Sporting goods & sports services
Books and taxes for gunsmiths.
Repair labor, custom builds priced by the job, Cerakote finishing work, and parts ordered from Brownells for a specific customer's rifle all move through one account. 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
March came in at $7,200. Two custom builds are still open with parts on backorder from Brownells, so those deposits are staying as money owed, not finished jobs.
- Job invoice paymentsRepair and labor fees
- Brownells parts orderParts for customer jobs
- Custom build depositCustom build deposits
- Cerakote supplies orderFinishing supplies
- Bench tool purchaseShop equipment
Why your books are different
A gunsmith's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees invoices and a parts bill. Your bench prices jobs individually, holds deposits on builds that take weeks, and orders parts for one specific customer's firearm at a time. When the books do not track that, it is hard to know which jobs are actually worth taking.
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1
Parts for one customer's job get mixed into general shop supplies
A specific part ordered from Brownells for one customer's rifle looks the same on a bank statement as a general shop tool purchase, making it hard to see the true cost of any one job.
What we doKeeps parts bought for a specific customer job tied to that job, separate from general shop supplies, so real job cost is visible. -
2
A custom build deposit counts as income before the work is done
A customer pays half down on a custom rifle build that takes six weeks and several backordered parts to finish. Booked as income the day it lands, the month looks stronger than it is.
What we doKeeps the deposit as money owed against the build until the work is actually finished and delivered. -
3
Cerakote and finishing work gets lumped into repair labor
A Cerakote finish job has its own materials cost and cure time that a basic repair does not, and mixed together, it is hard to tell if finishing work is priced right.
What we doKeeps finishing work in its own category, separate from repairs and builds, so its real cost and margin are visible. -
4
Job pricing does not account for parts sitting on backorder
A rifle waiting weeks on a backordered part still ties up bench space and a customer's patience, but nothing in the books reflects that cost until the part finally arrives and the invoice is paid.
What we doFlags open jobs waiting on backordered parts, so a slow month caused by supply delays does not look like a slow month for demand. -
5
Bench equipment gets filed as a routine supply purchase
A lathe, a Cerakote oven, or precision tools bought for the bench cost as much as a used truck, but the invoice reads the same as a box of screws.
What we doFlags large bench equipment purchases the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how they get written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a gunsmith.
Set up once for how you price jobs and what you carry. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Repair and labor feesStandard repair and service jobs billed by the task.
- Custom build incomeFull price of custom builds, tracked from deposit to finished delivery.
- Finishing workCerakote and similar refinishing jobs, billed on their own.
- Parts markupAny markup charged on parts bought for a customer's job.
Money out
- Parts for customer jobsBrownells, Midway USA, and similar parts orders tied to a specific job.
- Finishing suppliesCerakote, bluing, and similar materials.
- Shop equipmentLathes, ovens, and precision tools, logged so they get written off right.
- General shop suppliesConsumables not tied to any one customer job.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for handling customer firearms.
- Card processing feesWhat the processor kept before you got paid.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each job earns against the parts and materials it took, so pricing can be checked.
- Open build backlog
How much deposit money is sitting against builds not yet finished.
- Backorder delay cost
How long jobs sit waiting on parts, since that time still ties up the bench.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked job by job, so filing day is never a scramble for a solo bench.
Ask Gus
Things gunsmiths 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.
This month it cleared $180 after supplies, once I separated it from repair labor. That is the real margin, not a guess buried in everything else.
The deposits stay as money owed, not income, until the builds are finished. A slow month from backorders will not look like a slow month for work coming in.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment and flagged it, so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of gunsmithing.
Most of what trips up a gunsmith is timing on custom builds and keeping job-specific parts separate from general shop costs.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment for the benchLathes, Cerakote ovens, and precision tools can usually be written off in the year bought. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Self-employment tax for solo gunsmithsA gunsmith operating as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, on the Social Security wage base up to $184,500.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for help on the bench gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionA solo bench operating as a pass-through business can usually take up to 20 percent of profit off taxable income, and that number is only right when job costs and deposits are tracked accurately all year.
Deductions gunsmiths miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Bench tools and precision equipment
- Cerakote and finishing supplies
- Parts ordered for customer jobs
- Liability insurance
- Safe and secure storage
- Shop rent and utilities
- Trade certifications and courses
- Card processing fees
- Shipping on parts orders
- Shop apron and safety gear
- Website and booking software
- Range fees for test firing
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 gunsmith's year, kept every month.
Custom build orders and hunting season repairs both come in waves. Your team keeps you ahead of the calendar and the tax deadlines 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, the contractor 1099 list is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned for the year ahead.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering what you owe.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this year's custom build volume changed the number.
- October
Before hunting season repairs
Ahead of the fall rush of repair work, Gus looks at bench equipment worth buying and anything worth doing 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 gunsmiths. 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 gunsmiths ask first.
Can Gus track parts I order for a specific customer's job?
Yes. Parts tied to one job are kept separate from general shop supplies, so the real cost and margin on that job are visible.
How does Gus handle deposits on custom builds?
The deposit stays as money owed against the build until the work is finished and delivered, so a strong deposit month does not overstate what you actually earned.
Does Gus handle the FFL paperwork for firearms I receive?
No. Gus tracks the money side of the business. Federal firearms license recordkeeping and transfer compliance are legal obligations outside what a bookkeeping subscription covers.
I work mostly alone. Is this still worth it for a one-person shop?
Yes. Even a solo bench benefits from separating job costs, deposits, and equipment, and from having the year's set-aside planned before tax season instead of guessed at in April.
My books are behind by a few months. Can Gus catch up?
Usually within a week. Send whatever bank statements and job invoices you have from those months, and Gus works through the backlog before the accountant reviews it.
How does Gus handle Cerakote and finishing work in the books?
Finishing work is kept in its own category, separate from repairs and builds, so you can see whether it is priced right against its own materials cost.
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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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