Landscaping & lawn care
Books and taxes for leaf removal companies.
A fall season that carries most of the year, curbside vacuum trucks running back to back, bags and hauling fees on every stop, and a crew hired just for the rush. 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
November came in at $14,300. The dump fees for hauled leaves this month came in higher than usual, so I flagged it against a heavier fall than last year.
- Route billing, curbside pickupLeaf removal jobs
- One-time cleanup jobsOne-time cleanups
- Dump fees, leaf haulingDump and disposal fees
- Vacuum truck repairEquipment repairs
- Seasonal crew wagesCrew wages
Why your books are different
Leaf removal books go wrong around a season that ends as fast as it starts.
A generalist sees a short seasonal business and a fuel bill. Your business earns most of its year in six or eight fall weeks, hauling and dumping leaves by the truckload, with a crew hired just to get through it. When the books do not track that, planning for the rest of the year is a guess.
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1
Dump fees swing with how heavy the fall is
A season with more leaves on the ground means more trips to the dump and higher fees, but if that cost is not tracked against volume, a heavier fall just looks like a worse month instead of more work getting done.
What we doKeeps dump and disposal fees visible against route billing, so a heavier season reads as more work, not a bad month. -
2
One-time cleanup jobs blur into route income
A one-off yard cleanup paid outside your regular route gets lumped in with recurring route billing, so you cannot tell how much of your fall income repeats and how much you have to keep selling.
What we doKeeps recurring route income and one-time cleanups in separate lines, so you know what to expect next season. -
3
A vacuum truck or trailer purchase eats a slow month
A leaf vacuum system or a new hauling trailer bought before the season, filed as a supply cost, wrecks that month's number and gets lost by tax time instead of being tracked as equipment.
What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they post and books them separately from routine supplies. -
4
A short season still has to cover a whole year of bills
Insurance, storage, and loan payments on equipment keep running through the months after leaves stop falling, and it is easy to spend a good fall's cash without planning for the long gap after.
What we doTracks cash on hand against off-season bills, so the months after the rush are a plan, not a scramble.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a leaf removal 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
- Leaf removal jobsRecurring route billing through the fall season.
- One-time cleanupsSingle yard jobs outside the regular route.
- Commercial property jobsHOA and property management contracts billed on net terms.
- Gutter cleaning add-onsGutter clearing sold alongside a leaf cleanup.
Money out
- Dump and disposal feesFees paid to haul and dump leaves by the load.
- EquipmentVacuum trucks, blowers, and trailers, logged so they get written off right.
- Equipment repairsVacuum system and blower repairs from heavy fall use.
- Trucks and fuelFuel and insurance for the route and hauling vehicles.
- Crew wagesSeasonal labor hired to cover the fall rush.
- Bags and hauling suppliesLeaf bags and tarps used on jobs that require them.
What we watch for you
- Dump fee cost per load
Disposal fees against route billing, so a heavier fall reads as more work, not a bad month.
- Route income share
Recurring route billing against one-time cleanups, so you know what income repeats next season.
- Off-season runway
Cash on hand against bills that keep running after leaves stop falling.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so a busy fall does not end in a tax surprise.
Ask Gus
Things leaf removal 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.
Not necessarily. I keep dump fees tracked against your route billing, and this year's fall has just been heavier, more loads, more fees, more work getting done.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not a supply, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
I track your cash against off-season bills through the fall, so by the time leaves stop falling, you already know if you are covered.
The tax side
The tax side of a leaf removal business.
Most of what goes wrong here is planning around a short season: equipment bought before the rush, a set-aside not started early enough, and dump fees that get lost in general costs.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Vacuum trucks and trailersEquipment 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.
- Quarterly estimated taxesProfit that lands almost entirely in a short fall window still owes tax on the IRS calendar, due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
- Seasonal help, on or off payrollA worker hired to cover the fall rush who uses your equipment and works your schedule is usually an employee, seasonal or not.
- 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 leaf removal companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Dump and disposal fees
- Vacuum system repairs
- Blower and trimmer fuel
- Leaf bags and tarps
- Trailer registration and insurance
- Seasonal crew wages
- Uniforms with your logo
- Liability insurance
- Local ads timed to fall
- Card processing fees
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 leaf removal year, kept every month.
Your whole season runs on a few fall weeks. Your taxes come on a schedule that does not care. 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 the long stretch before fall is when you plan, not when you scramble.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed well ahead of the season that actually pays the bills.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand before the rush, what you will owe, and whether last year's dump fees and pricing need a second look.
- October
Right before the rush
As leaves start falling, Gus looks at equipment you might need, crew you might hire, and anything worth doing before the season kicks off.
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 leaf removal 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 leaf removal owners ask first.
My whole business runs eight weeks a year. Can Gus handle that kind of income pattern?
Yes. He tracks your actual months, so a quiet spring and summer and a packed fall both show accurately, and your set-aside is planned around your real seasonal income.
Dump fees change a lot depending on how heavy the leaf drop is. Does that confuse the books?
No. Gus keeps dump fees visible against route billing, so a heavier fall with more fees reads as more work getting done, not a bad month.
I hire extra help just for the fall. Does that change how they are booked?
It changes how they should be classified more than how they are booked. Gus keeps wages clear either way and flags anything that looks like a payroll conversation worth having.
I do gutter cleaning alongside leaf jobs sometimes. Should that be tracked separately?
It can be, if you want to see how much of that add-on work is worth doing. Gus can set it up as its own line whenever you are ready.
My books are behind from last fall. 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.
More in landscaping & lawn care
We keep books for the business next door too.
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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