Site work & heavy civil
Books and taxes for excavation contractors.
Foundation digs, septic installs, utility trenching, and retainage a general contractor holds for months. 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
June cleared $15,000. The mini excavator from the Kubota dealer went in as equipment, not a supply run.
- GC progress paymentProgress billing
- Meridian Homes retainageRetainage
- Kubota dealerEquipment
- Shell fuel accountFuel
- Sunbelt RentalsEquipment rental
Why your books are different
Excavation books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and bills. Your business is trenches, foundations, a fleet of iron, and general contractors who hold back part of every payment. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which jobs paid and the return misses what it should catch.
-
1
Retainage looks like it never got paid
A general contractor holds back 8 percent of a $60,000 basement dig until the punch list clears. Booked as a loss instead of money still owed, it makes a finished job look unprofitable for months.
What we doTracks retainage as money already earned but not yet in hand, so a held-back payment never reads as a loss. -
2
The mini excavator is not a supply run
A used mini excavator or a new set of trench boxes bought outright can cost more than a month of jobs. Filed as supplies, it drags one month down for no reason.
What we doFlags large equipment purchases the day they clear, books them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on writing them off. -
3
Trench boxes and shoring blur into fuel
Shoring, trench boxes, dewatering pumps, and fuel all get paid from the same account, so nobody can see what a wet, rocky site actually cost against a clean one.
What we doKeeps equipment upkeep, rentals, and fuel in their own lines, so a hard site shows up as a hard site, not a mystery. -
4
A dry month is really an unbilled job
A big trenching contract can run two months before the pay application clears. The bank account looks thin while three-quarters of the job is already done and owed.
What we doTracks what is billed against what has cleared, so a slow bank month does not read as a slow business. -
5
A hauler paid cash looks like a supply bill
A dump truck brought in for one big cut and fill job gets paid like any other vendor, and by January nobody remembers he needs a 1099.
What we doKeeps a running list of anyone paid outside payroll, so the contractor list is ready every January.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an excavation 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
- Progress paymentsPay applications from general contractors, usually paid on a schedule as the job moves.
- RetainageThe 5 to 10 percent held back until the punch list and final inspection clear.
- Change ordersExtra digging, rock removal, or scope added after the contract was signed.
- Direct homeowner jobsSeptic installs, driveway cuts, and small jobs billed straight to the property owner.
- Equipment rental incomeWhat another contractor pays to borrow the trackhoe on a slow week.
Money out
- FuelDiesel for the excavator, mini, and dump truck.
- EquipmentExcavators, mini excavators, and trench boxes, logged so they get written off right.
- Equipment rentalMachines rented for a job you do not own outright, from Sunbelt or a local dealer.
- Trucking and haulingDump truck rental or a hired hauler for spoils and fill dirt.
- Insurance and bondingGeneral liability, equipment coverage, and the bond that let you bid the job.
- Permits and locatesDig permits, utility locate fees, and traffic control on tight sites.
- Repairs and undercarriageTracks, teeth, hoses, and the wear that comes with rocky ground.
What we watch for you
- Retainage owed
What general contractors are holding back. Left untracked, it hides how much cash is actually coming.
- Cost per job
Fuel, labor, and equipment against what each site actually paid, so bids get sharper.
- 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 excavation contractors 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.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not a supply run, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The Riverside job's pay application is still processing. I show it as billed, not collected, so the books know it is coming.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I have been keeping that list as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of an excavation business.
Most of what goes wrong here is equipment timing and retainage nobody tracked. Get the labels 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.
- Trackhoes and trench boxesEquipment 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 1099sAnyone not on payroll, including a hauler or a hired operator, 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 contractorAn operator who runs your machine, drives your truck, and works your schedule 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 the books tracked retainage and equipment correctly all year.
Deductions excavation contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Diesel and DEF
- Trench box rental
- Undercarriage repairs
- Dewatering pump fuel
- Locate and permit fees
- Equipment insurance
- Bond premiums
- CDL renewal fees
- Safety gear and PPE
- Cell phone and jobsite tablet
- Shop and yard rent
- Small tools and shovels
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 excavation year, kept every month.
Frozen ground shuts the season down for months in a lot of places. Your team keeps you ahead of the calendar and the tax deadlines 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 for haulers and operators 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, through the slow winter months and back into the spring push.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the summer's run of foundation and utility jobs changed the number for the year.
- October
Before the ground freezes
The last weeks before frozen ground shuts down digging. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December and gets retainage on finished jobs 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 excavation 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 excavation contractors ask first.
Can Gus track retainage a general contractor is holding back?
Yes. He keeps retainage as its own line, separate from what has already cleared the bank, so you can see what is finished, what is billed, and what is still owed on every job.
I run bids through my estimating software. Does that change anything?
No. Keep bidding and invoicing the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear, he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off a trackhoe 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 a year behind after a busy season. 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.
How does Gus handle a job that spans two tax years?
He tracks what was billed and collected in each year separately, so income lands where it actually belongs and nothing gets double counted at tax time.
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
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Drafting & CAD services
- Home plan & house design sellers
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