Remodeling & interiors
Books and taxes for kitchen remodelers.
Design retainers, cabinet deposits, countertop draws, and the final walkthrough payment. 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
May came in at $15,000. The cabinet deposit for the Hendricks job went out to Wolf Home Products, so I logged it against that job instead of this month's costs.
- GreenSky payoutFinanced kitchen jobs
- Client draw, Hendricks jobProgress draws
- Wolf Home ProductsCabinets
- MSI countertops depositCountertop slabs
- Houzz ProLead fees
Why your books are different
Kitchen remodel books go wrong at the deposit, not the invoice.
A generalist sees a deposit and a bill. A kitchen job is a design retainer, a cabinet order placed months before install, a countertop template date, and subs for plumbing and electrical, all tied to one client and one price. When the books do not track that, you cannot tell which kitchens actually paid.
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1
The cabinet deposit lands before the job starts
You pay the cabinet distributor a deposit the week you sign the contract, often eight to ten weeks before the crew shows up. Booked as a plain expense, it makes a slow month look like a loss on a job that has not even started.
What we doTies the deposit to the job it belongs to, so a cabinet order does not read as a bad month. -
2
A financed kitchen pays out short
When a homeowner finances a $48,000 kitchen through GreenSky or Wisetack, the lender pays you less than the contract and keeps its fee. Booked as the deposit alone, both your sales and your true cost of offering financing come out wrong.
What we doBooks the full contract as money in and the lender's cut as a financing fee, so your numbers and your prices stay honest. -
3
Countertop templating and fabrication run on their own clock
Countertops get templated after cabinets are set, then fabricated over one to two weeks before install. A deposit to the fabricator can land a full billing cycle before the slab shows up, muddying which month a kitchen actually cost you money.
What we doKeeps countertop costs tied to the job, so the timing gap between deposit and install does not distort your month. -
4
A wine fridge or a moved wall disappears into the contract price
Homeowners add a beverage center or move a wall mid-project more often in kitchens than almost anywhere else. If that extra billing folds into the original number, you never see how much scope creep your estimates are missing.
What we doTags change order income on its own, so you can see how much extra work is landing beyond your original bid. -
5
Plumbing and electrical subs blend into the cabinet bill
A rough-in for a moved sink or an added outlet run gets paid the same week as the cabinet order, and both look like one lump of job cost. You cannot tell if a kitchen ran over because of labor or because of materials.
What we doKeeps subcontractor costs and cabinet or countertop costs in separate lines, so you can see what a kitchen actually cost in people versus product.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a kitchen remodeling 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
- Design retainersStandalone layout and design fees, before a full remodel contract is signed.
- Progress drawsDemo, rough-in, install, and final payments on a signed kitchen contract.
- Change order billingA wine fridge, a moved wall, an upgraded backsplash, billed on top of the original price.
- Financed jobsThe full contract amount, with the lender's fee booked as a cost.
- RetainageThe final percentage held back until the walkthrough, tracked so it does not get forgotten.
Money out
- CabinetsDeposits and balances paid to the distributor, tied to the job.
- Countertop slabs and fabricationTemplate deposits and fabrication balances from the stone yard.
- Appliance packagesWhen you purchase and bill through, kept separate from cabinets and countertops.
- Plumbing and electrical subsSink moves, gas lines, and outlet runs paid to your trade partners.
- Permit feesPaid to the local building department for load-bearing or plumbing work.
- Lead feesHouzz Pro, Angi, and paid leads that turn into signed jobs.
- Dumpster and demo disposalHauling out the old kitchen before the new one goes in.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each kitchen actually cleared after cabinets, countertops, and subs, not just the contract price.
- Sub and material split
Whether an over-budget job ran long on labor or on cabinets and stone.
- Change order value
How much extra work lands on top of the original bid, and whether estimates are catching enough of it.
- Open draws
Money billed but not yet collected, so a slow-paying kitchen job does not become a cash surprise.
Ask Gus
Things kitchen remodelers 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 tied that deposit to the Hendricks job instead of counting it against this month alone, so you can see it is the job's cost, not a bad month.
That was the lender's financing fee. I booked the full $48,000 contract as your sale and the $2,100 as a cost, so your real price still shows.
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 a kitchen remodeling business.
Most of what trips up a kitchen business is timing and labels: a deposit booked too early, a sub who should be a 1099, and equipment nobody wrote off right.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Subcontractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a plumber or electrician you bring in job to job, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list as the year goes.
- Employee or subcontractorA tile setter or helper who works your schedule and uses your tools 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.
- Tools, trailers, and trucksJob trailers, laser levels, and the truck that hauls them 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 the books track each job correctly all year.
Deductions kitchen remodelers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Cabinet and finish samples
- Countertop sample boards
- Laser levels and measuring tools
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Houzz Pro and Angi lead fees
- Design software subscription
- Liability insurance
- Dumpster and disposal fees
- Tool replacement
- Continuing education and certifications
- Branded uniforms
- Phone and tablet for jobsite use
- Mileage to supply houses
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 remodeling year, kept every month.
Spring bookings fill your summer schedule, and everyone wants to be done before the holidays. Gus keeps taxes on their own schedule while that happens. 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 subcontractor 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 this spring's booking rush changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday push
Homeowners want kitchens done before Thanksgiving. Gus looks at any equipment worth buying before December 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 kitchen remodelers. 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 remodelers ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies like GreenSky?
Yes. He books the full contract as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
I run my jobs through Houzz Pro or a similar app. Do I need to change how I invoice?
No. Keep invoicing the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer for next time.
My cabinet deposit goes out months before the job starts. Does that mess up my books?
It would if it just sat as a plain expense. Gus ties it to the job it belongs to, so a deposit paid early does not make an unrelated month look bad.
Do I write off a job trailer or laser level 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 from a busy 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 within a week.
Do I need to track retainage the customer is holding back?
Yes, and Gus does it for you. It gets flagged as money still owed so it shows up when the final walkthrough releases it, instead of getting lost.
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 remodeling & interiors
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Historic home restoration contractors
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- Blinds, shutters & window treatments
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- Countertop fabricators (granite, quartz)
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- Putting green installers
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