Security & life safety
Books and taxes for hurricane shutter installers.
Accordion shutter jobs, roll-down installs, a rush order before a named storm, and the wind mitigation paperwork insurers ask for. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $17,400. A tropical storm watch pulled in eleven rush orders in one week, so I kept that spike separate from your usual booked schedule.
- Accordion shutter install, Prieto residenceStandard installation billing
- Rush order, storm watch weekRush installation billing
- Wind mitigation inspection feeMitigation paperwork fees
- Aluminum panel supplier orderShutter materials
- Shutter crew payrollShutter crew wages
Why your books are different
Hurricane shutter installer books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees job deposits and a materials invoice. Your business is calm months and panic weeks, aluminum and steel bought ahead of a season, and paperwork insurers want before they cut a homeowner's premium. When the books do not separate the rush jobs from the steady ones, the season's real pattern gets lost.
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1
A storm-watch rush week gets averaged into a normal month
When a named storm is a few days out, a week's worth of rush orders can equal a month of normal business, and averaged into the month as a whole, you lose the ability to see how much extra a rush truly earns versus a scheduled install.
What we doKeeps rush installation billing apart from standard bookings, so the value of a storm-watch surge is visible on its own. -
2
A pre-season materials buy skews a slow month
Aluminum panels and steel hardware bought in bulk ahead of hurricane season show up as one large expense in a month with few installs yet scheduled, making a normal pre-season lull look like a loss.
What we doKeeps shutter materials in one steady line and flags a pre-season stock-up as inventory, not a thin month. -
3
Wind mitigation paperwork fees get lost in installation billing
Homeowners often pay separately for the inspection paperwork that can lower their insurance premium, and if that fee is not split out, you cannot tell how much of your revenue comes from the install itself versus the documentation work.
What we doKeeps mitigation paperwork fees in their own category, apart from the installation job. -
4
Crew overtime during a rush week eats the extra margin
A storm-watch week often means paying crews overtime to finish rush installs, and if that overtime is not tied to the rush jobs that caused it, a big revenue week can look far more profitable than it actually was.
What we doTies crew overtime to the rush jobs it covered, so a busy week's real margin is clear, not just its revenue.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hurricane shutter installer.
Set up once for how you bill and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Standard installation billingJobs booked and scheduled in the normal course of business.
- Rush installation billingJobs booked and completed on short notice ahead of a storm.
- Mitigation paperwork feesWind mitigation inspection and documentation fees paid separately from the install.
- Repair and replacement jobsFixing or replacing panels and tracks on existing installs.
Money out
- Shutter materialsAluminum panels, steel hardware, and track systems from a distributor.
- Shutter crew wagesRegular pay for installation crews.
- Crew overtimeExtra pay for rush jobs during a storm watch.
- Vehicle costsFuel, maintenance, and insurance for installation trucks.
- Financing feesWhat a lender kept on a financed install.
- Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services, Angi, and seasonal storm-prep advertising.
What we watch for you
- Rush job share
Rush installation revenue against standard bookings. Shows how much of a storm season is panic-driven demand.
- Materials cost
Panel and hardware cost against revenue. A pre-season stock-up should read as inventory, not a thin month.
- Overtime during rush weeks
Crew overtime tied to rush jobs. Shows whether a busy week's revenue actually turned into profit.
- The set-aside
What you will owe on installs, tracked monthly through the calm months and the panic weeks alike.
Ask Gus
Things hurricane shutter installer 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.
Revenue was strong, but crew overtime ate into it. I tied that overtime to the rush jobs, so the real margin was solid, just not as big as the top-line number.
It will show as a bigger materials cost, but I keep shutter materials in one steady line and flagged it as a pre-season stock-up, not a slow month.
Yes, I keep them apart from the install itself, so you can see how much of your revenue is the shutters versus the paperwork homeowners need for their insurer.
The tax side
The tax side of a hurricane shutter installer business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing between pre-season buys and rush-week labor. Get those tracked and the rest is straightforward.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory for pre-season materialsPanels and hardware bought ahead of storm season are usually tracked as inventory rather than expensed the day they arrive, which affects how the return is prepared.
- Equipment write-offs for trucks and toolsInstallation trucks and larger equipment can often be written off in the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, such as a subcontracted install crew during a rush week, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when rush-week overtime and materials are tracked apart all year.
Deductions hurricane shutter installers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Aluminum panels and steel hardware
- Track systems and fasteners
- Installation truck fuel and repairs
- Crew safety gear
- Lead fees from Angi or Google local services
- Financing and card processing fees
- State contractor licensing
- Liability insurance
- Warehouse storage for pre-season inventory
- Uniforms with your logo
- Phone and tablet for scheduling
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 hurricane shutter installer's year, kept every month.
The calm months and the panic weeks both need the same steady books. Your team keeps you ahead of both, all year. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Season planned ahead
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for rush-week crews is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed before the season heats up
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January, storm season or not.
- July
A midseason pace check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether early storm activity has driven the season's pace.
- October
As the season winds down
With hurricane season closing, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.
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 hurricane shutter 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 hurricane shutter installer owners ask first.
Can Gus separate a storm-watch rush week from normal business?
Yes. Rush installation billing is kept apart from standard bookings, so you can see how much extra a panic week actually brought in, and what it cost in overtime.
How does Gus handle a big pre-season panel order?
He keeps shutter materials in one steady line and flags a bulk order as a stock-up, so it does not make a normal slow month before the season look like a loss.
Do wind mitigation inspection fees get taxed differently than installation revenue?
No, both are ordinary business income. Gus just keeps them on separate lines so you can see how much of your revenue is shutters versus paperwork.
Is crew overtime during a storm watch worth tracking closely?
Yes. Gus ties overtime pay to the rush jobs that caused it, so a big revenue week shows its real margin, not just its top-line total.
My books are behind after a hurricane season rush. Is that a problem?
No. Send whatever job statements piled up during the rush. Gus works through standard jobs and storm-watch orders alike, 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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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