Equipment & specialty rentals

Books and taxes for generator rental companies.

Storm season rush rentals, standing construction site accounts, event backup power, and fuel delivered with the unit. Gus keeps every job's real cost straight, 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
$10,500
what you made

September came in at $10,500. A storm warning brought a run of rush rentals at premium pricing, so I kept those apart from your standing construction site accounts.

  • Storm rush rental, premium rateEmergency and storm rentals
  • Construction site account, monthlyStanding construction accounts
  • Fuel delivered with rentalsFuel delivery service
  • Generator servicing, hour-meter dueMaintenance and repairs
  • Diesel, delivery truckDelivery and hauling
Money in$34,600
Money out$24,100
Set aside for taxes$2,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Generator rental books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business swings between quiet weeks and a flood of storm rush calls, standing construction accounts that bill every month, and fuel you deliver and charge for as part of the job. When the books miss that, a storm month looks like it will happen every month.

  1. 1

    Storm rush income blurs with steady construction billing

    A generator rented in a panic ahead of a storm at a premium rate looks the same in the deposit as a standing monthly construction account, but one is a rare spike and the other is dependable income you can count on.

    What we doSplits emergency and storm rentals from standing construction accounts, so you can see how much of the month is steady versus a one-time surge.
  2. 2

    Fuel delivered with a rental reads like a plain expense

    When you deliver a generator with a full tank and charge the customer for the fuel, that charge is real income, but if it only shows up as a fuel expense on your side, you lose track of whether the fuel charge is actually covering what you paid for it.

    What we doKeeps fuel delivery income and fuel cost in their own lines so the markup can be checked, not just assumed.
  3. 3

    Hour-meter servicing gets buried in one repair bucket

    A generator due for service at its scheduled hour count costs differently than one needing an unplanned repair, but lumped into one line, you cannot tell which unit in the fleet is becoming expensive to keep running.

    What we doKeeps maintenance and repair costs visible month to month so a pattern on one unit shows up before it becomes a bigger bill.
  4. 4

    A pre-storm-season generator buy reads like a bad month

    Buying several new units ahead of storm season is a real equipment purchase, but filed as a straight expense it flattens a good month and skips the write-off equipment gets under the tax code.

    What we doFlags a generator purchase the day it shows up, logs it as equipment, and routes the depreciation decision to the accountant.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a generator rental 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

  • Emergency and storm rentalsRush rentals at premium pricing ahead of or after a storm.
  • Standing construction accountsJob sites that keep a generator running for the length of a build.
  • Event and wedding rentalsBackup power for weddings, festivals, and outdoor events.
  • Fuel delivery serviceWhat you charge to deliver and refill fuel along with the unit.
  • Extended rental feesCharges for a generator kept past its scheduled return.

Money out

  • Fuel and delivery costsDiesel or gas bought to deliver with a rental.
  • Maintenance and repairsOil changes, filters, and hour-meter servicing across the fleet.
  • Generator fleet purchasesNew portable and towable units added to the fleet.
  • Delivery and haulingTruck fuel, tolls, and driver wages for delivery runs.
  • Permits and noise complianceCity permits for placement and noise limits at events or job sites.
  • InsuranceFleet and liability coverage for units running on someone else's property.
  • Rental tracking softwareScheduling and dispatch tools for the fleet.

What we watch for you

  • Storm rush share

    Emergency rentals against standing construction accounts. It shows how much of a good month was a one-time surge.

  • Fuel delivery margin

    What fuel delivery brings in against what the fuel actually cost. It shows if the markup still makes sense.

  • Repair cost by unit

    Which generators cost the most to keep running. A rising number flags what to replace, not repair again.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe in taxes, tracked through both quiet weeks and storm rushes, so filing season is not a scramble.

Ask Gus

Things generator rental 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.

A storm week brought in three times what I normally make. Does that change what I owe?

It changes what you will owe, not how it is tracked. I keep storm rush income in its own category so you can see how much of the month was a surge versus steady business.

I charge extra for delivering a generator with a full tank. Is that worth keeping separate in the books?

Yes, and I already do it. Fuel delivery income and fuel cost are kept apart so you can see whether the markup is actually covering what you paid.

Bought four new generators ahead of hurricane season. Can that come off this year?

Usually, yes. I logged the new units as fleet equipment instead of a straight expense and flagged the purchase, so the accountant can decide how much to write off this year.

The tax side

The tax side of a generator rental business.

Most of what goes wrong here is a fleet purchase filed as an expense instead of equipment, and a big storm month treated like the new normal instead of a one-time swing.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Depreciating the generator fleetPortable and towable generators bought for rental are usually depreciable equipment. Section 179 expensing and 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025 are often available, and the accountant decides the timing.
  • Quarterly estimated taxes after a storm monthA sudden spike in income from storm rentals can push you into owing more than usual for that quarter. Estimated payments are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15, and Gus flags when a big month changes what is due.
  • Contractor 1099sA fill-in delivery driver or repair technician not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
  • 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 generator rental companies miss

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

  • Fuel for delivered rentals
  • Generator oil and filter changes
  • Delivery truck fuel and repairs
  • Noise and placement permits
  • Fleet and liability insurance
  • Rental tracking software
  • Cables and transfer switches
  • Delivery crew uniforms
  • Storage yard rent
  • Card processing fees
  • Trailer hitch maintenance
  • Business phone 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 generator rental year, kept every month.

Storms do not check a calendar, but construction accounts and your taxes both run on one. 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 for any fill-in delivery help is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so filing season 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 last spring's storm activity changed the number.

  4. October

    Before winter

    Storm season winds down in most regions and construction jobs push to finish before winter. Gus looks at fleet purchases and moves worth making 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 generator rental 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 generator rental owners ask first.

A storm brought in way more business than usual. Does Gus flag that as unusual?

Yes. Emergency and storm rentals are kept in their own category, so you can see how much of a big month was a one-time surge instead of the new normal.

I charge more for delivered fuel than I paid for it. Does that need its own category?

Yes, and Gus already keeps it that way. Fuel delivery income and fuel cost are tracked separately so the markup can be checked, not just assumed.

Can I write off new generators the same year I buy them?

Often yes. Generators bought for the rental fleet can usually be written off in the year you buy them, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. The accountant decides with your whole year in view.

Does a big storm month change my quarterly tax payments?

It can. A sudden spike in income can push up what is owed for that quarter, and Gus flags it so the estimated payment reflects the real year, not just a normal month.

My books are behind from a busy storm season. Is that a problem?

No. Hand over the bank statements covering the rush, messy or not. Gus separates the storm income from your standing accounts from there, the accountant checks it, and most owners 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.

More in equipment & specialty rentals

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