Home maintenance & specialty services

Books and taxes for gutter and dryer vent combo service companies.

Combo service calls, gutter guard installs, HOA subdivision contracts, and dump fees that spike every fall. Gus sorts all of it, and an accountant checks every transaction.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
OctoberExample month
$8,300
what you made

October came in at $8,300. Leaf season pushed your dump fees up, so I tied them to the jobs that generated the heaviest loads instead of letting them blend into fuel and supplies.

  • Combo service, cardGutter and vent combo calls
  • HOA subdivision contract paymentSubdivision route contracts
  • Gutter Supply Co mesh guardsGutter guard materials
  • County transfer stationDebris disposal fees
  • Shell fuelTruck and fuel
Money in$26,500
Money out$18,200
Set aside for taxes$1,900
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Gutter and dryer vent books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and a dump receipt. Your business runs two services under one invoice, guard installs that carry real material cost, and a subdivision contract that pays once for weeks of work. When the books do not track those apart, you cannot tell which service actually pays.

  1. 1

    A combo call blends two services into one number

    When a customer books gutter cleaning and dryer vent cleaning together, one invoice covers both. Left as one line, you cannot tell whether gutters or vents are actually carrying the business.

    What we doSplits combo call income between gutter and vent work, so each service shows what it actually brings in.
  2. 2

    Gutter guard installs carry real material cost

    A mesh or aluminum guard install uses far more material than a basic cleaning, and if that cost is not separated, an install job can look just as profitable as a quick cleaning when it is not.

    What we doKeeps gutter guard materials in their own line, separate from cleaning labor, so install margin is visible.
  3. 3

    A subdivision contract pays once for weeks of houses

    An HOA route contract covering dozens of homes often pays in one lump sum, even though the work happens house by house over several weeks. Booked all at once, the payment month looks huge and the work months look empty.

    What we doSpreads subdivision contract income against the weeks the houses actually got serviced.
  4. 4

    Dump fees spike with fall leaf season

    A gutter full of wet leaves in October costs more to dump than a light spring cleaning, and lumped in with fuel and supplies, that swing looks like a random cost instead of the season doing what it always does.

    What we doTies disposal fees to the jobs and season that caused them, so a fall spike makes sense in the numbers.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a gutter and dryer vent business.

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

  • Gutter and vent combo callsJobs booking both services together, split between the two.
  • Standalone gutter cleaningGutter-only service calls.
  • Standalone dryer vent cleaningVent-only calls, including home sale inspection referrals.
  • Gutter guard installsMaterial and labor for guard installs, kept apart from cleaning.
  • Subdivision route contractsHOA and community-wide contracts covering many homes.

Money out

  • Gutter guard materialsAluminum or mesh guard material bought wholesale.
  • Vent cleaning equipmentRotary brush systems and vacuum equipment for dryer vents.
  • Truck and ladder rigFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the vehicle.
  • Debris disposal feesTransfer station and dump fees, heavier in fall leaf season.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage sized to ladder and roof-adjacent work.
  • Lead feesGoogle local services and Angi.
  • Uniforms and phoneBranded shirts and the phone used for dispatch.

What we watch for you

  • Service split

    Gutter revenue against vent revenue, once combo calls are divided.

  • Guard install margin

    What guard materials cost against what installs charged.

  • Disposal cost per job

    Dump fees against cleaning revenue, especially through fall leaf season.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things gutter and dryer vent 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.

How much of my income is actually gutters versus dryer vents? Everyone books both together.

I split every combo call between the two services, so you can see either one on its own whenever you want.

A guard install job looked profitable until I remembered what the mesh cost. What happened?

I keep guard materials in their own line now, separate from your cleaning labor, so an install job's real margin is easy to see going forward.

The HOA paid me one check for a whole subdivision, but the work took three weeks. Why does one week look huge?

I spread that contract payment across the weeks the houses actually got done, so no single week looks bigger than it really was.

The tax side

The tax side of a gutter and dryer vent business.

Most of what goes wrong here is splitting what is bundled: two services on one invoice, guard materials mixed with labor, and a contract paid in one lump sum.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Truck and equipmentYour truck, ladder rig, and vent cleaning equipment can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to the Section 179 limit, with 100 percent bonus depreciation on property bought 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 materialsWhether tax applies to guard materials sold with a labor job, or to the whole invoice, depends on your state. Gus flags it and the accountant checks how your state treats the split.
  • 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 gutter and dryer vent cleaning companies miss

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

  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Gutter guard materials
  • Rotary brush and vacuum equipment
  • Ladders and fall protection gear
  • Debris disposal fees
  • Liability insurance
  • Google local services and Angi fees
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Phone and tablet for dispatch
  • Card processing fees
  • Small tools under the expensing threshold
  • Storage or yard rent for materials

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 gutter and dryer vent year, kept every month.

Fall leaf season and spring cleanups bring your heaviest weeks. 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 cleaning season changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the leaf rush

    Before fall gutter calls flood in, Gus looks at equipment worth buying 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 gutter and dryer vent cleaning 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 gutter and dryer vent owners ask first.

Can Gus split combo jobs between gutter and vent income?

Yes. Every combo call gets divided between the two services, so you can see how much of your business is actually gutters versus vents.

Do gutter guard installs get tracked differently than a basic cleaning?

Yes. Guard materials stay in their own line, separate from cleaning labor, so you can see the real margin on an install versus a quick cleaning job.

An HOA contract pays me once for a whole subdivision. How does that get booked?

Gus spreads that payment across the weeks the houses actually got serviced, so no single week looks inflated compared to the work you actually did.

My dump fees jump every fall. Is that a books problem?

No, that is expected with heavier leaf loads. Gus ties disposal fees to the season and jobs that caused them so the swing makes sense.

My books are a mix of cash jobs and card payments from two different services. Can Gus sort that out?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know where they stand inside a week.

Do I owe sales tax on the guard materials I install?

Often, and it depends on your state whether that applies to just the materials or the whole invoice. Gus flags materials and labor separately so the accountant can check your state's rule.

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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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