Electrical, energy & home tech
Books and taxes for EV charger installers.
Home charger installs, panel upgrade add-ons, network portal payouts, and commercial jobs billed by the port. 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 $10,000. The Ridgewood apartment charger job's second draw posted since four more ports went live.
- ChargePoint installer portal payoutCharger installs
- Wisetack payoutFinanced jobs
- Rexel Electrical Supply #892Panel and charger stock
- EnergySage lead feeLead fees
- Valero fuel, install vanTruck and fuel
Why your books are different
An EV charger installer's books go wrong when one job is really two.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is panel work bundled into charger jobs, network portals that hold back a fee, and commercial installs billed by the port. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell what a job actually earned.
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1
A charger job is really two jobs
Half the calls need a panel upgrade before the charger goes in, and if that add-on gets bundled into one price, you cannot tell whether the charger install or the panel work is actually paying.
What we doSplits panel upgrade work from the charger install itself, so each shows its own materials and labor. -
2
Manufacturer network jobs pay out through a portal
Jobs booked through ChargePoint's or Tesla's certified installer network pay out through a portal that holds back a referral fee, and booked as the deposit, the invoice total and the network's cut both disappear.
What we doBooks the full job as money in and the network's referral fee as its own cost, so your real per-job price stays visible. -
3
Utility rebates delay the real price of a job
Some utilities rebate part of an install's cost directly to the customer weeks after the work, and if the invoice already assumes the rebate lands, a job can look thinner than it is until the rebate clears.
What we doTracks the rebate separately from your invoice, so a job's price to you is never confused with what a utility eventually covers for the customer. -
4
Multi-port commercial installs bill by stage
An apartment complex or small business lot with six charging ports gets billed in stages as ports go live, and counting the full contract at signing makes one month look enormous while the crew is still installing.
What we doTracks each draw against the ports actually finished, so income lands with completed work.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an EV charger 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
- Home charger installsLevel 2 charger installs for homeowners, paid on completion.
- Panel upgrade add-onsThe upgrade a charger install often needs first, tracked apart from the charger.
- Commercial and fleet installsMulti-port jobs for apartment complexes or small business lots, billed by stage.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Manufacturer network jobsChargePoint or Tesla certified installer network payouts, net of their referral fee.
Money out
- Install crew wagesKept apart from job bonuses so labor cost by job type stays clear.
- Charger hardwareUnits from ChargePoint, Tesla, Grizzl-E, or Emporia.
- Panel and wire stockBreakers, panels, and conduit from Rexel or a local supply house.
- Permits and inspectionsMunicipal fees on panel upgrades and charger installs.
- Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the install van.
- Lead fees and marketingEnergySage, Google local services, and dealership referral fees.
- Certification and training feesManufacturer certified installer program costs.
What we watch for you
- Panel add-on rate
How often a job needs a panel upgrade first, since that changes materials and time on every ticket.
- Network referral cost
What ChargePoint or Tesla's certified network keeps on portal jobs.
- Port completion value
Commercial job draws against ports actually finished, not the full contract.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things EV charger 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.
No. I keep panel work and the charger install in separate lines, so you can see what each one actually earns.
Their network keeps a referral fee before the payout lands. I book your full invoice as the sale and their cut as a cost, so your real price stays visible.
Each draw gets tied to the ports finished so far, not the whole contract. The job's income shows up as the work gets done.
The tax side
The tax side of an EV charger install business.
Most of what goes wrong here is bundled pricing. A panel upgrade hiding inside a charger job, a network fee that disappears, 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.
- Charger and panel equipmentVans, meters, and shop tools 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 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Employee or contractorA helper who drives your van and works your schedule is usually an employee, not a subcontractor, no matter how the pay is set up.
- 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 EV charger installers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Panel load testers
- Conduit bending tools
- Manufacturer certification fees
- Truck signage and wraps
- Liability and bonding insurance
- EnergySage lead fees
- Phone for permits and photos
- Dump fees for old wiring
- Home office for scheduling
- Vehicle registration
- Background check fees
- Permit drawing 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
An EV charger installer's year, kept every month.
Charger jobs come in waves tied to new cars in the driveway. 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, the 1099 list 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.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring's rush of home charger installs changed the number.
- October
Before winter
Fewer homeowners install chargers once winter hits. Before it slows, Gus looks at equipment you might buy 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 EV charger 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 EV charger installers ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
Half my jobs need a panel upgrade first. Does Gus separate that?
Yes. Panel work and the charger install are tracked as their own lines, so you can see what each part of the job actually earns.
ChargePoint's network pays out through a portal. Does that skew my numbers?
No. Gus books your full invoice as the sale and the network's referral fee as a cost, so your real price per job stays visible.
We do commercial jobs billed as ports go live. How does that work?
Each draw is tracked against the ports actually finished, so income lands with the work completed, not the full contract signed months earlier.
Do I write off my install tools 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 with your whole year in view.
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