Plumbing & water

Books and taxes for grease trap pumping companies.

A weekly restaurant route, a multi-location chain contract billed net 30, and a disposal manifest required for every truckload. 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
DecemberExample month
$11,700
what you made

December came in at $11,700. The regional restaurant chain contract paid net 30 for November's route work, so this month's income reflects work already logged last month, not new jobs.

  • Single restaurant accounts, checks and cardsRoute pumping, single accounts
  • Regional chain contract, net 30Multi-location contracts
  • Treatment facility disposal feeDisposal and manifest fees
  • Vacuum truck maintenanceTruck and equipment
  • Fuel, route truckFuel
Money in$44,900
Money out$33,200
Set aside for taxes$3,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Grease trap books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees route income and a fuel bill. Your business runs recurring restaurant contracts, pays real disposal fees on every truckload, and sometimes waits 30 days to get paid by a chain account. When the books do not know that, the timing alone can make a solid month look like a bad one.

  1. 1

    Net-30 chain contracts delay income by a full route cycle

    A multi-location restaurant chain often pays net 30, so the route work you did in November shows up as cash in December. Comparing the month you did the work to the month you got paid makes both months look off.

    What we doTracks income against when the route work was actually done, so a slow-paying chain account does not make a busy month look thin.
  2. 2

    Disposal fees eat more of the route revenue than owners expect

    Every truckload of grease has to be dumped at a treatment facility for a real fee, and if that cost is not tracked against route income, a full day of stops can look far more profitable than it actually is.

    What we doKeeps disposal and manifest fees in their own line against route income, so the real margin on your route is visible.
  3. 3

    Route density gets lost without job-level detail

    A route with stops spread across town costs more in fuel and time than a tight cluster of accounts, and mixed into one number, you cannot tell if a low-density area of your route is actually worth keeping.

    What we doKeeps fuel and route costs visible against route income, so decisions about dropping or adding stops are based on real numbers.
  4. 4

    Manifest and compliance paperwork costs get missed

    Many cities require a disposal manifest for every load, and the recordkeeping and facility fees tied to that requirement are a real, recurring cost that is easy to bury inside general disposal expenses.

    What we doKeeps manifest and compliance-related fees visible so the true cost of staying compliant is never a surprise.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a grease trap pumping 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

  • Route pumping, single accountsIndividual restaurant accounts paid on the day of service.
  • Multi-location contractsRegional or national chain accounts, often billed net 30 or net 60.
  • Emergency and overflow callsUnscheduled pump-outs for a trap that overflowed.
  • Trap installation and repairInstalling or repairing a grease trap, billed apart from routine pumping.

Money out

  • Disposal and manifest feesTreatment facility fees and required disposal paperwork per load.
  • FuelFuel for the vacuum truck route.
  • Truck and equipmentVacuum trucks and hoses, plus repairs and maintenance.
  • Route driver wagesKept apart so you can see labor against the route it ran.
  • Licensing and permitsHauler licensing and local disposal permits.
  • InsuranceLiability and vehicle coverage for the truck fleet.
  • Lead fees and marketingOutreach to restaurants and property managers for new accounts.

What we watch for you

  • Days to payment on chain contracts

    How long net-30 or net-60 accounts actually take to pay, so cash flow planning is realistic.

  • Disposal cost per load

    What each truckload actually costs to dump, against what the route brought in that day.

  • Route revenue per stop

    How much each account is worth against the fuel and time it takes to reach it.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things grease trap pumping 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.

December looks better than the route work I actually did that month. What is going on?

The chain contract's net-30 payment for November's route landed in December. I track it against when the work was done, so you can see the real picture underneath the timing.

Is my route actually making money once disposal fees are counted?

Yes, but the margin is tighter than the route total alone suggests. I keep disposal fees against route income so you always see the real number.

Should I drop the three accounts way out on the edge of my route?

I have fuel and time cost against what those stops pay tracked for you. Worth a look before your next route planning session.

The tax side

The tax side of a grease trap pumping business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing: net-30 and net-60 contracts that pay for work done a month earlier, and disposal costs that need to be tracked against the route that generated them.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Vacuum trucks and equipmentA vacuum truck and pumping equipment 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.
  • Disposal and manifest feesTreatment facility fees and required disposal recordkeeping are ordinary, fully deductible costs of running the route.
  • 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 grease trap cleaning and pumping companies miss

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

  • Fuel for the route truck
  • Vacuum truck maintenance
  • Hoses and pumping equipment
  • Disposal and manifest fees
  • Hauler licensing and permits
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Liability insurance
  • Phone and tablet for route scheduling
  • Route planning software
  • Continuing education courses
  • Financing and card fees
  • 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 grease trap pumping year, kept every month.

Routes run steady most of the year, with a push around the holidays when restaurant kitchens run hardest. 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 chain contract payments are landing on schedule.

  4. October

    Before holiday cooking season

    Restaurant kitchens run harder around the holidays, filling traps faster. 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 grease trap cleaning and pumping 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 grease trap pumping owners ask first.

How does Gus handle net-30 chain restaurant contracts?

He tracks income against when the route work was actually done, so a delayed payment does not make the wrong month look good or bad.

Can Gus track disposal fees against my route income?

Yes. Disposal and manifest fees get their own line against route income, so you can see your real margin per load.

Do I need to send 1099s to any subcontracted drivers?

If you pay someone not on payroll $2,000 or more in 2026, yes. Gus keeps that list running all year.

Can Gus help me see which route stops are worth keeping?

Gus tracks the numbers, like fuel cost against what each stop pays, so you have real figures for that decision. The route call is yours.

My income timing is confusing because of net terms. Does the set-aside still work?

Yes. Gus tracks what you actually earned each month, so the set-aside reflects real income, not just when checks happen to clear.

I have not logged the route income from the last few months. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the statements you have, net-30 payments included. Gus will sort the route income and disposal costs into place and get you current within about 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 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