Hard goods, dealers & local stores
Books and taxes for independent appliance stores.
Floor sales, special orders collected weeks before delivery, haul-away and installation fees, and a manufacturer rebate that lands late. 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
September came in at $18,300. Three big special orders had deposits from August that finally delivered, so I moved that money from owed-out to earned now that the sets are in customers' homes.
- Floor stock sales, registerRetail sales
- Range order depositCustomer deposits
- GE rebate programManufacturer rebates
- Whirlpool distributor invoiceInventory purchase
- Delivery crew payrollDelivery and installation
Why your books are different
Appliance store books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and vendor bills. Your business is special orders paid for weeks before they arrive, delivery and haul-away billed apart from the unit, floor models sold at a discount, and manufacturer rebates that show up on their own schedule. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies.
-
1
A special order deposit gets counted as a finished sale
A customer puts $300 down on a $2,800 range that has not been ordered from the distributor yet. Counted as income the day it is collected, the month looks bigger than it is and the store still owes a delivered, installed appliance.
What we doKeeps deposits as money owed against an order until the appliance is delivered and installed, so the sale only counts once it is real. -
2
Manufacturer rebates get lost or mistaken for a strong month
A rebate program from GE, Whirlpool, or LG often pays out weeks after the qualifying sale, as one lump payment covering several units, with no obvious tie to which sales earned it.
What we doBooks manufacturer rebates as their own line tied to the sales that earned them, so the payment does not read as a sudden jump in retail sales. -
3
Floor model and scratch-and-dent discounts blur real margin
A floor model sold at a steep discount looks like a normal sale at full margin if the discount is not tracked separately, which makes it hard to see whether the store is actually making money on new-in-box units.
What we doFlags floor model and discounted sales apart from full-price units, so real margin on new stock stays visible. -
4
Delivery and haul-away get buried inside the sale price
A delivery fee and an old-unit haul-away charge get rung up as part of the appliance price with no separate line, so there is no way to see how much of a month's money came from delivery labor versus the unit sold.
What we doKeeps delivery and installation income in its own line, so labor and merchandise each show what they actually earned.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an appliance store.
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
- Retail salesFloor stock sold and paid for at the time of purchase.
- Customer depositsDown payments on special orders not yet delivered.
- Delivery and installationDelivery, hookup, and haul-away fees billed apart from the unit.
- Extended warranty commissionThe store's cut of a third-party service contract sold at checkout.
- Manufacturer rebatesVolume and promotional rebates from GE, Whirlpool, LG, or Samsung.
Money out
- Inventory purchaseNew units bought from distributors and manufacturers.
- Delivery and installationCrew wages, truck fuel, and hauling equipment for delivery days.
- Store payrollShowroom sales staff and office help.
- Rent and utilitiesShowroom lease, warehouse, and display power for demo units.
- Financing and card feesWhat a financing partner or card processor kept before the sale hit the bank.
- Signage and local advertisingLocal ads, showroom signage, and promotional events.
- Old unit disposal feesRecycling and disposal costs for hauled-away appliances.
What we watch for you
- Open deposits outstanding
Money collected on special orders that has not been earned yet, so it is never counted twice.
- Gross margin on new stock
What full-price units earn apart from floor model and discounted sales.
- Delivery cost per unit
Crew and fuel cost against delivery fees charged, so delivery does not quietly lose money.
- The set-aside
What the store will owe, tracked as each month closes, so April never means a scramble.
Ask Gus
Things appliance store 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.
Not yet. I keep it as money owed against the order until the fridge is delivered and installed, so the sale only counts once it is real.
No, I booked it as its own line tied to the sales that earned it, so it does not blur into this month's actual retail numbers.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of an appliance store.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. A deposit counted too early, a rebate that lands late, 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.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldWhat was actually paid for the appliances sold during the year, not just what was spent restocking, is what counts against sales. Units still on the showroom floor at year end need a fair value on the books.
- Section 179 on delivery and warehouse equipmentA delivery truck, dollies, and warehouse racking can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, such as a subcontracted delivery crew, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income. Getting the number right depends on deposits, rebates, and delivery income all being sorted correctly through the year.
Deductions independent appliance stores miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Delivery truck fuel and repairs
- Dollies and moving equipment
- Showroom display power
- Financing and card processing fees
- Old unit disposal fees
- Local advertising and signage
- Business liability insurance
- Damaged or scratched floor model write-downs
- Uniforms for delivery crews
- Point of sale software
- Warehouse racking and storage
- Snow removal and lot upkeep
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
An appliance store year, kept every month.
Special orders and rebates arrive on their own schedule all year, not just at tax time. 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, the delivery crew 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, with nothing owed that the running set-aside had not already set apart.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether rebates and delivery income are landing where they should.
- October
Before holiday buying
Before the Q4 rush on ranges and refrigerators, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing 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 independent appliance stores. 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 appliance store owners ask first.
How does Gus handle special order deposits?
He keeps a deposit as money owed against the order until the appliance is delivered and installed, so your sales are not overstated before the job is actually done.
We get rebate checks from manufacturers. How does that get booked?
As its own line tied to the sales that earned it, so a rebate payment does not read as a sudden jump in retail sales for the month it lands.
Do floor models need special handling in the books?
Gus flags floor model and discounted sales apart from full-price units, so you can see real margin on new stock instead of it blending with clearance pricing.
We subcontract our delivery crew. Does that change anything at tax time?
If they are not on payroll and you pay them $2,000 or more in 2026, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running all year.
Our books are a season behind. Can Gus catch up?
Usually within a week. Hand over whatever bank statements you have, Gus sorts through them, and the accountant checks the work before you get a real answer on where the store stands.
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