Cleaning services

Books and taxes for kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning companies.

Quarterly hood cleanings tied to fire code, a certification sticker you sign after every job, grease disposal fees, and a restaurant that needs the job done between close and open. 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
JanuaryExample month
$10,600
what you made

January came in at $10,600. Six restaurants were due for their quarterly cleaning this month, which is more than usual for the start of the year.

  • Quarterly hood cleaning invoiceScheduled contracts
  • Emergency hood cleaningEmergency jobs
  • Overnight crew payrollCrew wages
  • Grease disposal haulerGrease and waste disposal
  • NFPA 96 certification renewalCertification and training
Money in$44,200
Money out$33,600
Set aside for taxes$2,900
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Kitchen hood cleaning books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs on fire-code-driven schedules, grease disposal that has its own cost and its own paperwork, and jobs that happen overnight when a kitchen is closed. When the books do not know that, you cannot see which contracts are worth keeping.

  1. 1

    Grease disposal fees vary a lot and get missed

    The grease and residue pulled from a hood system has to be hauled away properly, and the cost depends on how much grease a kitchen produces, which varies a lot between a busy fryer-heavy restaurant and a lighter kitchen.

    What we doKeeps grease and waste disposal costs tied to the job they came from so you can see which restaurants actually cost more to service.
  2. 2

    Scheduled contracts and emergency calls get lumped together

    Most of your income comes from restaurants on a set quarterly or monthly cleaning schedule tied to fire code, but an emergency call after a fire marshal flags something pays differently and happens on no notice.

    What we doSplits scheduled contract revenue from emergency job revenue so you can see how much of the month is already locked in by the fire code calendar.
  3. 3

    Overnight labor costs look different from a normal payroll pattern

    Jobs almost always happen after a restaurant closes, often late at night, and a crew paid a premium for overnight work can make payroll look inconsistent if that premium is not tracked apart from daytime rates.

    What we doKeeps overnight wages visible against the jobs they were for, so payroll makes sense against a schedule built around restaurant hours.
  4. 4

    Certification renewal costs get treated as random overhead

    Staying certified to do NFPA 96 compliant hood cleaning and sign off on inspection stickers takes regular renewal, and that cost gets lost if it is not tracked as its own recurring line.

    What we doKeeps certification and training costs in their own line so the ongoing cost of staying qualified for this work is visible.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning 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

  • Scheduled contractsQuarterly or monthly hood cleanings tied to fire code requirements.
  • Emergency jobsSame-week calls, often triggered by a fire marshal inspection.
  • Inspection sticker feesFees tied to the compliance sticker issued after a completed cleaning.
  • Exhaust fan repair referralsReferral income when a job is passed to a repair specialist.

Money out

  • Crew wagesOvernight pay, kept apart from daytime rates.
  • Grease and waste disposalHauling and disposal fees tied to the job they came from.
  • Certification and trainingNFPA 96 compliance training and renewal costs.
  • Vehicles and fuelThe truck moving crew and pressure washing equipment between restaurants.
  • EquipmentPressure washers, degreasers, and access ladders.
  • Insurance and bondingLiability coverage reflecting fire-adjacent work.

What we watch for you

  • Disposal cost per job

    Grease hauling fees against jobs run. It shows which restaurants actually cost more to service.

  • Contract share

    How much of the month is scheduled fire-code work versus one-off emergency calls.

  • Labor share

    Overnight crew wages against money in. It shows whether the price still covers late-night work.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things kitchen hood cleaning 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.

One restaurant's grease disposal bill is always way higher than the others. Should I raise their price?

Worth a look. I keep disposal fees tied to that job, so you can see clearly that kitchen costs more to service before you decide.

How much of my income actually comes from scheduled contracts versus emergency calls?

I keep those two apart, so you can see exactly how much of the month is already locked in by the fire code schedule.

Do I need to send you anything when I renew my NFPA 96 certification?

Just the receipt. I keep certification costs in their own line so you can see what staying qualified for this work costs every year.

The tax side

The tax side of a kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning business.

Most of what goes wrong here is grease disposal costs and overnight labor. Get those tracked and the rest tends to be steady.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Vehicle costsThe truck moving crew and equipment between restaurants can deduct business mileage at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026, or actual vehicle costs instead.
  • Equipment write-offsPressure washers and other business equipment can usually be written off in the year they are bought, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Employee or contractorA crew member working your overnight schedule with your equipment is usually an employee. Gus flags it if a pay pattern starts looking like that.
  • 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 kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning companies miss

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

  • Degreaser and cleaning chemicals
  • Grease disposal fees
  • NFPA 96 certification renewal
  • Vehicle fuel and repairs
  • Liability insurance
  • Access ladders and safety gear
  • Uniforms and gloves
  • Phone for scheduling overnight jobs
  • Storage for equipment
  • Business licenses
  • Workers compensation premiums
  • Pressure washer maintenance

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 kitchen hood cleaning year, kept every month.

Fire code sets the schedule, not the season. Your taxes come on their own 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 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 new contracts changed the number.

  4. October

    Before certifications renew

    Gus looks at certification renewals and equipment worth buying before December, so nothing lapses.

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 kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning 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 kitchen hood cleaning owners ask first.

One restaurant always has a higher grease disposal bill. How do I know if I should raise their price?

Gus keeps disposal fees tied to the specific job, so you can see clearly whether a kitchen produces more grease and costs more to service before adjusting the price.

Most of my work is scheduled by fire code, but I get emergency calls too. Can the books show the difference?

Yes. Gus keeps scheduled contract revenue separate from emergency job revenue, so you can see how much of the month is already locked in by the fire code calendar.

My crew works overnight and gets paid differently than a normal day shift. Does that confuse the books?

No. Gus keeps overnight wages visible against the jobs they were for, so payroll makes sense against a schedule built around restaurant hours.

Do I need to track my certification renewal as a special cost?

It helps to see it clearly. Gus keeps certification and training costs in their own line, since staying qualified for this work is a real recurring cost, not a one-time expense.

My books are behind because I have been focused on keeping up with restaurant schedules. Can you catch up?

Yes. 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.

More in cleaning services

We keep books for the business next door too.

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