Home maintenance & specialty services

Books and taxes for junk removal companies.

Same-day hauls, estate cleanouts, dump and transfer station fees, and a crew paid by the day. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
JuneExample month
$8,300
what you made

June came in at $8,300. The Saturday you ran three back-to-back estate cleanouts ate a big chunk of your dump fees, so I flagged that day's disposal costs against the load prices.

  • Square payoutJunk hauls
  • Estate cleanout depositCleanout jobs
  • County transfer stationDump and disposal fees
  • Cash paid to helperDay labor
  • Shell fuelTruck and fuel
Money in$33,200
Money out$24,900
Set aside for taxes$2,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Junk removal books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and fuel receipts. Your business is truck loads, a crew paid by the day, and a dump fee on every single job. When the books do not track disposal against the load, you cannot tell which jobs are actually worth taking.

  1. 1

    Dump fees get lost in general expenses

    Every load costs something at the transfer station or landfill, and that fee grows with weight, not with price charged. Lumped in with fuel and supplies, a job that looked profitable on the invoice can actually lose money once disposal comes out.

    What we doKeeps dump and disposal fees in their own category, tied to the loads that caused them, so you can see the real margin on a job.
  2. 2

    Day labor paid in cash hides in miscellaneous

    A second or third set of hands for a big cleanout often gets paid cash at the end of the day. Left untracked, it disappears into miscellaneous and hides the real labor cost of a bigger crew.

    What we doKeeps day labor in its own line and flags anyone paid $2,000 or more in a year so a 1099 conversation happens before it becomes a surprise.
  3. 3

    Donation drop-offs are not deductions on their own

    Furniture and appliances dropped at Goodwill or a similar donation center instead of the dump feel like they should count as a write-off, but the value depends on documentation, not on the fact that you avoided a dump fee.

    What we doFlags donation drop-offs and gets the accountant's read on what documentation is needed before anything gets claimed.
  4. 4

    Estate and cleanout deposits land before the work

    A big estate cleanout often collects a deposit to hold the date, sometimes weeks before the truck shows up. Counted as income on arrival, it makes the booking month look better than it was and the job month look thin.

    What we doTracks the deposit against the actual cleanout date, so income lands closer to when the work happened.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a junk removal business.

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

  • Junk haulsSame-day residential and light commercial loads, paid by card or cash.
  • Cleanout jobsEstate, eviction, and hoarding cleanouts, often with a deposit.
  • Scrap metal salesAppliances and metal sold to the scrap yard instead of dumped.
  • Recurring commercial accountsProperty managers or contractors with a standing pickup schedule.

Money out

  • Dump and disposal feesTransfer station, landfill, and per-ton charges.
  • Day laborCash or app-paid help for bigger loads, kept apart from any payroll.
  • Truck and trailerFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments.
  • Lead feesGoogle local services, Thumbtack, and Angi.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for work done on and around a customer's property.
  • EquipmentDollies, straps, and trailer upgrades.
  • Uniforms and phoneBranded shirts and the phone used for dispatch.

What we watch for you

  • Disposal cost per load

    Dump fees against hauling revenue. Shows whether a full truck is actually worth the trip.

  • Labor share

    Day labor against money in. A rising share means pricing or crew size needs a look.

  • Cleanout revenue

    Estate and eviction jobs against same-day hauls, the two price very differently.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things junk removal 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.

This month looked great until the dump fees hit. What happened?

Three big cleanouts in one week, and the transfer station charges by weight. I tied the fees to those jobs so you can see what each one actually cleared.

I paid my buddy $150 cash to help on a hoarder house job. Does that matter?

It goes in your day labor line either way. If you pay him $2,000 or more over the year, he needs a 1099 by January 31, so I am keeping a running total.

I dropped a truckload of furniture at Goodwill instead of the dump. Is that a write-off?

That is above my pay grade since it depends on documentation and value. I flagged the drop-off and the accountant can tell you what is needed to claim it.

The tax side

The tax side of a junk removal business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labor: dump fees buried instead of tied to a job, cash-paid helpers with no paper trail, and a deposit counted before the work happened.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Truck and trailerYour truck, trailer, and any real equipment purchase can usually be written off in the year you buy it, up to the Section 179 limit, with 100 percent bonus depreciation on property bought after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099s for day laborAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Worker classification for regular helpersA helper who works your schedule and rides in your truck on most jobs usually counts as an employee, not a contractor, even if paid by the day.
  • 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 junk removal companies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Truck and trailer fuel and repairs
  • Dump and transfer station fees
  • Straps, dollies, and moving blankets
  • Liability insurance
  • Google local services and Angi fees
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Phone and tablet for dispatch
  • Business license and permit fees
  • Scale house or weigh fees
  • Card processing fees
  • Storage or yard rent
  • Small tools under the expensing threshold

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 junk removal year, kept every month.

Cleanouts come any week of the year, and spring cleaning and moving season bring a real bump. 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for helpers is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring cleanout season changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the busy fall push

    Garage cleanouts and estate season pick up before winter. Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 junk removal companies. 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 junk removal owners ask first.

Can Gus track my dump fees against each job?

Yes. Disposal fees get their own category, and Gus can tie them to the loads that caused them, so you see whether a job cleared money once the dump fee came out.

I pay a helper cash for big jobs. Does that need to be tracked?

Yes. It counts as day labor either way, and if you pay him $2,000 or more in the year, he needs a 1099. Gus keeps a running total so it is not a surprise in January.

I collect a deposit on estate cleanouts before the job. How does that get booked?

Gus tracks it against the actual job date rather than the day it lands, so income shows up closer to when the work happened, not when the deposit was collected.

Do scrap metal sales count differently than regular hauls?

Yes, Gus keeps them in their own line since they come from a different buyer and price differently than a standard job.

My books are a mix of cash, Venmo, and one bank account. Can Gus sort that out?

Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most people know where they stand inside a week.

Do I need a special permit to run this business?

Some cities require a permit for hauling or waste transport. Gus can flag the renewal cost as an expense, and the accountant can point you to what your city requires.

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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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