Site work & heavy civil
Books and taxes for erosion control contractors.
Silt fence installs, stormwater permit inspection contracts, storm-triggered repair calls, and end-of-job removal nobody priced in. Gus sorts every dollar, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
April came in at $12,000. The storm-triggered repair calls after the mid-month rain got booked as their own line, not mixed into planned installs.
- Meridian Site installInstallation contracts
- Stormwater inspection feeInspection services
- Erosion blanket supplierSeeding materials
- Shell fuel accountFuel
- Silt fence fabric orderFencing materials
Why your books are different
Erosion control books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and bills. Your business is fence installed to a permit's spec, seeding sold by the acre, and a storm that can turn a slow week into a busy one overnight. When the books do not know that, real patterns disappear into one number.
-
1
Storm repairs spike a month for no clear reason
A heavy rain event can trigger mandatory silt fence and inlet protection repairs across several sites at once, and that reactive work paid all in one week can make a slow month suddenly look busy without showing why.
What we doKeeps storm-triggered repair work in its own line, separate from planned installs, so a rain-driven spike reads as what it is. -
2
Seed and fence materials blend into one supply line
Hydroseeding mix, mulch, and tackifier cost nothing like silt fence fabric and stakes, and bought from the same supplier account they get treated as one undifferentiated materials cost.
What we doKeeps seeding materials separate from fencing materials, so cost per acre and cost per linear foot are both real numbers. -
3
Inspection contracts hide inside project income
A recurring stormwater permit inspection contract pays steady money every month regardless of new installs, and mixed with one-time installation revenue it hides which part of the business is the reliable one.
What we doKeeps inspection service income separate from installation revenue, so the steady work is visible on its own. -
4
Pulling out silt fence at the end of a job gets forgotten
Temporary erosion control measures have to come out once a site is stabilized, and that removal and disposal cost often was not priced into the original bid, showing up later as an expense nobody planned for.
What we doFlags end-of-job removal costs against the job they belong to, so they show up as a known cost, not a surprise. -
5
The hydroseeder gets treated like a regular truck
A truck-mounted hydroseeder with its own tank, pump, and agitator costs far more than a standard work truck, and lumped into general vehicles it never gets tracked as the equipment it actually is.
What we doBooks the hydroseeder as its own piece of equipment, so it gets written off right instead of buried in fleet costs. -
6
A failed inspection looks like a straight loss
Silt fence that fails after a storm and needs replacing is a normal cost of the trade, but booked with no explanation it looks like the crew simply lost money on that stretch of fence.
What we doKeeps rework and replacement costs visible as their own line, so a failed run of fence reads as a known cost, not a mystery loss.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an erosion control contractor.
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
- Installation contractsSilt fence, inlet protection, and blanket installs billed by the linear foot or job.
- Stormwater inspection servicesRecurring inspection visits required under a site's stormwater permit.
- Storm-triggered repair callsReactive repair work billed after a rain event damages installed controls.
- Hydroseeding and stabilizationSeeding, mulch, and tackifier work billed by the acre.
- DOT and municipal contractsErosion control work billed on a public agency's schedule.
Money out
- FuelDiesel for the hydroseeder truck and support vehicles.
- Seed and hydroseeding materialsSeed, mulch, and tackifier bought and mixed fresh for each job.
- Silt fence and fabric materialsFabric, stakes, and wattles used to install and repair fence.
- EquipmentHydroseeders and straw blowers, logged so they get written off right.
- Equipment rentalA straw blower or additional hydroseeder rented for a bigger job.
- End-of-job removal and disposalPulling and hauling away temporary measures once a site is stabilized.
- Insurance and bondingGeneral liability, equipment coverage, and the bond that let you bid the job.
- Crew certification and trainingErosion and sediment control certification and ongoing field training.
What we watch for you
- Cost per acre
Seed, labor, and fuel against acres stabilized, so the next bid is built on a real number.
- Storm repair revenue
What reactive repair calls actually bring in across the year, tracked apart from planned installs.
- Fuel share
Diesel against revenue. When it climbs, a bid needs to move with it.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things erosion control 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.
No, I booked those as storm-triggered repair work, separate from planned installs, so it shows up as what it is.
Equipment, tied to that truck. I flagged it so the accountant makes the call on writing it off with your whole year in view.
It is a real cost, but a normal one. I keep rework and replacement in its own line so it reads as what it is, not a mystery.
The tax side
The tax side of an erosion control business.
Most of what goes wrong here is materials that blend together and storm work nobody separated. Get those right and the set-aside was already running.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Hydroseeders and equipmentEquipment bought for the business can usually be written off the year it goes to work. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, but whether to take it all now depends on the year you are having.
- Contractor 1099sA hired seeding crew or repair sub not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if you paid them $2,000 or more in 2026. Gus keeps that list running all year.
- Employee or contractorA crew member who runs your equipment, works your schedule, and takes direction on site is usually an employee, not a sub. 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 only when installation and inspection income were tracked correctly all year.
Deductions erosion control contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Seed and mulch
- Tackifier and hydroseeding mix
- Silt fence fabric and stakes
- Erosion control blanket
- Straw wattles
- Equipment insurance
- Bond premiums
- Crew certification fees
- Safety gear and PPE
- Fuel and water hauling
- Shop and yard rent
- Two-way radios
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 erosion control year, kept every month.
Rain drives your busiest weeks more than the calendar does. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax deadlines no matter when the storms hit. 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 seeding crews 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, because the set-aside has been running since January, right through spring's storm season.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this year's mix of installs and storm repairs changed the number.
- October
Before the fall stabilization push
Fall seeding and final stabilization work picks up before winter. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December and gets outstanding invoices chased down.
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 erosion control contractors. 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 erosion control owners ask first.
Do storm-triggered repair calls throw off my monthly numbers?
No. Gus keeps that reactive work in its own line, separate from planned installs, so a storm-driven spike shows up as what it is instead of an unexplained jump.
Can Gus separate seed materials from silt fence materials?
Yes. Seeding and hydroseeding materials stay apart from fencing and fabric costs, so cost per acre and cost per linear foot are both real numbers you can bid from.
Do I write off a hydroseeder 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 behind after a rainy stretch of storm calls. 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.
Does Gus track my stormwater inspection contracts differently from install jobs?
Yes. Recurring inspection income stays separate from one-time installation revenue, so you can see which part of the business is the steady, reliable one.
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.
More in site work & heavy civil
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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