Landscaping & lawn care
Books and taxes for land clearing and forestry mulching companies.
A job priced by the acre, a forestry mulcher head that costs as much as the machine it rides on, fuel burned by the tank on a big property, and permits before the brush comes down. 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
March came in at $19,400. The mulcher teeth replaced on the Harmon property job are booked as a wear cost against that job, not general equipment.
- Harmon property, clearing jobLand clearing jobs
- Rural acreage, mulching jobForestry mulching jobs
- Mulcher teeth replacementWear parts and blades
- Diesel, skid steer and trucksFuel
- County clearing permitPermits and compliance
Why your books are different
Land clearing books go wrong around machine wear and per-acre pricing.
A generalist sees job invoices and a fuel bill. Your business prices work by the acre using a machine that burns fuel and eats teeth fast, on properties that sometimes need a permit before you can start. When the books do not track that, per-acre pricing stays a guess.
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1
Mulcher teeth wear out faster than the books can keep up
A dense, rocky property can chew through a set of mulcher teeth in a single job, but if that wear cost is not tracked against the acreage cleared, per-acre pricing never reflects what a tough job really costs.
What we doKeeps wear parts tracked against the job they were used on, so per-acre pricing can account for how tough the ground really was. -
2
Fuel burned on one big job disappears into a monthly total
A large property that takes days of running a skid steer or mulcher burns through fuel fast, but if it is not tied to that job, you cannot tell whether the job's price actually covered what it cost to run the machine.
What we doBooks fuel to the job when you tell him which job it was for, so a big property's real cost is visible. -
3
Permit and compliance costs get treated as a nuisance expense
Local permits for clearing, burning, or debris disposal are a real cost of doing certain jobs, and if they get lumped into general expenses, you lose track of which jobs actually required them and what they added to the cost.
What we doKeeps permit and compliance costs in their own line, tied to the job that needed them. -
4
A second mulcher head looks like a repair bill
Adding a bigger or different mulcher attachment to take on more job types, filed the same as a routine repair, wrecks that month's number and gets lost by tax time instead of tracked toward depreciation.
What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they post and books them separately from wear parts and repairs.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a land clearing and forestry mulching 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
- Land clearing jobsFull clearing work, billed by the acre or the job.
- Forestry mulching jobsMulching-only jobs that leave the ground covered instead of bare.
- Right-of-way and utility contractsClearing work for utility or municipal clients.
- Debris hauling add-onsHauling and disposal billed alongside a clearing job.
Money out
- Wear parts and bladesMulcher teeth, blades, and cutting edges worn down by the job.
- EquipmentSkid steers, mulcher heads, and attachments, logged so they get written off right.
- FuelDiesel for machines and trucks, tracked by the job when it is a big one.
- Permits and complianceLocal clearing, burning, and disposal permits.
- Trucks and trailersHauling equipment to and from remote job sites.
- Liability insuranceCoverage that reflects the risk of heavy equipment work.
What we watch for you
- Cost per acre
Wear parts and fuel against acreage billed, so per-acre pricing reflects the real cost of tough ground.
- Job margin, large properties
Fuel and wear cost against a big job's price, so pricing on the next large property is accurate.
- Permit cost share
How much permit and compliance cost adds to jobs that need it, worth tracking before quoting.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things land clearing 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.
I booked that wear cost against the job it happened on, so you have a real number showing what tough ground cost you, worth bringing to your next quote.
Yes, I keep permit costs in their own line tied to the job, so you can see which jobs need them and what they added to the total cost.
Usually it can. I log equipment purchases separately from wear parts, and the accountant makes the call on how to write it off with your full year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a land clearing and forestry mulching business.
Most of what goes wrong here is job costing on heavy equipment work: wear parts mixed with equipment, fuel not tied to the job, and permit costs lost in general expenses.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Skid steers and mulcher headsHeavy equipment bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA subcontracted operator or hauler not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
- Local permits and compliancePermits for clearing, burning, or debris disposal vary a great deal by locality, and requirements should be confirmed for each job site.
- 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 land clearing and forestry mulching companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Mulcher teeth and cutting edges
- Skid steer maintenance and repairs
- Diesel fuel
- Clearing and burning permits
- Liability insurance
- Trailer registration and tags
- Hand tools and chainsaws
- Uniforms and PPE
- Card processing fees
- Storage yard rent
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 land clearing year, kept every month.
Your work follows property and permit schedules, not a set season. Your taxes come on their own calendar. 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 a slow winter stretch does not throw off what you owe in April.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring clearing jobs pick back up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand halfway through the year, what you will owe, and whether per-acre pricing is holding up against wear and fuel costs.
- October
Before the season shifts
Before weather changes what kind of jobs come in, 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 land clearing and forestry mulching 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 land clearing owners ask first.
Can Gus track how much a tough job actually cost in wear and fuel?
Yes. When you tell him which job the wear parts and fuel were for, he books them there, so a tough property's real cost is visible, not folded into a general expense line.
Do permit costs count as a business expense?
Yes, permits and compliance costs tied to a job are a legitimate deduction. Gus keeps them in their own line so they are easy to find and tie back to the job that needed them.
My jobs range from a quarter acre to fifty acres. Does that make the books harder to keep straight?
No. Gus tracks income and cost by the job you tell him about, whatever the size, so a small residential clearing and a large right-of-way contract each show their own real numbers.
I sometimes burn debris on-site instead of hauling it. Does that change anything in the books?
It can change your permit costs, which Gus tracks either way. Whether burning is allowed on a given job is a local rule the accountant or your permit office can confirm.
My books are behind from a busy stretch. 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