Restoration & remediation

Books and taxes for fire and smoke restoration companies.

Structure fires, soot cleaning, ozone treatments, and insurance checks that land in pieces. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
DecemberExample month
$17,000
what you made

December made $17,000. The hydroxyl generator rental from that two-story fire got logged as equipment rental instead of a repair cost, so the numbers stayed clean.

  • Allstate claim payoutInsurance claims
  • Homeowner deductibleDeductibles
  • Hydroxyl generator rentalEquipment rental
  • Abatix supply orderCleaning supplies
  • Rebuild sub paymentSubcontractors
Money in$61,000
Money out$44,000
Set aside for taxes$4,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Fire and smoke books go wrong when cleaning and the rebuild get mixed together.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is soot cleaning, odor treatment equipment, and a rebuild that is often billed through someone else. When the books do not separate those pieces, you cannot tell what your own crew actually earned on the job.

  1. 1

    Soot cleaning and rebuild get lumped together

    A fire job often has a cleaning phase billed by you and a rebuild phase billed through a general contractor sub, and if both land in one expense pile, there is no way to tell what your own cleaning crew actually earned on the job.

    What we doKeeps cleaning labor and rebuild subcontractor costs in separate lines so the cleaning side of the job shows its own margin.
  2. 2

    Ozone and hydroxyl equipment reads as a repair bill

    Renting or running a hydroxyl generator for two weeks on a heavy smoke job can cost more than a month of fuel, and if it lands in a general maintenance category, the real cost of odor treatment on that job disappears.

    What we doKeeps equipment rental and run costs in their own line so you can see what odor treatment actually costs per job.
  3. 3

    A claim pays out before the smell is gone

    An insurer often releases the actual cash value before a second or third odor treatment is even scheduled, and if that first check gets booked as the whole job, later trips back to the house look like a loss on paper.

    What we doKeeps a claim open in the books until the job is actually finished, so a return trip does not look like money lost.
  4. 4

    Content triage before pack-out muddies materials

    Sorting salvageable items from a total loss before a pack-out crew arrives uses labor and disposal bags that often get logged as general supplies, hiding what triage on a big loss really costs.

    What we doKeeps triage labor and disposal separate from cleaning supplies so a large loss shows its true cost.
  5. 5

    Smoke damage equipment looks like a supply run

    A thermal fogger or an air scrubber bought for smoke work can cost several thousand dollars, but bought alongside sponges and cleaning chemicals, it gets buried in one supply line and throws off equipment depreciation.

    What we doFlags a big equipment purchase the day it shows up and logs it separately for the accountant.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a fire and smoke restoration 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

  • Insurance claim paymentsDirect deposits and checks from carriers like Allstate and Farmers, tied to a claim number.
  • DeductiblesWhat the homeowner owes directly, paid by card, check, or Zelle.
  • Recoverable depreciationThe holdback released after the odor and cleaning work is signed off.
  • Cash and self-pay jobsSmall kitchen fires the homeowner pays for directly, no claim filed.
  • Property manager contractsRecurring fire and smoke calls across a rental portfolio.

Money out

  • Equipment rentalOzone generators, hydroxyl machines, and air scrubbers rented for heavy jobs.
  • Cleaning suppliesSoot sponges, degreasers, and chemical sponges from a hazmat supplier.
  • SubcontractorsRebuild general contractors and electricians brought in after a structure fire.
  • Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the response fleet.
  • Disposal feesCharred debris and soot-contaminated materials hauled away.
  • Insurance and licensingGeneral liability and any state restoration license fees.
  • Marketing and lead feesInsurance referral networks and local ads.

What we watch for you

  • Claim aging

    How long invoiced claims sit unpaid. A rising number means cash stuck with slow carriers.

  • Cleaning margin

    What the cleaning phase of a job actually made, separate from the rebuild sub's cut.

  • Equipment rental cost

    What ozone and hydroxyl rentals cost against what a job billed for odor work.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things fire and smoke restoration 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.

Why did November look bad when we had a big loss?

That claim only released the first check. The holdback is still coming, so I kept it in receivables instead of counting it as a loss.

We rented a hydroxyl generator for two weeks. Does that count as equipment?

I logged it as equipment rental, not repairs, so you can see what odor treatment actually cost on that job.

Do I need paperwork for the rebuild sub I bring in on bigger fires?

If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list as we go.

The tax side

The tax side of a fire and smoke restoration business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Equipment rentals filed as repairs, a rebuild sub paid like an employee, 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.

  • Odor and cleaning equipmentOzone generators, hydroxyl machines, and air scrubbers bought for the business 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, including a rebuild sub or an electrician called in after a fire, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
  • Employee or contractorA cleaning tech who works your schedule and uses your equipment is usually an employee, even if paid by the job. Getting that wrong gets expensive.
  • 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 fire and smoke damage restoration companies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Ozone and hydroxyl generator repairs
  • Soot sponges and cleaning chemicals
  • Thermal fogger maintenance
  • Respirators and PPE
  • Insurance referral network fees
  • Dump and disposal fees
  • Tools that live on the truck
  • Phone and tablet for job photos
  • Licenses and bonding
  • Storage rent for salvageable items
  • Continuing education for licensing

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 fire and smoke restoration year, kept every month.

Fire calls come any week of the year, but the winter kitchen fire and space heater season is the busiest stretch. Your team keeps you ahead of both the work and the taxes. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for rebuild subs is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether that spring run of grease fires changed the number.

  4. October

    Before holiday fire season

    Kitchen fires and space heaters pick up once the weather turns, so Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 fire and smoke damage restoration 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 fire and smoke restoration owners ask first.

Can Gus handle jobs paid through insurance claims?

Yes. He tracks the first check, the deductible, and the holdback separately, so your books always show what is actually collected on a claim, not just what was invoiced.

We bill the rebuild through a general contractor sub. Does that complicate things?

No. Gus keeps your cleaning revenue and the sub's cost in separate lines, so you can always see what your own crew earned on the job, apart from the rebuild.

A house still smells like smoke after the first treatment. Does that hurt my numbers?

No. Gus keeps the claim open until the job is actually finished, so a second or third odor treatment does not show up as a loss on paper.

My techs get paid a bit extra for after-hours fire calls. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps that premium visible so you can see what emergency response is actually worth.

Do I write off a hydroxyl generator 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.

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.

More in restoration & remediation

We keep books for the business next door too.

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