Roofing & exterior

Books and taxes for gutter installation companies.

Aluminum coil by the roll, a gutter machine mounted on the truck that forms one-piece runs on site, downspout add-ons, and jobs priced by the linear foot. Gus sorts it all, 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
$14,800
what you made

September cleared $14,800. Fall is your busiest stretch, and I kept the aluminum coil order in its own line so the month doesn't look thin next to October.

  • Homeowner payment, Ridge RdInstalled jobs
  • Roofer referral job payoutReferral jobs
  • Coil stock orderAluminum and materials
  • Machine truck lease paymentTrucks and equipment
  • Google local services adsLead fees
Money in$52,000
Money out$37,200
Set aside for taxes$4,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Gutter installation books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and bills. Your business runs on coil bought by the roll, a machine mounted in the truck that forms gutters on site, and pricing by the linear foot. When the books don't know that, a good month and a bad one look the same.

  1. 1

    A coil order lands all at once

    Aluminum coil is bought by the roll in bulk to get a better price, but one big order can make a month look like a loss when the coil actually covers weeks of jobs still to come.

    What we doSpreads a bulk coil order against the jobs it's used for instead of the calendar month it was bought in.
  2. 2

    Per-foot pricing hides which jobs are worth it

    A job priced at a flat rate per linear foot looks the same on the invoice whether the house has easy fascia access or three stories of scaffolding. Without job-level tracking, you can't tell which jobs are actually profitable.

    What we doTracks material and labor against each job so you can see whether the per-foot price is covering harder installs.
  3. 3

    The forming machine on the truck isn't a supply cost

    A gutter machine mounted on a truck can cost as much as the truck itself. Filed as supplies or materials, it muddies both that month and the return.

    What we doLogs the machine as equipment the day it's bought, separate from the coil it forms into gutters, so it gets written off right.
  4. 4

    Roofer referral jobs get miscounted

    Jobs that come through a roofing contractor's referral, sometimes with a finder's fee paid back to them, can get booked as the full invoice with no record of what went back out for the referral.

    What we doBooks the referral fee as its own cost so the job's real margin is visible, not just the invoice total.
  5. 5

    Gutter guard add-ons blur into the base install

    Upselling gutter guards on top of a new install is common, but if the guard product and the gutter itself aren't tracked separately, you can't tell which part of the job is actually driving profit.

    What we doKeeps gutter guard sales in their own line so you can see how much of the job's revenue is coming from the upsell.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a gutter installation 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

  • Installed jobsNew one-piece gutter and downspout installs, paid by the homeowner.
  • Gutter guard add-onsGuard product sales, kept apart from the base install.
  • Referral jobsWork that comes through a roofer or builder referral.
  • Repair and reattachmentSmaller jobs fixing sagging or detached sections.

Money out

  • Aluminum and materialsCoil stock, hangers, end caps, and downspout elbows.
  • Gutter guard productThe guard material itself, kept apart from install labor.
  • Trucks and equipmentMachine truck leases or payments, plus fuel and repairs.
  • Referral feesWhat gets paid back to a roofer or builder for a referred job.
  • Lead generationAngi, Google local services ads, and door-hanger printing.
  • Insurance and licensingLiability coverage and contractor license renewals.

What we watch for you

  • Job margin

    What each install actually cleared once coil, labor, and referral fees are counted.

  • Guard attach rate

    How often gutter guards get added on, since that upsell often carries better margin.

  • Coil cost per job

    How much aluminum price swings are eating into per-foot pricing.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.

Ask Gus

Things gutter installation 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.

Bought a full roll pallet of coil for the fall rush. Why does this month look thin?

I spread that order against the jobs it's for instead of dumping it all into this month, so the thin look should ease up as those jobs get booked out.

I pay my roofer buddy a finder's fee on jobs he sends me. Where does that show up?

I book it as a referral fee against that specific job, so you can still see what the job cleared after paying him.

Do I owe him a 1099 for that?

If you pay him $2,000 or more this year for referrals, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. I'm keeping track as it adds up.

The tax side

The tax side of a gutter installation business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing on bulk coil orders and labels on the machine truck itself.

What your return has to get right

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

  • The machine truck and seamerA gutter machine and the truck it's mounted on can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • 1099s for referral fees and subcontractorsAnyone not on payroll, including a referral source, who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • Employee or contractorA helper who runs the machine on your schedule and uses your truck usually looks like an employee. Gus flags it 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 track jobs correctly all year.

Deductions gutter installation companies miss

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

  • Coil stock and end caps
  • Downspout elbows and hangers
  • Machine truck lease or loan interest
  • Fuel and truck repairs
  • Ladders and roof jacks
  • Google local services ads
  • Door-hanger printing
  • Referral fees paid out
  • License and bonding fees
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Phone for scheduling and quotes
  • Card processing fees

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 installation year, kept every month.

Fall leaf drop and spring storms drive the calls, but taxes come on their own 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, any referral fee 1099s are finalized, and the monthly set-aside is planned before spring picks up.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, with no surprise bill because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand heading into the fall rush, and whether coil prices this year changed what you'll owe.

  4. October

    Before the rush ends

    A look at equipment bought during the fall push 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 installation 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 installation owners ask first.

How does Gus handle a bulk coil order?

He spreads it against the jobs it's used for instead of one calendar month, so a big buy right before a busy stretch doesn't make that month look like a loss.

I pay a finder's fee to roofers who send me work. Does that complicate things?

No. Gus books the referral fee as a cost against that specific job, so you can still see what the job cleared after paying it out.

Do gutter guards need their own category?

Yes, and Gus keeps them separate from the base install automatically, so you can see how much of a job's revenue came from the upsell.

My machine truck is leased, not owned. Does that change the write-off?

It changes how it's deducted, usually as a running lease cost instead of a one-time purchase, but Gus keeps it tracked correctly either way and flags the details for the accountant.

I do a lot of small repair calls between installs. Do those need separate tracking?

Yes, Gus keeps repair and reattachment work in its own category so you can see it apart from new installs, since the margins usually look different.

My books are a season behind. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them and the accountant checks the result, usually within 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.

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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