flags it so the accountant can tell you what applies to inspection fees where you operate.
My books are a mess from doing them myself. 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 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