Small manufacturers & fabricators
Books and taxes for firearm manufacturers.
A distributor purchase order, a direct dealer sale, barrel and receiver stock, and a background check fee passed through to a buyer. Your own bookkeeper stays on it all year, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
September came in at $17,900. The barrel steel order for the new contract run is logged against that job, not general shop material.
- Continental Arms Distribution, order 22Distributor sales
- Direct dealer sale, invoice 903Direct dealer sales
- Barrel and receiver steelRaw material
- Bluing and finishing suppliesFinishing
- Machine loan paymentEquipment loan
Why your books are different
Firearm manufacturer books go wrong at the line between shop cost and federal compliance cost.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your shop machines receivers and barrels, sells through distributors and direct dealer accounts, and carries costs tied to your federal manufacturing license that a normal shop never sees. When the books do not separate those, it gets hard to see what the actual work is earning.
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1
Distributor sales and direct dealer sales blend together
A distributor buying in volume at one price and a dealer buying direct at another price are two different channels with two different margins, and lumped together neither shows its real profit.
What we doKeeps distributor sales separate from direct dealer sales, so each channel's true margin is visible. -
2
License and compliance fees hide in general overhead
Federal license renewal fees and other compliance-related costs are real annual expenses specific to this business, but it is easy to let them blend into general shop overhead where their true cost is never seen.
What we doKeeps license and compliance fees in their own line so their real annual cost stays visible, separate from ordinary shop bills. -
3
Barrel and receiver steel gets bought ahead of a contract
Buying specialty barrel steel in bulk ahead of a distributor contract can make one month look expensive and the next look great, when the material is really just sitting in the shop.
What we doKeeps raw material in one steady line and flags when a bulk order is the reason a month looks thin. -
4
A finishing line purchase looks like a supply run
A bluing tank or Cerakote booth can cost as much as a machine, but filed like the rest of the finishing supplies, it muddles the month and misses a real depreciation choice.
What we doFlags equipment the day it shows up and logs it on its own, so the accountant makes the call on how it is written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a firearm manufacturer.
Set up once for how distributor and dealer sales get paid and what a build costs. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Distributor salesVolume orders sold through a distributor account.
- Direct dealer salesUnits sold direct to dealers outside the distributor channel.
- Custom build ordersOne-off or small batch builds sold direct.
- Parts and accessory salesStandalone barrels, stocks, or components sold apart from complete builds.
Money out
- Raw materialBarrel and receiver steel, forgings, and castings.
- FinishingBluing, Cerakote, and coating line supplies.
- License and compliance feesFederal manufacturing license renewal and related annual costs.
- Equipment loan or leasePayments on CNC machines and the finishing line.
- Shop rent and utilitiesBuilding costs and security for the licensed premises.
- PayrollMachinists, assemblers, and quality inspectors.
- InsuranceLiability and product coverage specific to this business.
What we watch for you
- Margin by channel
Distributor sales against direct dealer sales, so pricing reflects what each channel really earns.
- Material cost share
Barrel and receiver steel as a percent of sales. A jump means quotes need a look.
- Compliance cost per year
License and related fees tracked on their own, so this real cost of doing business stays visible.
- Days to get paid
How long a distributor or dealer invoice sits before it clears.
Ask Gus
Things firearm manufacturer 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.
Yes, and I keep them apart automatically. The pricing and margin on each channel is different enough that mixing them hides which one is actually worth growing.
It does, and I keep it in its own line so the real annual cost of holding your federal manufacturing license stays visible instead of blending into overhead.
No, that stays with you and your compliance counsel. I keep your books ready so the accountant can see the numbers behind those filings, but the paperwork itself is not part of what I do.
The tax side
The tax side of a firearm manufacturing business.
Most of what goes wrong here is keeping compliance costs and channel margins visible, separate from the excise and licensing side your own compliance team handles.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Machining and finishing equipmentCNC machines and a finishing line such as a bluing tank or coating booth can usually be written off, often in the year they are bought. Section 179 covers up to $2,560,000 and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Material and stock on handBarrel and receiver steel bought ahead and sitting in the shop at year end get valued and matched against what actually sold, rather than expensed the day they were bought.
- Federal excise taxManufacturers of this kind of product typically owe a federal excise tax on sales, filed separately from the income tax return. That filing stays with your compliance team, and the accountant works from your books to help you see what it involves.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when distributor margins and compliance costs are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions firearm manufacturers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Barrel and receiver steel
- Bluing and coating supplies
- Cutting tools and inserts
- Gauge and CMM calibration
- Safety gear and hearing protection
- Trade show and dealer show costs
- Freight on incoming material
- Shop insurance
- Security system costs
- Small hand tools
- Shop uniforms
- Machine maintenance parts
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 firearm manufacturing year, kept every month.
Distributor and dealer orders land on their own schedule, not a season. Your taxes still run on their own schedule. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Year planned
Year end material on hand gets valued, last year's return gets started, and your monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Channel year filed
The accountant files and signs your income tax return. Since the set-aside has been building since January, a quarter heavy on distributor volume does not turn into a scramble.
- July
Midyear channel check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether new distributor contracts changed the number.
- October
Ahead of year close
Gus looks at any machine or finishing line buy worth making before December and flags it for the accountant's call on depreciation.
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 firearm manufacturers. 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 firearm manufacturers ask first.
Do you handle our federal manufacturing license or excise tax filings?
No. Those stay with you and your compliance team. Your team keeps your books accurate and organized so the accountant can help you understand the numbers behind those filings, but the filings themselves are not part of the subscription.
Can Gus track distributor sales separately from direct dealer sales?
Yes. Those two channels usually carry different pricing and margin, so keeping them apart shows which one is actually earning for the shop.
Do we have to change how we quote a build?
No. Keep quoting builds however your shop already does. Gus reads it off your bank statement, and when a payment is unclear he asks once and remembers the answer.
Does license renewal count as a deductible business cost?
Generally yes, ordinary costs of running a licensed manufacturing business are deductible, and Gus keeps that cost in its own line so it stays visible year to year.
Our books are behind after ramping up a new distributor contract. Can that be fixed?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts distributor and dealer charges alike, the accountant checks the result, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Do I write off new CNC equipment all at once?
Often you can. Machining or finishing equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted the year it is bought, though sometimes spreading it out fits a shop's year better. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
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