Landscaping & lawn care
Books and taxes for landscape design and installation companies.
A deposit up front, a draw at midpoint, plant and hardscape material bought by the pallet, and subs on the bigger builds. 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 $22,300. The retaining wall block from the supply yard on the Miller project is booked to that job, not lumped into general materials.
- Miller project, depositProject deposits
- Chen project, final drawFinal payments
- Landscape supply yard, blockHardscape material
- Nursery stock orderPlants and nursery stock
- Hardscape sub, patio crewSubcontractors
Why your books are different
Design and install books go wrong on the same handful of jobs.
A generalist sees a deposit and a pile of receipts. Your business runs on projects that take weeks, get paid in three pieces, and use a different mix of plants, stone, and labor every time. When the books do not follow the job, you cannot tell which projects actually made money.
-
1
A deposit looks like profit the day it lands
A $30,000 backyard build takes a third down before a shovel moves. Booked as plain income that month, it makes the business look flush right when the real material and labor costs are still ahead.
What we doTracks each deposit and draw against its own project, so a month's number reflects work actually finished, not just cash that arrived. -
2
Plant material and hardscape rot the job cost
Nursery stock for one project and pallets of paver block for another get bought the same week and dumped into one materials line, so nobody can say what either job actually cost to build.
What we doBooks materials to the project they belong to, so job cost is a real number, not a guess at the end of the season. -
3
Subs on a build look like regular payroll
A stone mason or an irrigation sub paid on a big install gets logged the same way as your own crew, which hides how much of a project's labor cost is actually subcontracted out.
What we doKeeps subcontractor payments in their own line, separate from crew wages, so labor cost per project stays honest. -
4
A skid steer purchase buries itself in one big month
A $22,000 compact loader bought mid-season filed as a project expense makes that job look far less profitable than it was and complicates how the purchase should be written off.
What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they post and keeps them separate from job material costs. -
5
Change orders get lost between the estimate and the invoice
A homeowner adds a fire pit mid-project and pays for it later, but the extra material cost already hit the books weeks earlier, making the original estimate look wrong when it was not.
What we doKeeps change order payments visible against the project they belong to, so a job's full picture stays connected.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a design and install 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
- Project depositsThe upfront payment that starts a design or install job.
- Progress drawsMid-project payments tied to a build's stages.
- Final paymentsThe closing payment once a project wraps.
- Design feesStandalone design or consultation work billed apart from a build.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with a lender's cut booked as a fee.
Money out
- Plants and nursery stockTrees, shrubs, and perennials bought per project.
- Hardscape materialPavers, block, stone, and gravel from the supply yard.
- SubcontractorsMasons, irrigation techs, and specialty crews on a build.
- Crew wagesYour own install crew, kept apart from subcontractor costs.
- EquipmentSkid steers, compactors, and trailers, logged so they get written off right.
- Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for delivery and crew vehicles.
- Design software and licensesDesign tools and any state landscaping license fees.
What we watch for you
- Install job margin
Deposits and draws against materials and subs, so a project's real profit shows up.
- Sub share of labor
What subcontractors take on a project against your own crew, worth watching as jobs get bigger.
- Backlog value
Deposits collected for work not yet finished, so cash on hand is not mistaken for profit.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so a big install season does not end in a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things landscape design and install 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.
No. I hold that deposit against the project until the work happens, so April does not look inflated and May shows the real cost.
No, that is equipment, not a job material. I logged it separately and flagged it so the accountant handles how it gets written off.
That is above my pay grade to call on its own. If he is not on payroll and you pay him $2,000 or more this year, he needs a 1099, and I flagged it for the accountant to confirm the setup is right.
The tax side
The tax side of a landscape design and install business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and classification: deposits booked too early, subs paid like employees, and equipment mixed into job costs.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment and vehicle depreciationSkid steers, compactors, and trucks 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.
- Contractor 1099sA mason, irrigation tech, or specialty sub not on your payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA helper who drives your truck, uses your tools, and works your schedule is usually an employee, not a sub. Getting that wrong on a big build gets expensive fast.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when project income and cost are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions landscape design and installation companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Nursery stock and plant loss
- Landscape design software
- Skid steer and compactor repairs
- Fuel for delivery trucks
- Trailer registration and insurance
- State landscaping license fees
- Liability and bonding insurance
- Job site signage
- Hand tools and small equipment
- Uniforms with your logo
- Card and financing 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 design and install year, kept every month.
Your build season is a handful of long projects. 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.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started and you get a monthly set-aside, so a busy spring backlog does not become an April surprise.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring builds are already underway.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand on the year's projects, what you will owe, and whether pricing on bigger builds needs a second look.
- October
Before the season closes
Before the last fall installs wrap, 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 landscape design and installation 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 landscape design and install owners ask first.
Can Gus track profit on each project separately?
Yes. Deposits, draws, materials, and subs get tied to the project they belong to, so you can see what a build actually made, not just what came in and out of the bank that month.
We use financing for bigger backyard builds. Can Gus handle that?
Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's cut as a cost, so your project revenue is not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
Do I write off a skid steer all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase for the accountant.
My subs invoice me irregularly, sometimes months apart. Does that mess up the books?
No. Gus books each sub payment when it happens and keeps a running list for 1099s, so the timing of an invoice does not throw off your project cost.
My books are a season behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements and any project records 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 landscaping & lawn care
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Hydroseeding
- Land clearing & forestry mulching
- Landscape curbing
- Organic lawn care companies
- Pond, water feature & koi pond builders
- Raised bed & edible garden installers
- Xeriscaping & native plant landscaping
- Aeration & overseeding services
- Certified arborists & plant health care
- Grading & drainage (French drain) contractors
- Leaf removal services
- Mulch, stone & landscape supply yards
- Sod installation
- Stump grinding
- Commercial grounds maintenance
- Irrigation & sprinkler contractors
- Lawn fertilization & weed control
- Mosquito & tick control
- Snow removal & plowing
- Tree service & removal
- Lawn mowing & maintenance companies
- Chicken coop & backyard farm structure builders
- Dock & boathouse builders
- Gazebo & pavilion builders
- Outdoor audio & TV installers
- Playground & swing set installers
- Putting green installers
- Retractable screens & motorized shades
- Seawall & bulkhead contractors
- Sport court builders (pickleball, basketball)
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