Plumbing & water

Books and taxes for gas line installers.

A generator hookup, an outdoor kitchen tie-in, a mandatory utility locate, and a pressure test before the inspector signs off. 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
JuneExample month
$10,900
what you made

June came in at $10,900. Three of the jobs were generator hookups bundled with the electrician's work, so I only booked our gas line portion, not the full project total.

  • Jobber payoutGas line installs
  • Builder draw, new constructionNew construction gas rough-in
  • City gas permit feePermits and inspections
  • Utility locate service feeLocate and coordination fees
  • Ferguson invoice, black pipe and fittingsPipe and fittings
Money in$39,800
Money out$28,900
Set aside for taxes$2,700
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Gas line books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a permitted job and a supply bill. Your business is stricter permits, mandatory utility locates before you dig, and jobs that get bundled with an electrician or a generator installer. When the books do not split that out, you cannot tell what your gas line work actually earned on a shared project.

  1. 1

    Bundled jobs blur your actual scope

    A generator hookup or an outdoor kitchen tie-in often gets sold as one project total between you, an electrician, and sometimes the generator dealer. Booking the whole project total as your income overstates what your gas line work actually brought in.

    What we doKeeps only your portion of a bundled job as income, so your gas line numbers reflect your own work, not the whole project.
  2. 2

    Utility locate fees and pressure testing get lost in one job cost

    A mandatory utility locate before digging and a pressure test before inspection both cost real money, and lumped into one job total you cannot tell if a permit-heavy job in a strict city is still worth your price.

    What we doKeeps locate fees and testing costs in their own line, tied to the job, so the real cost of a compliant install is visible.
  3. 3

    A failed inspection means a redo cost that eats the margin

    Gas work fails inspection more often than other trades because tolerances are tighter, and a redo means another crew visit and sometimes another test fee, often unbilled to the customer.

    What we doFlags jobs with a second visit for inspection so you can see how often redos are cutting into your margin.
  4. 4

    Insurance costs run higher and get mixed into overhead

    Liability coverage for gas work usually costs more than for general plumbing, and if it sits in one general insurance line, you cannot tell how much of your overhead is specifically the cost of doing gas work.

    What we doKeeps gas-specific insurance costs visible so you know what carrying that liability actually costs you each year.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a gas line installer.

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

  • Gas line installsStandard runs for appliances, fire pits, and grills, billed by the job.
  • New construction gas rough-inBuilder draws for gas piping in new homes.
  • Generator and outdoor kitchen tie-insYour portion of bundled jobs with other trades.
  • Leak detection and repairDiagnosing and fixing gas leaks, billed apart from new installs.

Money out

  • Pipe and fittingsBlack pipe, flex connectors, and fittings from the supply house.
  • Crew wagesKept apart so you can see labor against the jobs it ran.
  • Permits and inspectionsCity gas permit and inspection fees.
  • Locate and coordination feesUtility locate service costs paid before digging.
  • Testing equipmentPressure gauges and leak detection equipment.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan interest for the fleet.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage specific to the higher risk of gas work.

What we watch for you

  • Bundled job share

    How much of your income comes from projects split with other trades, so you can price your own scope right.

  • Redo rate

    How often a job needs a second visit for inspection, and what that costs you.

  • Permit and locate cost per job

    What compliance costs run on average, so bids account for it.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things gas line 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.

That generator job was sold as one price with the electrician. How much of it is actually mine?

I booked only your invoiced portion of the job as income, not the full project total, so your numbers show your own work.

Feels like I keep failing the same inspection lately. Am I imagining it?

You have had three redo visits this quarter, more than usual. Worth a look at what is going wrong before it costs you another quarter.

My insurance renewal jumped this year. Is that normal for gas work?

That is above my pay grade to say what is normal for your carrier, but I have your gas-specific coverage cost tracked separately if you want to shop it.

The tax side

The tax side of a gas line installation business.

Most of what goes wrong here is scope: bundled project totals that are not all yours, and compliance costs buried inside a single job number.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Tools and testing equipmentPressure gauges, leak detectors, and hand tools 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 who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Sales tax on installed materialsWhether pipe and fittings are taxed separately from labor on an installed job usually depends on your state's rule for real property improvements. Gus flags it and the accountant confirms your state's treatment.
  • 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 gas line installation companies miss

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

  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Black pipe and fittings
  • Pressure test equipment
  • Leak detection equipment
  • Utility locate fees
  • City permit fees
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Gas-specific liability insurance
  • Phone and tablet for dispatch
  • License and bonding renewal
  • Continuing education courses
  • Small tools under the expensing threshold

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 gas line installer's year, kept every month.

Outdoor kitchen and generator jobs pick up before summer and before storm season. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. 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, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring outdoor kitchen work changed the number.

  4. October

    Before generator season

    Storm season pushes generator hookup demand. Before that, Gus looks at equipment you might buy 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 gas line 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 gas line installers ask first.

How does Gus handle a job I split with an electrician or a generator dealer?

He books only your invoiced portion as income, not the full project total, so your numbers reflect your own work.

Can Gus track redo and inspection failure costs?

Yes. Jobs with a second inspection visit get flagged so you can see how often that is happening and what it is costing you.

Are utility locate and pressure test fees deductible?

Yes, they are ordinary costs of doing a compliant install. Gus keeps them in their own line so nothing is missed.

I run my crew's schedule through Jobber. Do I have to change that?

No. Keep dispatching through Jobber. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a bundled job payment is not clearly just your portion, he asks once and remembers the answer.

Does gas work need separate insurance tracking?

Gus keeps your gas-specific liability costs visible on their own, so you can see what carrying that coverage actually costs you.

I have a stack of unlogged invoices from bundled jobs with an electrician. Can Gus sort through that?

Yes. Send the bank statements covering those jobs. Gus will separate your portion of each bundled project from the rest and get your books current, even working through a backlog.

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 plumbing & water

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