Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for fence installation companies.
Deposits, per-foot pricing on vinyl, wood, or chain link, HOA approval delays, and storm-damage repair calls between new installs. 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 $13,000. The vinyl panel order for the Whitmore job went in as materials for that job, not general lumber cost.
- Deposit, Whitmore vinyl fenceJob deposits
- Storm repair, Aldrich fenceRepair calls
- Vinyl panel orderFencing materials
- Post-hole auger rentalEquipment rental
- Angi lead feeLead fees and marketing
Why your books are different
Fence installation books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business prices most jobs by the linear foot, waits on HOA approval before some jobs can even start, and takes storm repair calls between scheduled installs. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which jobs are actually worth bidding on.
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1
New installs and storm repairs get logged the same way
A full new fence install and a quick repair after a storm knocked down two panels use very different amounts of material and labor, but when both get filed under one general service category, the owner cannot see which type of work is worth chasing.
What we doSplits new install income from repair call income, so each shows up as its own number. -
2
A deposit sits on the books while HOA approval drags on
A deposit collected for a fence that needs HOA sign-off can sit for weeks before the job is approved to start, and if that deposit is counted as income right away, the month looks stronger than the actual work being done.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so an approval delay does not distort the month. -
3
Material cost per linear foot gets lost in a lump sum
Fencing is usually priced and bought by the linear foot, but if the books only show one total material cost for the month, the owner cannot see whether the price per foot on recent jobs is actually covering the material cost per foot.
What we doTags material cost to the job it belongs to, so cost per foot can be checked against what was billed per foot. -
4
A bulk material order skews a slow month
One vinyl or chain link order for several upcoming jobs can make a month look like a loss on paper, with the installs and revenue landing weeks later.
What we doFlags large stock-up purchases and notes which jobs they belong to, so a big order does not read as the month falling apart.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a fence installation 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
- Job depositsCollected at contract signing, tracked against the job it belongs to.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once the fence is installed and inspected.
- Repair callsStorm damage and one-off repairs outside a full new install.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
Money out
- Fencing materialsVinyl panels, cedar, chain link, or wrought iron, priced and tracked by the foot.
- Posts and hardwarePosts, concrete, gate hardware, and fasteners.
- Equipment rentalPost-hole augers and trenchers for larger jobs.
- Crew wages and subsInstall crew pay, tracked apart from repair labor.
- Lead fees and marketingAngi, HomeAdvisor, and Google local services ads.
- Financing and card feesWhat the lender or Square kept before you got paid.
What we watch for you
- Cost per linear foot
Material cost against feet installed, so pricing per foot actually covers what materials cost per foot.
- New install versus repair split
How much of the month came from new installs versus storm and repair calls, so pricing decisions use the right number.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for fences waiting on approval or scheduling, so a delay does not look like a loss.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things fence 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.
Yes, and that is correct. I am holding it against the job until the work happens, so it does not count as income before the fence goes up.
The vinyl order for the Whitmore job landed this month before it was billed. I tagged it to that job, so it is not really a loss, it is a job still in progress.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a fence installation business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted before HOA approval, material cost untracked per foot, 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 write-offsA post-hole auger, trencher, or trailer bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like an install crew, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment taxAn owner not on payroll pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- 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 fence installation companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Post-hole auger rental
- Trencher rental
- Truck and trailer fuel
- Angi and Google local services ads
- Gate hardware samples
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Truck wraps and yard signs
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
A fence installation year, kept every month.
New install demand climbs with spring and summer, while storm repair calls can hit any month. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. 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 before spring deposits start coming in for the season ahead.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether cost per foot is keeping pace with material prices.
- October
Before the season slows
A look at any equipment worth buying before winter, 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 fence installation 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 fence 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.
I run estimates in Jobber. Do I have to change how I work?
No. Keep running jobs the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit or payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off a post-hole auger all at once?
Often, yes. Business equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though 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 from last 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 deposit stuck waiting on HOA approval?
He tracks the deposit against its job and only counts the income as the work gets done, so an approval delay does not make an early month look thinner than it is.
Do you handle sales tax on the fencing material I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and contracts varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
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