Pest & wildlife control
Books and taxes for general pest control companies.
Quarterly plans, one-time ant and roach calls, mosquito misting, and the chemical order that always lands at a bad time. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $14,000. The four new backpack sprayers from Univar went in as equipment, not a supply run, since you bought a full set at once.
- PestPac autopay batchQuarterly plans
- Cash job, ant treatmentOne-time treatments
- Univar order #4471Chemical and bait
- Google local servicesLead fees
- Shell fuel, truck 3Trucks and fuel
Why your books are different
General pest control books go wrong in the same five places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is quarterly plans, one-time calls, techs paid partly on commission, and chemical bought by the case. When the books do not know that, a discounted sign-up or a bulk bait order can make a solid month look thin.
-
1
The free first treatment eats the sign-up
A new customer's first quarterly visit often gets discounted or waived to win the contract, so that invoice looks like a loss even though the real payoff is four visits a year for years to come.
What we doBooks the discount as a marketing cost against that one invoice, so the sign-up shows what it really cost to win, not a loss on the job. -
2
New contract bonuses hide in route pay
A tech who earns a bonus for every new quarterly plan he signs on his route gets paid through the same check as his hourly wage, so you cannot tell how much of payroll is service work and how much is sales.
What we doKeeps route wages and new-contract bonuses on separate lines, so you can see what it costs to run routes against what it costs to grow them. -
3
Mosquito season hides in one number
Summer mosquito misting add-ons get counted as more quarterly plan revenue, so a June statement that is really half misting jobs looks like the recurring base of the business grew, and it did not.
What we doKeeps mosquito misting in its own income line, so quarterly plan revenue reflects the actual base of contracts, not a summer bump. -
4
Free callbacks cost real money
When ants come back between visits, the warranty callback is free to the customer, but the tech's hours, the truck, and the gas are not free to you. Left untracked, a busy re-service week can quietly eat a month's margin.
What we doTracks re-service labor and mileage as a cost of the plan it protects, so a rough month shows up as a service cost, not a mystery. -
5
A bulk bait order flattens the month
Ant bait, roach gel, and granular bait bought once a quarter from a supply house can cost as much as three weeks of normal chemical use in a single order, making that month look thin and the next two look padded.
What we doKeeps chemical and bait purchases in one steady materials line and calls out a stock-up so a thin month is not mistaken for a slow one.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a general pest control 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
- Quarterly plansAnt, roach, and spider service billed through PestPac or ServiceTitan on autopay.
- One-time treatmentsThe first visit for a new customer, often discounted to win the contract.
- Mosquito mistingSeasonal add-on visits billed apart from the quarterly base.
- Commercial accountsMonthly service for restaurants, offices, and small retail spaces.
- Rodent bait upsellsExterior bait station service added onto an existing plan.
Money out
- Chemical and baitAnt bait, roach gel, and granular product from Univar or Target Specialty.
- Tech wages and bonusesRoute pay plus a bonus for every new contract signed.
- Trucks and fuelFuel, maintenance, and insurance for the service fleet.
- Lead feesAngi, HomeAdvisor, and Google local services ads.
- Field service softwarePestPac or ServiceTitan subscription and route scheduling.
- Uniforms and PPEShirts, respirators, and gloves for techs in the field.
- Liability insuranceGeneral liability and pesticide liability coverage.
What we watch for you
- Renewal rate
How many quarterly customers rebook each visit. A drop shows up in the books before anywhere else.
- Labor share
Wages and bonuses against money in. A rising share means a route or price needs a look.
- Materials cost
Chemical and bait spend against revenue. Watch for a stock-up skewing one month.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things pest control 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.
No. I book it as a cost against that invoice, so you can see what winning the contract cost without losing track of the four visits a year behind it.
He earned bonuses for three new sign-ups this month. I kept those apart from his route wages so you can see both clearly.
Just the bank statement, same as always. I already keep misting apart from your quarterly plans so summer does not skew the number.
The tax side
The tax side of a general pest control business.
Most of what trips up a pest control business is timing and labels: a discounted sign-up, a tech paid partly on commission, and chemical bought faster than it gets used.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Trucks and spray equipmentService trucks and application equipment can often be written off in 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 pay $2,000 or more in 2026, including a subcontracted technician, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA tech who drives your truck, wears your uniform, and works your route is usually an employee, even on commission. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- 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 pest control companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Ant bait and roach gel
- Backpack sprayer parts
- Bait station replacements
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Uniforms with your logo
- Respirators and gloves
- Applicator license renewal
- Continuing education hours
- Angi and local services ads
- Field service software
- Liability insurance premiums
- Phone and tablet for dispatch
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 pest control year, kept every month.
Ants swarm in spring, mosquitoes take over summer, and your taxes come on a schedule either way. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, your 1099 list for any subcontracted techs is ready, and a monthly set-aside means April holds no surprises.
- April
Filed and signed
Your return is filed and signed. Spring ant calls do not slow down for tax season, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring sign-up push and summer mosquito misting changed the number.
- October
Before fall pest season
Before ants and rodents move indoors for fall, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and any move worth making before December.
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 pest control 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 pest control owners ask first.
Do you handle the paperwork for my pesticide applicator license?
No. Your team keeps your books and files your return, but license renewals and continuing education hours stay with you or your state board. He tracks the expense once you pay it.
My tech gets a bonus for every new contract he signs. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps route wages and new-contract bonuses on separate lines so you can see labor against sign-ups.
I discount the first visit to win customers. Is that a write-off?
It shows up as a cost against that invoice rather than a straight loss on the job, so the four visits a year behind it stay visible in the numbers.
Do you track my mosquito misting add-ons separately from the quarterly plan?
Yes. Misting stays in its own line so a summer bump does not make it look like your base of quarterly customers suddenly grew.
My books are a mess from switching field service software last year.
Send the bank statements you have from both systems. Gus sorts them by month, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Can Gus tell me if a route is actually profitable?
He tracks labor, chemical, and fuel against what a route brings in, so you can see the pattern. Whether a route needs a price change is worth talking through with the accountant.
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 pest & wildlife control
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Bat removal & exclusion
- Bee & wasp removal, live bee relocation
- Bird control
- Organic & pet-safe pest control
- Bed bug heat treatment
- Rodent exclusion specialists
- Wildlife removal
- Termite control
- Chicken coop & backyard farm structure builders
- Dock & boathouse builders
- Gazebo & pavilion builders
- Outdoor audio & TV installers
- Playground & swing set installers
- Putting green installers
- Retractable screens & motorized shades
- Seawall & bulkhead contractors
- Sport court builders (pickleball, basketball)
- Cedar shake roofing specialists
- Custom built-ins & trim carpenters
- Historic home restoration contractors
- Popcorn ceiling removal
- Skylight installation & repair
- Slate & tile roofing specialists
- Stair & railing contractors
- Stucco & EIFS repair
- Wallpaper installers
- Artificial turf installers
- Backflow testing & certification
- Backyard office & ADU builders
- Contents cleaning & pack-out
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