Remodeling & interiors
Books and taxes for interior painting companies.
A new construction job paid on the builder's schedule, an HOA repaint contract that bills every month, a paint store contractor account, and crews paid daily. 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
February came in at $13,000. The Sherwin-Williams contractor account bill covered four different jobs, so I split it back to each one instead of leaving it as one lump cost.
- Builder draw, Redfern homesNew construction painting
- Client payment, Alvarez repaintResidential repaints
- HOA contract payment, WillowbrookRecurring maintenance contracts
- Sherwin-Williams contractor accountPaint and sundries
- Crew wages, day rateCrew labor
Why your books are different
Interior painting books go wrong when one paint bill covers four jobs.
A generalist sees a deposit and a bill. Your business paints for builders on their draw schedule, bills HOAs the same amount every month, and runs one contractor account at the paint store that covers several jobs at once. When the books do not split that back out, no single job's real cost is ever clear.
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1
A contractor paint account bill covers several jobs at once
Buying paint on a running account with a supplier like Sherwin-Williams or Behr means one monthly bill often covers material for three or four different jobs, and if it is not split, no single job's real material cost is ever known.
What we doSplits a contractor account bill back to the jobs it covered, so each job's real paint cost is visible. -
2
New construction jobs get paid on the builder's schedule, not yours
Painting for a home builder usually means getting paid at set stages of their build schedule, which can lag weeks behind when your crew actually did the work, making a month look thinner than the workload was.
What we doTies builder draws to the job stage they cover, so a payment lag does not read as a slow month. -
3
HOA and property manager contracts look identical to one-off jobs
A recurring repaint contract for an HOA or apartment complex pays the same amount every month regardless of how much work happened, and if it is mixed in with one-time residential jobs, you cannot see how much of your income is steady versus one-off.
What we doKeeps recurring maintenance contracts in their own category, so you can see your steady income apart from project work. -
4
Crew day rates blend into paint and sundries
Crews paid a daily rate are a labor cost, not a material cost, but if they land in the same bucket as paint and sundries, you cannot tell whether a thin-margin job was slow labor or expensive material.
What we doKeeps crew labor separate from paint and sundries, so you can see what actually drove a job's cost.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an interior painting 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
- Residential repaintsOne-time jobs for homeowners, paid on completion.
- New construction paintingBuilder draws released at framing, drywall, and finish stages.
- Recurring maintenance contractsHOA and property manager repaint work billed monthly or quarterly.
- Color consultation feesStandalone design or color matching sessions.
Money out
- Paint and sundriesPaint, primer, tape, and drop cloths, split back to each job.
- Crew laborDay rate or hourly wages, kept apart from material costs.
- Sprayers and equipmentSpray rigs, rollers, and their upkeep.
- Truck and fuelThe vehicle that hauls crew and equipment between jobs.
- Lead feesAngi, Houzz Pro, and paid leads that turn into signed jobs.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each job actually cleared once paint and labor are split out correctly.
- Recurring contract share
How much of your income is steady HOA and property manager work versus one-off jobs.
- Builder draw lag
How long new construction payments take against when the work was done.
- Paint cost per job
Whether a shared contractor account bill is landing fairly across the jobs it covered.
Ask Gus
Things interior painters 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.
I split that bill back across the four jobs based on what each one used, so you can see each job's real paint cost instead of one lump number.
It is tracked as an open draw tied to that stage, so it is not lost, just running behind the builder's usual payment schedule.
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 an interior painting business.
Most of what trips up this business is splitting shared paint bills correctly and knowing who works for you.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Crew and helper 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a crew lead you bring in for bigger jobs, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list as the year goes.
- Employee or subcontractorA painter who works your schedule and uses your sprayers 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.
- EquipmentSprayers and other painting equipment can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- 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 shared paint bills and builder draws are booked correctly all year.
Deductions interior painters miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Sprayer maintenance and tips
- Brushes, rollers, and drop cloths
- Tape and masking supplies
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Angi and Houzz Pro lead fees
- Liability insurance
- Small tool replacement
- Continuing education and certifications
- Branded uniforms
- Phone and tablet for scheduling
- Mileage between jobs
- Color sample boards and fan decks
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 interior painting year, kept every month.
Builder work, HOA contracts, and residential jobs each run at their own pace. 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 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 recurring contracts or builder work is carrying the year.
- October
Before year-end
Gus looks at whether new sprayers or equipment before December make 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 interior painters. 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 interior painters ask first.
Can Gus split a shared contractor account paint bill across separate jobs?
Yes. He allocates a shared bill back to the jobs it covered, so each job's real material cost is visible instead of one lump expense.
Builder jobs pay slower than my other work. Does that hurt my books?
No. Gus ties builder draws to the job stage they cover, so a payment lag does not make an otherwise busy month look thin.
I have a few HOA contracts that pay the same every month. Can that stay separate from project jobs?
Yes. Recurring maintenance contracts get their own category, so you can see your steady income apart from one-off jobs.
Do I write off a new sprayer all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted 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 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 need to track my crew's day rate separately from paint costs?
Yes, and Gus does it for you. Crew labor stays in its own line, separate from paint and sundries, so you can see what actually drove a job's cost.
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