HVAC, insulation & chimney

Books and taxes for fireplace and wood stove installers.

Hearth and stove installs, permit-heavy chimney work, showroom floor units, and a fall booking rush before the first freeze. 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
SeptemberExample month
$9,800
what you made

September came in at $9,800. The Marchetti pellet stove install closed, and I kept the permit and venting cost separate from the unit itself so you can see the real install margin.

  • Square payouts, showroom salesStove and insert sales
  • Financing payout, WisetackFinanced installs
  • Hearth and Home distributorEquipment inventory
  • City building permit feePermits and inspections
  • Facebook and Google adsLead fees and marketing
Money in$39,600
Money out$29,800
Set aside for taxes$2,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Wood stove books go wrong around showroom stock and permits.

You carry showroom floor models, sell a unit and then install it weeks later, and every install needs a permit and a chimney or venting inspection most trades skip. When the books cannot tell inventory from installs, or a fall booking rush from a normal month, the numbers stop making sense.

  1. 1

    Showroom inventory is not the same as an install sale

    A stove sitting on the showroom floor is money already spent, and the sale months later is separate income. Booked together, you cannot tell how much cash is tied up in unsold inventory right now.

    What we doTracks showroom units as inventory until sold, so you can see what is sitting on the floor versus what has actually earned you money.
  2. 2

    A permit and inspection fee gets lost inside the install price

    Nearly every hearth install needs a building permit and often a chimney inspection, and those fees paid to the city can quietly eat into what looks like a healthy job margin if they are not tracked apart.

    What we doKeeps permit and inspection fees in their own category, tied to the job, so the real install margin is visible.
  3. 3

    A fall booking rush looks unstable next to a quiet spring

    Most homeowners book a stove install in September and October to be ready for winter, and a slow April compared side by side with a packed October can look like something is wrong.

    What we doTracks the calendar with your booking season in view, so a quiet month is read against the right month, not your busiest one.
  4. 4

    A deposit on a special-order stove is not the sale

    A customer puts down $500 on a stove that has to be special ordered and installed a month later. Booking that deposit as the full sale overstates the month and understates the one when the job actually finishes.

    What we doTracks the deposit against the full job, so the sale counts when the work is actually done.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a wood and pellet stove business.

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

  • Stove and insert salesFull install jobs, wood, gas, or pellet.
  • Financed installsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
  • Chimney lining and ventingVenting work sold alongside a stove install.
  • Service and cleaningAnnual stove cleaning and inspection visits.

Money out

  • Equipment inventoryShowroom stoves and inserts, tracked until sold.
  • Venting and liner materialsPipe, liners, and chimney components for each install.
  • Permits and inspectionsCity permit and inspection fees, tied to the job.
  • Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the install vehicle.
  • Lead fees and marketingGoogle, Facebook, and fall season ad campaigns.
  • Showroom rent and utilitiesThe retail space where units are displayed.

What we watch for you

  • Inventory on hand

    How much cash is tied up in showroom units not yet sold.

  • Install margin

    What a job clears after equipment, venting, and permit costs.

  • Booking backlog

    How many deposits are collected for installs not yet completed.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things wood stove 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.

I have three stoves sitting on the showroom floor. Does that count as an expense already?

It is money already spent, but I track it as inventory, not a loss. When one sells, that is when the income shows up against it.

The permit fee on the Marchetti job was more than I expected. Is that eating my margin?

I kept it in its own line so you can see it clearly. It is a real cost of that job, separate from the stove and venting itself.

Why does September look so much bigger than April was?

That is the booking season. Most people schedule a stove install before winter, and I track the calendar with that pattern in view.

The tax side

The tax side of a wood and pellet stove business.

Most of what goes wrong here is inventory sitting on a showroom floor and a deposit booked before the job is finished.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Trucks and shop equipmentVehicles and shop equipment bought for the business, not the stoves installed at a customer's home, 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 1099sA helper or subcontracted mason you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, outside of payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Employee or contractorAn installer who drives your truck, works your schedule, and installs on your jobs is usually an employee, not a contractor, whatever he is called on paper.
  • 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 fireplace and wood stove installers miss

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

  • Showroom rent and utilities
  • Venting and liner materials
  • Permit and inspection fees
  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Manufacturer certification classes
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Facebook and Google ads
  • Tools that live in the truck
  • Phone and tablet for scheduling
  • Contractor license renewal
  • Liability insurance
  • Card and financing fees

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 wood and pellet stove year, kept every month.

Almost every booking happens before the first freeze. Your team keeps you ahead of that rush and the return. 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 is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, right as bookings slow for the spring showroom season.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and what showroom inventory to plan for the fall rush.

  4. October

    The rush is here

    This is your busiest booking stretch. Before it peaks, Gus looks at inventory worth ordering 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 fireplace and wood stove 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 wood stove installers ask first.

Do the stoves sitting on my showroom floor count as an expense right now?

They are tracked as inventory, not an immediate loss. Gus keeps that value visible so you can see what is tied up on the floor until a unit sells.

Can Gus separate the permit fee from the rest of an install's cost?

Yes. Permit and inspection fees stay in their own category, tied to the job, so you can see the real install margin after those costs.

Is it normal for fall to be so much busier than spring?

Yes, for this trade. Most homeowners book before the first freeze, and Gus tracks the calendar with that booking pattern in view.

A customer put down a deposit on a special-order stove. How does that get booked?

The deposit is tracked against the full job, so the sale counts when the install is actually finished, not just when the deposit came in.

My books mix showroom and install costs together. Can Gus untangle that?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts inventory from install costs, the accountant checks it, 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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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