Plumbing & water

Books and taxes for leak detection specialists.

A diagnostic fee charged whether or not a leak turns up, referral work from other plumbers and insurance adjusters, and acoustic equipment that needs regular calibration. Gus sorts all of it, 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
AugustExample month
$10,700
what you made

August came in at $10,700. Half the calls this month came as referrals from other plumbing companies, so I kept that revenue separate from the direct-to-homeowner calls.

  • Direct diagnostic callsHomeowner diagnostic fees
  • Referral work from plumbing companiesTrade referral income
  • Insurance adjuster referralInsurance referral income
  • Acoustic sensor calibrationDetection equipment
  • Fuel and vehicle maintenanceTruck and fuel
Money in$36,500
Money out$25,800
Set aside for taxes$2,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Leak detection books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a service call and assumes it is like any other plumbing visit. Your business charges for the diagnosis itself, works a lot of referral jobs from other companies, and runs on equipment that costs more than most trucks. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which type of work actually pays.

  1. 1

    You get paid to find the problem, not just fix it

    A diagnostic fee charged whether or not a leak is found, or whether you do the repair, is a different kind of income than a typical repair invoice, and mixed together you lose sight of how much of your income is pure diagnostic work.

    What we doKeeps diagnostic fee income in its own category, separate from any repair work you do after finding the leak.
  2. 2

    Referral work pays differently than direct calls

    Jobs referred by other plumbers or insurance adjusters sometimes come with a different rate or a referral fee owed back, and mixed into your regular income you cannot tell how much of your business actually depends on other companies sending you work.

    What we doKeeps trade referral and insurance referral income in their own lines so you can see how much of the business relies on relationships versus direct customers.
  3. 3

    Specialized equipment is not a small tool

    Acoustic listening equipment, thermal cameras, and tracer gas kits can cost as much as a service truck, and filed as a small supply purchase, a single equipment buy can wreck the month's numbers.

    What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they post and logs them as equipment, so the accountant can decide how to write them off.
  4. 4

    A no-leak-found visit is still billable time

    Sometimes a thorough inspection finds nothing wrong, and the visit is still billed for the time and equipment used, which can look odd next to jobs where a repair followed. Left unexplained, it is easy to undercount how much of the business is diagnostic time itself.

    What we doTracks no-leak-found visits as their own line so you can see that this billable time is a normal, expected part of the work.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a leak detection specialist.

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 diagnostic feesDirect-to-customer leak detection visits.
  • Trade referral incomeJobs referred by other plumbing companies.
  • Insurance referral incomeJobs referred by insurance adjusters investigating a claim.
  • Repair workFixing a leak once it is found, billed apart from the diagnosis.

Money out

  • Detection equipmentAcoustic sensors, thermal cameras, and tracer gas kits, plus calibration.
  • Technician wagesKept apart so you can see labor against the visits it ran.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan interest for the vehicle.
  • Referral fees paid outAmounts owed back to whoever sent you a job.
  • Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and outreach to local plumbing companies.
  • License and insuranceLiability coverage and license renewal.

What we watch for you

  • Referral revenue share

    How much of your income depends on other companies or adjusters sending work.

  • No-leak-found rate

    How often a visit finds nothing, so pricing that time correctly stays visible.

  • Repair attach rate

    How often a diagnostic visit turns into paid repair work.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things leak detection specialists 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.

How much of my business actually comes from other plumbers sending me work?

About half this month. I keep trade referral income in its own line, so you always know how much you depend on those relationships.

I bought a new thermal camera. Does that all come off this year?

Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.

Is it a problem that so many visits end with no leak found?

No, that is normal for this kind of work. I track those visits separately so you can see they are still billable time doing what you are paid for.

The tax side

The tax side of a leak detection business.

Most of what goes wrong here is what kind of income it is: diagnostic fees, referral work, and repair work are each treated a little differently in the books, even though they all land in the same bank account.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Specialized detection equipmentAcoustic sensors, thermal cameras, and tracer gas kits can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Referral fees paid to othersA fee paid back to whoever sent you a job is usually a deductible business expense, tracked apart from your own income on that job.
  • 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 leak detection specialists miss

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

  • Equipment calibration fees
  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Acoustic sensors and headphones
  • Thermal imaging equipment
  • Tracer gas and injection kits
  • Referral fees paid out
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Phone and tablet for scheduling
  • License and bonding renewal
  • Continuing education courses
  • Google local services ads
  • Small tools under the expensing threshold

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 leak detection specialist's year, kept every month.

Referral relationships and diagnostic calls run steady most of the year. 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April 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 whether referral volume from other companies changed the number.

  4. October

    Before winter freeze calls

    Frozen and cracked pipes bring more hidden leaks. Before that, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing 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 leak detection specialists. 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 leak detection specialists ask first.

Can Gus track referral income separately from direct calls?

Yes. Trade referral and insurance referral income each get their own category, so you can see how much of your business depends on those relationships.

Do I write off detection equipment all at once?

It depends on the year you are having, but often you can take the full deduction right away. Gus flags a camera or sensor purchase as equipment the moment it posts, and the accountant makes the final call.

How does Gus handle visits where no leak is found?

He tracks them as their own line, since that billable time is a normal, expected part of diagnostic work, not a wasted trip.

Are referral fees I pay out deductible?

Usually yes, as an ordinary cost of doing business. Gus keeps them tracked apart from your own income on that job.

My income varies a lot depending on who is sending me work. Does the set-aside still work?

Yes. Gus tracks what you actually made each month, so the set-aside adjusts with your real income instead of assuming a flat year.

I have not tracked which jobs were referrals versus direct calls in a while. Can Gus fix that after the fact?

Yes. Send the statements you have and Gus will sort direct, trade referral, and insurance referral income into their own lines, even going back several months.

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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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