Landscaping & lawn care
Books and taxes for irrigation and sprinkler contractors.
Spring start-ups, summer repair calls, fall winterizing, and a new system install a few times a season. 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
May came in at $12,900. The trencher rental for the Patel install is booked to that job, not lumped into regular parts.
- Spring start-up billingSeasonal service calls
- Patel install, depositNew system installs
- Ewing Irrigation orderParts and valves
- Trencher rentalEquipment rental
- Truck fuelTrucks and fuel
Why your books are different
Irrigation books go wrong around the calendar and the parts bin.
A generalist sees service calls and a parts bill. Your business runs on a hard start and stop each year, a handful of new installs, and a truck stocked with valves and heads that get used across a dozen jobs a week. When the books do not track that, the season's real number stays a guess.
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1
Start-ups and winterizing get lost in general service income
The spring rush of start-up calls and the fall rush of winterizing are two of your steadiest income spikes, but if they land in the same bucket as random repair calls, you cannot see the pattern that pays your bills every year.
What we doKeeps seasonal service income in its own line, so the spring and fall rushes show up as the predictable income they are. -
2
A truck stock of valves and heads is not a single job's cost
Buying a bulk order of valves, heads, and pipe from Ewing or a local supplier to restock the truck gets billed against whatever job happens to be open that day, making one job look overpriced and the rest look cheap.
What we doKeeps truck stock and parts in a steady category, separate from what is billed to a specific install. -
3
A new install looks like a repair call
A full system install with a deposit and a final payment gets logged the same as a $200 valve repair, so you cannot separate install revenue, which needs materials tracked by job, from routine service work.
What we doKeeps new installs in their own line with materials tied to the job, apart from routine repair and service billing. -
4
A trencher or pipe puller rental disappears into parts
Renting a trencher for a bigger install and filing it with parts and valves hides a real cost of doing that job and makes future install pricing harder to get right.
What we doBooks equipment rental to the job it served, so install pricing reflects the real cost of the work. -
5
Backflow testing income gets missed entirely
Annual backflow preventer testing is quick, recurring work that often gets billed informally and never shows up as its own line, so the business cannot see how much of its income is this kind of steady, low-effort service.
What we doTracks backflow testing income separately, so recurring compliance work is visible next to install and repair revenue.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an irrigation and sprinkler company.
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
- Seasonal service callsSpring start-ups and fall winterizing, billed by the visit.
- Repair and service callsValve, head, and controller repairs through the season.
- New system installsFull irrigation installs, billed in a deposit and final payment.
- Backflow testingAnnual compliance testing, billed as its own service.
- Drip system add-onsDrip line work sold alongside sprinkler service.
Money out
- Parts and valvesHeads, valves, controllers, and pipe from Ewing or a local supplier.
- Equipment rentalTrenchers and pipe pullers rented for bigger installs.
- Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the service fleet.
- Tools and locatorsWire locators, pipe locators, and hand tools.
- Licensing and certificationBackflow tester certification and any state contractor license.
- Route and scheduling softwareSubscription fees for dispatch and billing.
What we watch for you
- Seasonal call volume
Start-up and winterizing counts against last year, so you can staff up on time.
- Install job margin
Materials and rental against install billing, so job pricing stays accurate.
- Parts cost ratio
Truck stock spending against total service billing, worth a look each quarter.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things irrigation contractors 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 keep seasonal calls in their own line. Your start-up income is actually up from last spring, it was just mixed in with regular repairs before.
Yes, I booked it to that job specifically, so you can see the real cost of doing that install, not just the parts.
That is a state and local licensing question, above my pay grade to answer. I keep your testing income tracked either way, and the accountant can point you toward the right answer.
The tax side
The tax side of an irrigation and sprinkler business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and job tracking: parts bought in bulk, equipment rented for one job, and seasonal income that looks lumpy without the right categories.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Vehicles and equipmentTrucks, trenchers you own, and locators bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Standard mileage for lighter vehiclesA smaller truck or van used mainly for estimates can use the standard mileage rate: 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026, 76 cents after.
- Contractor 1099sAny subcontracted trencher operator or helper not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
- 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 irrigation and sprinkler contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Valves, heads, and controllers
- Pipe and fittings
- Wire and pipe locators
- Equipment rental for installs
- Backflow tester certification
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Route software subscriptions
- Uniforms with your logo
- Liability insurance
- Local ads and referral costs
- Card processing fees
- Hand tools and small equipment
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 irrigation year, kept every month.
Your season has a clear start and stop. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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 and you get a monthly set-aside, so the spring start-up rush does not come with a tax surprise.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed right as start-up season is in full swing.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the height of repair season, what you will owe, and whether install pricing is holding up.
- October
Before winterizing
Before the fall winterizing rush, 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 irrigation and sprinkler contractors. 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 irrigation contractors ask first.
Can Gus separate my install jobs from regular repair calls?
Yes. New installs get their own line with materials tied to the job, so you can see install profit apart from day-to-day repair and service work.
I buy parts in bulk to stock the truck. How does that get handled?
Bulk parts orders go into a steady parts category, separate from anything billed to a specific job, so one restock does not make a random week look expensive.
Does renting equipment for a big install count against that job?
Yes, when you tell Gus which job it was for, he books it there so the job's real cost, not just its material list, is visible.
My season is short but intense. Does that confuse the monthly number?
No. Gus tracks your actual months, so a slow winter and a packed spring both show accurately, and the set-aside is planned around your real seasonal income.
My books are behind from last season. 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