Cleaning services

Books and taxes for hoarding cleanup companies.

Multi-day jobs paid by a family member or an estate, dumpster rentals that can run into the thousands, PPE for every crew member, and a job that sometimes turns into a donation drop-off. 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
SeptemberExample month
$8,500
what you made

September came in at $8,500. The Fairview Lane job ran four days and needed three dumpster pulls, so it cost more to run than most jobs this size.

  • Family-paid cleanup jobDirect family payments
  • Estate attorney invoiceEstate and probate jobs
  • Crew payroll, multi-day jobCrew wages
  • Republic Services roll-offDumpster and disposal fees
  • PPE and hazmat supply orderSafety supplies
Money in$34,600
Money out$26,100
Set aside for taxes$2,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Hoarding cleanup books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs multi-day jobs paid by a family member, an estate, or occasionally a county program, with dumpster costs that swing wildly from job to job. When the books do not know that, you cannot see which jobs actually paid for the crew's time.

  1. 1

    Dumpster costs vary too much to average

    One job might need a single roll-off, and the next might need four because of how much has accumulated. Averaged into a general disposal line, you cannot see which jobs are actually profitable at the price you quoted.

    What we doKeeps dumpster and disposal costs tied to the job they came from so you can see the real cost before pricing the next one like it.
  2. 2

    Multi-day jobs make payroll look uneven

    A four-day hoarding job needs a full crew every day, while the next week might have nothing scheduled. Without context, payroll looks erratic instead of matched to the work that was actually booked.

    What we doKeeps wages tied to the jobs they were paid for, so a big job week is easy to tell apart from a real slow patch.
  3. 3

    Estate and family payments arrive on different timelines

    A family member might pay on the spot, while an estate or attorney's office pays only after probate paperwork clears, sometimes weeks or months later. Mixed into one pile, a slow-paying estate job can make a busy month look thin.

    What we doNotes which jobs are waiting on an estate or attorney's payment process so a delay does not read as lost income.
  4. 4

    PPE and safety costs get treated as a minor supply line

    Hazmat suits, respirators, and heavy-duty gloves are a real and recurring cost in this work, not an occasional purchase, and they get missed when lumped into general cleaning supplies.

    What we doKeeps safety supplies in their own line so the real cost of protecting the crew is visible every month.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a hoarding cleanup 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

  • Direct family paymentsJobs paid on the spot by a family member or homeowner.
  • Estate and probate jobsWork billed through an attorney or estate, often on a delay.
  • Donation and resale drop-offsAny credit or fee tied to items diverted to donation instead of the dump.
  • Referral partner jobsWork sent over by a realtor, social worker, or property manager.

Money out

  • Crew wagesPay for a full crew on multi-day jobs, kept apart from lighter weeks.
  • Dumpster and disposal feesRoll-off rentals and landfill fees, tied to the job that needed them.
  • Safety suppliesHazmat suits, respirators, gloves, and other PPE.
  • Vehicles and fuelThe truck fleet moving crew and debris between the job and the dump.
  • Insurance and bondingLiability coverage that reflects the higher-risk nature of the work.

What we watch for you

  • Disposal cost per job

    Dumpster and landfill fees against jobs run. A rising number needs to be priced into the next quote.

  • Labor share

    Crew wages against money in. It shows whether multi-day job pricing still covers a full crew.

  • Estate payment lag

    How long estate and probate-billed jobs take to pay. Worth knowing before quoting cash flow to yourself.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things hoarding cleanup 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.

The Fairview job needed three dumpster pulls instead of one. Did I underprice it?

I kept those disposal fees on that job's line, so you can see exactly what it cost you before you quote the next one like it.

An estate attorney hired me but says payment comes after probate closes. How does that get tracked?

I note it as waiting on the estate process, so this month still shows the real work you did, even though the payment lands later.

I bought a big batch of hazmat suits and respirators. Does that count as a regular supply cost?

I keep safety supplies in their own line, separate from general cleaning supplies, so you can see what protecting the crew actually costs.

The tax side

The tax side of a hoarding cleanup business.

Most of what goes wrong here is disposal costs and payment timing on estate work. Get those tracked and the rest tends to be steady.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Contractor 1099sAny subcontracted hauler or extra crew paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • Vehicle costsTrucks moving crew and debris between jobs and the dump can deduct business mileage at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026, or actual vehicle costs instead.
  • Employee or contractorA crew member working your schedule with your equipment on a multi-day job is usually an employee. Gus flags it if a pay pattern starts looking like that.
  • 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 hoarding cleanup companies miss

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

  • Hazmat suits and respirators
  • Gloves and safety gear
  • Dumpster and disposal fees
  • Vehicle fuel and repairs
  • Liability insurance
  • Deodorizers and sanitizing supplies
  • Uniforms and boot covers
  • Phone for job coordination
  • Storage for equipment
  • Background check fees for crew
  • Business licenses
  • Workers compensation premiums

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 hoarding cleanup year, kept every month.

This work does not follow a season the way most cleaning does. Your taxes still come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of it. 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, contractor 1099s are 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 a run of bigger jobs changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the year closes

    Gus looks at equipment and PPE worth stocking up on 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 hoarding cleanup 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 hoarding cleanup owners ask first.

A job needed way more dumpsters than I quoted for. How do I know if I priced it wrong?

Gus keeps disposal fees tied to the job they came from, so you can look back and see exactly what a job like that costs before you quote the next one.

An estate is paying me after probate closes. Does that mess up my books?

No. Gus notes that a job is waiting on the estate process, so the month you did the work still shows the real activity, and the payment gets matched when it lands.

I sometimes get referrals from social workers or realtors. Does that need special handling?

No special handling from you. Gus keeps referral partner jobs visible so you can see how much of your business comes through that channel.

My crew size changes a lot depending on the job. Does that confuse the books?

No. Gus keeps wages tied to the job they were paid for, so a big multi-day job is easy to tell apart from a genuinely slow stretch.

My books have not been kept up because this work is unpredictable. Can you still help?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, 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 cleaning services

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