Remodeling & interiors

Books and taxes for flooring installers.

A Home Depot install program payout, a piecework crew paid per square foot, a distributor order with a waste factor built in, and carpet, LVP, and hardwood all running at different margins. Gus sorts every dollar to the job it came from, 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
$17,000
what you made

September came in at $17,000. The Home Depot install program paid out three weeks after those jobs finished, so I matched each payout back to the job it belonged to.

  • Home Depot install program payoutBig box install program
  • Client payment, Boyer jobDirect residential jobs
  • Shaw flooring distributor orderFlooring material
  • Install crew, pieceworkInstall labor
  • Carpet padding and transition stripsFlooring material
Money in$68,000
Money out$51,000
Set aside for taxes$4,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Flooring installer books go wrong at the payout, not the invoice.

A generalist sees a deposit and a bill. Your money often comes through a big box install program on its own delayed schedule, your crews get paid piecework by the square foot, and hardwood, carpet, LVP, and tile all run different margins under one roof. When the books do not track by job and by flooring type, you cannot tell what is actually making money.

  1. 1

    Big box install program payouts land weeks after the job

    When you install through a program like Home Depot's or Lowe's, the payout often arrives weeks after the job is done, sometimes bundled with several other jobs in one deposit. Without matching it back to each job, you cannot see which installs were actually worth the program's cut.

    What we doSplits a bundled payout back to the jobs it covers, so you can see what each install earned after the program's fee.
  2. 2

    Piecework crews blur labor cost into material cost

    Crews paid a set rate per square foot installed are a different cost than the flooring material itself, but if both land in one general job cost bucket, you cannot tell whether a thin-margin job was the material price or the install rate.

    What we doKeeps piecework install labor separate from material costs, so you can see what actually drove a job's margin.
  3. 3

    A waste factor gets billed but not tracked as a real cost

    Ordering extra material to cover cuts and pattern matching is standard practice, but if the overage is not tracked, you cannot tell whether your waste factor estimates are accurate or quietly cutting into every job's margin.

    What we doTracks material cost against square footage installed, so a waste factor that is running high gets caught instead of guessed at.
  4. 4

    Carpet, hardwood, LVP, and tile all get treated as one product

    Each flooring type carries a different material cost and a different install rate, and if they are not split, a season heavy on low-margin carpet can look the same on paper as one full of higher-margin hardwood.

    What we doKeeps revenue and material cost split by flooring type, so you can see which product line is actually carrying the business.
  5. 5

    Remnant and leftover material sales get lost

    Selling leftover carpet remnants or overage material for a small job brings in real income, but if it is not tracked, it looks like free money instead of a small, steady revenue line worth knowing about.

    What we doBooks remnant and leftover material sales as their own line, so nothing gets missed.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a flooring installation business.

Set up once for how your jobs get paid and what they cost. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Big box install programPayouts from a Home Depot, Lowe's, or similar install partner program, matched back to each job.
  • Direct residential jobsHomeowners who hire you directly, outside a big box program.
  • Commercial and property manager jobsMulti-unit or rental flooring work billed separately.
  • Remnant and leftover material salesSmall income from selling overage or remnant stock.

Money out

  • Flooring materialHardwood, LVP, carpet, and tile bought from distributors, split by type.
  • Install laborPiecework and crew wages, kept apart from material cost.
  • Subfloor prep suppliesLeveling compound, underlayment, and moisture barriers.
  • Truck and equipmentFuel, repairs, and flooring tools like saws and stretchers.
  • Program and distributor feesThe cut a big box install program or distributor takes before payout.
  • Dumpster and old flooring disposalHauling out old carpet, tile, or hardwood.

What we watch for you

  • Job margin by product

    Whether hardwood, carpet, LVP, or tile jobs are actually the ones making money.

  • Program payout lag

    How long a big box program takes to pay, so cash flow does not surprise you.

  • Material waste rate

    Whether overage ordered for cuts is running higher than it should be, job over job.

  • Labor cost per job

    Piecework cost against revenue, so a thin-margin job's cause is clear.

Ask Gus

Things flooring 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.

The Home Depot payout this month covered five different jobs in one deposit. How do I know which ones actually made money?

I split that payout back to each of the five jobs, so you can see what every install actually earned once the program's cut came out.

Carpet jobs feel busier lately but the money doesn't feel as good. Am I imagining that?

No. I keep carpet, hardwood, LVP, and tile split apart, and carpet is running a thinner margin than your hardwood jobs this quarter.

Do I owe my piecework crew a 1099?

If you paid them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, yes, by January 31. I have been keeping that list all year so it is ready.

The tax side

The tax side of a flooring installation business.

Most of what trips up this business is timing and labels: a bundled payout not matched to jobs, a piecework crew that should get a 1099, and materials counted wrong against margin.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Piecework crew 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a piecework install crew, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list as the year goes.
  • Employee or subcontractorA crew that works your schedule and uses your tools usually looks like employees, not subs, no matter how they are paid. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
  • Tools and equipmentFlooring saws, stretchers, and other equipment can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
  • 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 program payouts and material costs are booked correctly all year.

Deductions flooring installers miss

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

  • Flooring saws and stretchers
  • Knee pads and safety gear
  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Subfloor prep supplies
  • Liability insurance
  • Dumpster and disposal fees
  • Small tool replacement
  • Continuing education and certifications
  • Branded uniforms
  • Phone and tablet for scheduling
  • Mileage between jobs and distributor pickups
  • Sample boards and product swatches

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 flooring installation year, kept every month.

Big box program jobs and direct residential work run on different clocks all year. Gus keeps taxes on a schedule of their own. 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. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and which flooring type is carrying the year's numbers.

  4. October

    Before year-end

    Gus looks at whether new tools or equipment before December make sense, and where the year is landing.

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 flooring 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 flooring installers ask first.

Can Gus match a bundled big box program payout back to individual jobs?

Yes. He splits a single deposit that covers multiple jobs back to each one, so you can see what every install actually earned.

I run carpet, hardwood, LVP, and tile crews. Can Gus keep them separate?

Yes. Revenue and material cost are split by flooring type, so you can see which product line is actually carrying the business.

My piecework crew gets paid per square foot. Does that change how Gus tracks labor?

No. Piecework labor is kept in its own line, separate from material cost, so you can see what actually drove a job's margin.

Do I need to track material waste and overage?

It helps a lot. Gus tracks material cost against square footage installed, so a waste factor running higher than expected gets caught instead of guessed at.

Do I write off a new flooring saw or stretcher 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 few months behind. 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 within 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