Auto repair & maintenance
Books and taxes for hybrid and EV repair specialists.
High-voltage battery diagnostics, EV-specific tooling, insurance claims on battery packs, and certifications the dealer counts on you not having. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
April came in at $17,000. The insulated glove testing and high-voltage certification renewal both hit this month, so I kept them as certification costs, not shop supplies.
- Shopmonkey payoutsRepair orders
- Insurance claim, battery packInsurance claims
- High-voltage glove testingCertification costs
- EV battery diagnostic toolEquipment
- Shop rent, AprilRent and utilities
Why your books are different
Hybrid and EV shop books go wrong on certification and battery costs.
You carry costs a gas engine shop never sees: insulated tools tested on a schedule, high-voltage certification that has to stay current, and battery pack diagnostics that can take hours before a single cell gets replaced. A generalist bookkeeper prices you like an oil change shop with a fancier scan tool.
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1
High-voltage certification isn't a training expense you can skip
Working safely on a hybrid or EV battery system requires certification that has to be renewed and insulated tools that need periodic testing, ongoing costs that a shop working only on gas engines doesn't carry at all.
What we doKeeps certification renewals and insulated tool testing in their own category, so you can see what staying qualified for this work actually costs. -
2
Battery diagnostics take hours before any part is touched
Diagnosing a hybrid or EV battery pack issue can mean hours of cell-level testing before deciding whether a module, a pack, or nothing at all needs replacing, time a customer expects billed honestly rather than folded into a flat rate that undercharges the hunt.
What we doKeeps diagnostic time visible against the ticket, so pricing reflects the hours spent testing, not just the part that ends up replaced. -
3
A battery pack replacement is the biggest ticket in the shop
A replacement battery pack, new or reconditioned, can be one of the largest single parts costs in the shop, sometimes involving an insurance claim after an accident that pays weeks after the work is done and sometimes for less than the estimate.
What we doTracks insurance-paid battery jobs as a receivable until the check lands, so you can see what's owed and catch a shortfall. -
4
EV-specific tools are a different investment than hand tools
An insulated tool set, a high-voltage multimeter, and a battery diagnostic system built for EV work cost far more than the sockets and wrenches on a general shop's shelf, and filed as ordinary shop supplies, that cost disappears into rags and gloves.
What we doFlags EV-specific tool purchases the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and brings big ones to the accountant for the depreciation call.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hybrid and EV shop.
Set up once for certification and battery work, you never pick a category, an accountant checks every one.
Money in
- Repair ordersDiagnostics and general repair on hybrid and electric vehicles.
- Battery pack replacementsThe shop's highest-ticket jobs, tracked apart from routine repair.
- Insurance claimsBattery and drivetrain claims paid through a direct repair program.
- Fleet accountsLocal business EV or hybrid fleets billed net 30.
Money out
- Battery and EV partsReplacement modules, packs, and drivetrain components.
- Certification costsHigh-voltage certification renewals and insulated tool testing.
- Tech wages and commissionFlat-rate pay kept apart from straight hourly wages.
- EquipmentBattery diagnostic systems and insulated tool sets, logged so they get written off right.
- InsuranceGaragekeepers and general liability coverage.
- Disposal feesBattery cell and hazardous material disposal, handled by a certified hauler.
What we watch for you
- Diagnostic hours billed
How much of the month's labor is battery testing time versus flat-rate repair.
- Battery job margin
What a pack replacement nets after parts and diagnostic time, tracked job to job.
- Certification cost
What staying qualified for high-voltage work costs each year, watched against revenue.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things hybrid and EV shop 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.
Yes. I logged the diagnostic time against that ticket, separate from the parts cost, so the hours you spent actually show in what the job earned.
I'm tracking it as owed, not collected. If it comes in short of the estimate, I'll flag the difference when it lands.
No, I kept it separate as a certification cost, so you can see what staying qualified for this work actually runs you each year.
The tax side
The tax side of a hybrid and EV shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is certification costs filed like supplies and battery tools that cost more than a shop's whole tool budget.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- EV-specific tools and equipmentA battery diagnostic system, insulated tool set, or high-voltage multimeter can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Flat-rate tech classificationA technician who works your schedule and uses your tools is usually an employee, even paid by the flat-rate hour on battery diagnostics. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes routine.
- Battery parts as cost of goodsA replacement battery module or pack bought ahead of a scheduled job is inventory, and its cost only counts against income once it's actually installed, not the day it arrived.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operator shops can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, and it comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions hybrid and EV repair specialists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- High-voltage certification renewals
- Insulated glove testing
- Battery diagnostic software
- ASE certification fees
- Garagekeepers insurance
- Hazardous material disposal
- Uniform rental service
- Insulated tool replacement
- Continuing training courses
- Shop towel service
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 hybrid and EV shop's year, kept every month.
Battery work comes in steady all year as more EVs age past warranty. 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.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, certification renewal dates are reviewed, and you get a monthly set-aside so April isn't a surprise.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January and matched what the shop actually made.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether more out-of-warranty EVs coming in changed the number this year.
- October
Before winter range calls
Cold weather brings more range and battery performance complaints. Before the rush, 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 hybrid and EV repair specialists. 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 hybrid and EV shop owners ask first.
Can Gus separate battery diagnostic time from the parts cost?
Yes. He keeps diagnostic hours visible against the ticket, so a job that took hours of testing before a cell replacement shows that time, instead of hiding it inside a flat labor number.
How does an insurance claim on a battery pack get tracked?
As a receivable owed until the check lands, not as ordinary income the day the work is finished. If the payout comes in short of the estimate, Gus flags the difference.
Does high-voltage certification count as a business expense?
Yes. Certification renewals and insulated tool testing are kept in their own category, separate from shop supplies, so you always know what staying qualified for this work costs.
My tools for EV work are much more expensive than a normal shop's. Does that matter for the books?
Yes, and Gus already treats them that way. Battery diagnostic systems and insulated tool sets are logged as equipment, not supplies, so they get written off right.
My books are a mess from doing them myself. 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 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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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