Remodeling & interiors
Books and taxes for home elevator and stairlift installers.
A financed elevator install, a short-term stairlift rental, an annual maintenance contract, and the state inspection every elevator needs. Gus sorts every dollar to the job it came from, 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 $18,000. Two stairlift rentals came back from customers who recovered from surgery, so I moved that equipment back to inventory instead of counting it as new revenue.
- Financed elevator installHome elevator installs
- Stairlift rental paymentStairlift rentals
- Annual maintenance contractService and maintenance contracts
- Elevator unit orderUnit and equipment cost
- State elevator inspection feeInspection and permit fees
Why your books are different
Home elevator books go wrong between a sale, a rental, and a service call.
A generalist sees a deposit and a bill. Your business sells high-ticket elevators, rents stairlifts short term, signs customers to annual maintenance contracts, and answers to a state elevator inspector most trades never deal with. When the books do not track each revenue type, the steady money and the one-time sales blur together.
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1
Stairlift rentals get treated like a sale
A stairlift rented for a few months during someone's recovery is not the same as a unit sold outright, and if rental income is booked the same way as a sale, you lose track of which stairlifts are actually your own equipment still out earning rental income.
What we doKeeps rentals in their own category and tracks the equipment separately, so a rental reads as rental income, not a sale. -
2
Annual maintenance contracts disappear into one-time install income
Service contracts are your steadiest income and often the most overlooked, since one big elevator sale can dwarf a handful of maintenance renewals in the same month if they are not tracked apart.
What we doKeeps maintenance contract income in its own line, so you can see how much steady revenue is building underneath the bigger install sales. -
3
State inspection fees get treated like a regular permit cost
Home elevators typically need a state or local elevator inspection, sometimes on a recurring basis, and if that cost blends into general permit fees, you cannot see what staying compliant is really costing you per install or per year.
What we doTracks elevator inspection fees on their own, so compliance costs are visible instead of buried in permits. -
4
A financed elevator sale pays out short
When a homeowner finances a home elevator, the lender pays out less than the invoice and keeps a fee. Booked as the deposit alone, both your sales and your real cost of offering financing come out wrong.
What we doBooks the full sale as money in and the lender's cut as a financing fee, so your prices and your costs both show up honest.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a home elevator and stairlift business.
Set up once for how your jobs get paid and what they cost. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Home elevator installsFull elevator sales and installs, financed or paid outright.
- Stairlift salesUnits sold outright rather than rented.
- Stairlift rentalsShort-term rental income, tracked apart from unit sales.
- Service and maintenance contractsAnnual or recurring service agreements.
Money out
- Unit and equipment costElevators and stairlifts purchased from the manufacturer or dealer network.
- Install subcontractorsElectricians and structural subs brought in for elevator shaft work.
- Inspection and permit feesState elevator inspections, tracked apart from general permits.
- Service parts and suppliesParts used to fulfill maintenance contracts and repair calls.
- Truck and equipmentThe vehicle and tools that support install and service.
What we watch for you
- Recurring contract revenue
How much steady income maintenance contracts are building, apart from one-time sales.
- Rental fleet utilization
How much of your rental stairlift inventory is actually out earning income right now.
- Install margin
What each elevator or stairlift install actually cleared after unit cost and subs.
- Financing cost
What lenders keep on financed sales, worth knowing before offering it on every deal.
Ask Gus
Things home elevator installers 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.
No, I moved that equipment back into your rental inventory. It is available to rent again, not a loss, just a return of the unit.
Yes. Kept on their own, contract renewals brought in steady income this month even without a single new install, worth seeing clearly.
If you paid him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, yes, by January 31. I have been keeping that list all year so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of a home elevator and stairlift business.
Most of what trips up this business is separating rentals, contracts, and sales, plus tracking who does the install work.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Subcontractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like an electrician for shaft wiring, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list as the year goes.
- Employee or subcontractorAn installer who works your schedule and uses your tools usually looks like an employee, not a sub, no matter what the invoice says. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Rental equipmentStairlifts kept as rental inventory are handled differently than units sold outright. The accountant can walk you through how rental equipment depreciates over time.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right only when rentals, contracts, and sales are booked correctly all year.
Deductions home elevator and stairlift installers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Install tools and equipment
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Service parts inventory
- State inspection fees
- Liability insurance
- Continuing education and certifications
- Branded uniforms
- Phone and tablet for scheduling
- Mileage between installs and service calls
- Rental unit maintenance and refurbishing
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 home elevator and stairlift year, kept every month.
Installs, rentals, and service contracts each run on their own rhythm. Gus keeps taxes on a schedule of their own. 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 subcontractor 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether service contracts are building a steadier base than last year.
- October
Before year-end
Gus looks at whether new rental inventory or equipment before December makes sense, and where the year is landing.
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 home elevator and stairlift installers. 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 home elevator installers ask first.
Can Gus tell the difference between a stairlift rental and a sale?
Yes. Rentals are tracked in their own category, with the equipment kept separate, so a rental reads as rental income and the unit stays visible as your inventory.
Are maintenance contracts worth tracking apart from install sales?
Yes. Gus keeps that income in its own line, so you can see how much steady revenue is building underneath the bigger, less frequent install sales.
Can Gus handle financed elevator sales?
Yes. He books the full sale as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
Do state elevator inspections get tracked differently than regular permits?
Yes, and Gus does it for you. Inspection fees stay in their own line, so you can see what staying compliant actually costs.
My books are a few months behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Do I write off rental stairlift inventory the same way as a truck?
Rental equipment is handled a little differently than a straightforward purchase. Gus flags it and the accountant walks you through how it depreciates over time.
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