Equipment & specialty rentals

Books and taxes for lawn and garden equipment rental companies.

Spring aerator and tiller rentals, fall leaf blower and chipper season, weekend landscaper accounts, and fuel surcharges on gas equipment. Gus keeps every rental straight, 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
AprilExample month
$8,300
what you made

April came in at $8,300. Aerators and dethatchers went out almost every weekend this month, so I kept that spring rush apart from your steady landscaper accounts.

  • Weekend homeowner rentals, registerHomeowner rentals
  • Landscaper weekly accountLandscaper accounts
  • Aerator fuel surchargeFuel surcharges
  • Mower blades and filtersRepairs and replacement parts
  • Shop rentShop rent and utilities
Money in$26,400
Money out$18,100
Set aside for taxes$2,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Lawn equipment rental books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business has two busy seasons, spring startup and fall cleanup, a handful of small landscapers who rent every week, and small engines that all need blades, filters, and spark plugs on their own schedule. When the books blur those, one good spring hides a slow summer.

  1. 1

    Two seasonal peaks get treated like one steady year

    Spring aerator and tiller demand and fall leaf blower and chipper demand both bring a rush, with a quieter stretch between them, but if the set-aside is planned off an average month, it can miss what a double-peak year actually needs.

    What we doTracks the set-aside against the full year's swings, not a flat average, so both slow stretches and both rushes are accounted for.
  2. 2

    Landscaper accounts and weekend homeowners blur together

    A landscaper who rents a tiller every week and a homeowner renting a dethatcher for one Saturday both land as the same kind of deposit, so you cannot tell how much of the month depends on steady landscaper business versus one-off weekend traffic.

    What we doSplits landscaper accounts from homeowner rentals so you can see how much of the month is already dependable.
  3. 3

    Small engine repairs get lumped into one bucket

    Blades, filters, and spark plugs across mowers, tillers, and chippers all get bought from the same supplier, but if every repair lands in one category, you cannot tell which type of equipment is actually costing the most to keep running.

    What we doKeeps repair costs visible month to month so a pattern on one equipment type shows up before it becomes a bigger bill.
  4. 4

    A pre-season equipment buy reads like a bad month

    Restocking aerators and chippers ahead of spring or fall is a real equipment purchase, but filed as a supply expense it flattens that month's profit and skips the write-off equipment gets.

    What we doFlags a bulk equipment purchase the day it shows up, logs it as equipment, and routes the write-off decision to the accountant.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a lawn and garden equipment rental 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

  • Homeowner rentalsWeekend and one-off rentals of mowers, tillers, and aerators.
  • Landscaper accountsWeekly or standing accounts for small landscaping companies.
  • Fuel surchargesThe add-on charge for gas-powered equipment.
  • Delivery feesCharges for delivering larger equipment like chippers and tillers.

Money out

  • Repairs and replacement partsBlades, filters, spark plugs, and belts across the fleet.
  • Equipment purchasesNew mowers, aerators, dethatchers, and chippers.
  • Shop rent and utilitiesStorefront or lot lease, electricity, and heat.
  • FuelGas and oil for equipment that goes out with a full tank.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability and equipment coverage for gear that leaves the lot.
  • Rental tracking softwareScheduling and check-in tools for the fleet.

What we watch for you

  • Seasonal peak spread

    How spring and fall rushes compare to the quieter stretch between them. It helps plan staffing and the set-aside.

  • Landscaper account share

    Steady landscaper business against one-off weekend rentals. It shows how much of the month is already dependable.

  • Repair cost by equipment type

    Which machines cost the most to keep rentable. A rising number flags what to replace, not repair again.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe in taxes, tracked across both busy seasons and the quiet stretch between them.

Ask Gus

Things lawn equipment 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.

Spring is always my best stretch, then things slow down until fall. How do you plan the set-aside for that?

I track it against your full year's pattern, not a flat average, so both busy seasons and the slower stretch between them are already accounted for.

Bought new aerators and a chipper for $9,500 ahead of fall. Can that come off this year?

Usually, yes. I filed the aerators and chipper as fleet equipment rather than a supply purchase and flagged it, so the accountant can decide how much to write off this year.

A couple of landscapers rent from me every single week. Does that change anything?

I keep their accounts apart from one-off weekend rentals, so you can see how much of the month is already dependable before a walk-in even shows up.

The tax side

The tax side of a lawn and garden equipment rental business.

Most of what goes wrong here is a two-season business planned like a steady one, and a bulk equipment buy filed as a supply expense instead of equipment.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Depreciating the equipment fleetMowers, aerators, dethatchers, and chippers bought for rental are usually depreciable equipment. Section 179 expensing and 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025 are often available, and the accountant decides the timing.
  • Estimated taxes across two seasonsWith income concentrated in spring and fall, quarterly estimated payments due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 need to reflect both rushes, not an even split.
  • Contractor 1099sA seasonal repair technician not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
  • 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 lawn and garden equipment rental companies miss

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

  • Mower blades and filters
  • Spark plugs and belts
  • Shop rent and utilities
  • Fuel for rental equipment
  • Rental tracking software
  • Local advertising and signage
  • Business liability insurance
  • Delivery truck fuel
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Card processing fees
  • Storage racking and shelving
  • Trailer maintenance for delivery

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 lawn equipment rental year, kept every month.

Spring startup and fall cleanup carry the year, with a quieter stretch between them. Your team keeps you ahead of both, and of your taxes. 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 any seasonal repair help is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so filing season 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 how the spring rush shaped up against the quieter summer stretch.

  4. October

    Fall rush and beyond

    Leaf blower and chipper demand picks up for fall cleanup. Gus looks at equipment purchases and moves worth making 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 lawn and garden equipment rental 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 lawn equipment owners ask first.

My business has two busy seasons instead of one long summer. Does Gus plan for that?

Yes. The set-aside is tracked against your full year's pattern, so spring, the quieter stretch, and fall are all accounted for, not just an average month.

Can Gus tell the difference between my regular landscaper accounts and weekend homeowners?

Yes. Landscaper accounts are kept apart from homeowner rentals, so you can see how much of the month is already dependable business.

Do fuel surcharges get taxed separately from the rental price?

No, both count as regular income. Gus keeps them apart just so you can see if the surcharge is actually covering your fuel cost.

Can I write off new equipment the same year I buy it?

Often yes, whether it is a mower, an aerator, or a chipper. Sometimes spreading the cost across a few years fits your situation better, and the accountant makes that call with your whole year in view.

My books are behind because spring kept me too busy to track things. Is that a problem?

No. Hand over the bank statements from the rush. Gus sorts landscaper accounts from homeowner rentals as he goes, the accountant checks it, 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