Electrical, energy & home tech

Books and taxes for home theater and AV installers.

Design-build project draws, builder retainage held for months, calibration-only visits, and manufacturer warranty credits. 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
JanuaryExample month
$16,000
what you made

January brought in $16,000. The Bennett home theater's final draw posted once the builder's retainage cleared from a job finished back in October.

  • Bennett theater final drawDesign-build project draws
  • Calibration house call, Houzz leadCalibration and service visits
  • Sonos warranty creditManufacturer warranty credits
  • SnapAV equipment orderAV racks and equipment
  • Precision Electric subcontractSubcontracted electrical
Money in$61,000
Money out$45,000
Set aside for taxes$3,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A home theater installer's books go wrong around who is holding the money.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is builder retainage held for months, calibration visits priced nothing like a full install, and warranty credits that land weeks late. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you.

  1. 1

    Builder retainage sits unpaid for months

    A new construction AV pre-wire contract often holds back five or ten percent of the payment until the builder's final walkthrough, which can happen months after the wire is pulled and the rack is set. Booking the full contract as paid income at completion overstates what has actually cleared.

    What we doTracks retainage as a separate receivable until it is actually paid, so the books match what has cleared, not what is owed.
  2. 2

    A calibration-only visit gets priced like a full install

    Tuning a projector or fixing someone else's bad speaker placement is almost pure labor with little product cost, and if it is booked the same as a full system install, you cannot see how much of the month came from labor versus equipment sales.

    What we doKeeps calibration and service-only visits in their own category, so labor-heavy work and product-heavy installs show their true separate margins.
  3. 3

    A warranty swap's manufacturer credit lands weeks late

    A defective projector or receiver gets swapped under warranty, and the manufacturer's credit for the returned unit can land weeks after the service call, long after the labor was billed and the new unit was installed.

    What we doMatches the manufacturer credit back to the swap it covers, so the job's true cost is only what never gets credited back.
  4. 4

    One big system swings a whole quarter

    A single high-end theater system can be worth more than five ordinary jobs combined, so one slow sale month followed by one big install can make the business look wildly inconsistent if someone is just eyeballing deposits.

    What we doTracks each system project against its own materials and labor, so a big month reads as one job done well, not a mystery swing.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a home theater installer.

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

  • Design-build project drawsDeposit, install, and final draws on a home theater or whole-house AV system.
  • Calibration and service visitsProjector tuning and fix-up calls, tracked apart from full installs.
  • New construction pre-wire contractsBuilder-paid AV pre-wire work, including retainage held until final walkthrough.
  • Manufacturer warranty creditsCredits for defective units swapped under warranty, matched to the job.
  • Financed projectsThe full contract amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.

Money out

  • Install crew wagesKept apart from calibration labor so cost by job type stays clear.
  • AV racks and equipmentProjectors, screens, speakers, and racks from SnapAV or a similar distributor.
  • Subcontracted electricalDedicated circuit work billed apart from the AV install's own cost.
  • Acoustic treatment materialsPanels and room treatment for dedicated theater builds.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for service vehicles.
  • Certification and training feesCalibration and manufacturer certification program costs.
  • Lead fees and marketingHouzz and Google local services leads.

What we watch for you

  • Retainage owed

    Builder holdbacks not yet paid, so a finished job is not mistaken for cash in hand.

  • Calibration labor share

    How much of the month came from pure labor versus product sales.

  • Warranty credit lag

    Manufacturer credits still owed on swapped equipment.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things home theater 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.

The builder is holding back ten percent on the Bennett job until the final walkthrough. Does that count as paid?

Not yet. I track it as a receivable until it actually clears, so the books match what you have collected, not what you are owed.

I did a two-hour calibration call with no equipment sold. Does that skew the month?

No, I keep calibration visits in their own category, so pure labor work and full installs show their own true margins.

Sonos swapped a defective receiver under warranty. When does their credit show up?

Whenever it lands, matched back to that specific job, so the swap's real cost is only whatever never gets credited back.

The tax side

The tax side of a home theater install business.

Most of what goes wrong here is money owed versus money collected. Retainage counted too soon, a warranty credit lost, and a set-aside nobody started until April.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Theater and calibration equipmentTest gear, calibration tools, and the service van can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sSubcontracted electricians not on payroll get a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026. The form is due January 31.
  • Employee or contractorAn installer who uses your tools and works your schedule is usually an employee, not a subcontractor, no matter how the pay is set up.
  • 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 home theater and AV installers miss

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

  • Calibration meters and gear
  • Acoustic treatment samples
  • Showroom demo equipment
  • Truck signage and wraps
  • Liability and bonding insurance
  • Certification training fees
  • Houzz and lead fees
  • Phone for site photos
  • Dump fees for old equipment
  • Home office for design work
  • Vehicle registration
  • Background check 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 home theater installer's year, kept every month.

Big game season and the holidays drive two very different rushes. 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, right as the big game rush peaks.

  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 the post-holiday theater rush carried through spring.

  4. October

    Before the holidays

    Homeowners want theaters finished before holiday guests arrive. Before it hits, Gus looks at equipment you might buy 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 home theater and AV 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 theater installers ask first.

Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?

Yes. He books the full job 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.

The builder holds back ten percent until the final walkthrough. Does Gus track that?

Yes. Retainage is tracked as a receivable until it actually clears, so the books match what you have collected, not what a contract says you are owed.

A calibration-only visit has almost no equipment cost. Does that get mixed in with full installs?

No. Calibration and service visits are kept in their own category, so labor-heavy work and product-heavy installs show their true separate margins.

A manufacturer credited us for a swapped unit weeks after the service call. Where does that go?

Back to the job it covers, so the swap's real cost is only whatever never gets credited back.

Do I write off my calibration gear all at once?

Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.

My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people 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.

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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