Electrical, energy & home tech

Books and taxes for lightning protection contractors.

Retrofit installs, new construction subcontracts, UL and LPI certification paperwork, and copper prices that move between the quote and the purchase. 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
$8,000
what you made

August came in at $8,000. The Kessler farm install needed a follow-up UL inspection before the certification could close out, so I kept that fee separate from the install itself.

  • Kessler farm install final paymentRetrofit installs
  • Meadowbrook Builders drawNew construction subcontracts
  • Thompson Lightning Protection orderCable and grounding hardware
  • UL inspection feeUL and LPI inspection costs
  • Sunoco fuel, service truckTruck and fuel
Money in$29,000
Money out$21,000
Set aside for taxes$1,700
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A lightning protection contractor's books go wrong around paperwork and price swings.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business bills certification and inspection work apart from the physical install, watches copper prices move between quote and purchase, and sometimes has to reopen finished roofing when grounding gets missed. When the books do not know that, a job's real margin disappears.

  1. 1

    Certification is billed and delivered separately

    A system often needs a UL or LPI inspection to certify it after the physical install is done, sometimes weeks later once things settle, and if that inspection fee is lumped into the same invoice as materials and labor, you cannot see how much of a job's revenue was paperwork versus the system going in.

    What we doKeeps certification and documentation fees in their own line, apart from install labor and materials.
  2. 2

    Copper prices move between the quote and the purchase

    A job quoted in the spring using one copper cable price can cost more by the time materials are actually bought months later if copper prices climb, and an owner who does not track material cost against the original quote never sees that margin quietly shrinking.

    What we doFlags jobs where actual material cost ran ahead of the quoted price, so rising copper does not eat into margin unnoticed.
  3. 3

    Grounding has to go in before the roof closes, or the job reopens

    On new construction, grounding conductors must be tied in before roofing crews close things up, and a missed coordination window means reopening finished roofing to fix it, a rework cost that has nothing to do with the original bid.

    What we doFlags rework caused by a missed construction stage as its own cost, so it never gets blended into the original job's materials and labor.
  4. 4

    Insurance-driven jobs come with their own paperwork trail

    A homeowner wanting the system for an insurance discount often needs a completion letter or proof of install, and if the extra time to produce that paperwork is not tracked, a job looks like it took longer than it should have for no visible reason.

    What we doTracks insurance documentation work as its own small line, so time spent on paperwork does not vanish into a job's regular labor.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a lightning protection contractor.

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

  • Retrofit installsSystems added to existing homes and farm structures.
  • New construction subcontractsGrounding and air terminal work paid on a builder's draw schedule.
  • Certification and documentation feesUL and LPI inspection paperwork, billed apart from the install itself.
  • Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.

Money out

  • Crew wagesKept apart from rework costs so labor cost by job type stays clear.
  • Cable and grounding hardwareCopper cable, air terminals, and grounding rods from a specialty supplier.
  • UL and LPI inspection costsWhat the business pays to have a system inspected and certified.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the service truck.
  • Liability and roof insuranceCoverage for roof and rooftop work.
  • Lead fees and marketingReferrals from roofers, insurance agents, and Google local services.

What we watch for you

  • Certification revenue share

    How much of a job's price came from paperwork and inspection versus the physical install.

  • Material cost drift

    Actual copper cost against the original quote, so rising prices do not eat margin unnoticed.

  • Rework from missed stages

    Cost of reopening finished roofing because grounding was not tied in on time.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things lightning protection contractors 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.

The Kessler job needed a follow-up UL inspection weeks after the install. Does that count as part of the same sale?

I keep it as its own line, apart from install labor and materials, so you can see how much of the job's revenue was paperwork versus the system itself.

Copper went up a lot between when I quoted the Meadowbrook job and when I actually bought the cable. Did that show up anywhere?

Yes, I flag jobs where the real material cost ran ahead of the quote, so rising copper prices do not quietly eat the margin.

A roofer closed in a section before our grounding was tied in, and we had to reopen it. Where does that cost go?

Into its own rework category, so a missed construction stage never gets blended into the original bid's materials and labor.

The tax side

The tax side of a lightning protection business.

Most of what goes wrong here is separating paperwork from physical work and catching price swings. A certification fee blended into install revenue, a copper cost overrun, and a set-aside nobody started until April.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Grounding and testing equipmentGround resistance testers, bonding tools, and the service truck 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 paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Employee or contractorA helper who uses your tools and works your schedule is usually an employee, not a subcontractor, no matter how the pay is set up.
  • 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 lightning protection contractors miss

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

  • Ground resistance testers
  • Copper cable and connectors
  • Roof harnesses and safety gear
  • Truck signage and wraps
  • Liability and roof insurance
  • UL and LPI certification fees
  • Phone for site photos
  • Home office for scheduling
  • Vehicle registration
  • Background check 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 lightning protection contractor's year, kept every month.

Storm season does not wait for a calendar quarter. Your taxes do. 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 this year's storm season brought in the install volume you expected.

  4. October

    Before next storm season

    Fewer homeowners think about lightning protection once storms taper off. Before it slows, 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 lightning protection contractors. 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 lightning protection contractors ask first.

A job needs a follow-up UL inspection weeks after the install. Does Gus track that separately?

Yes. Certification and documentation fees are kept in their own line, apart from install labor and materials, so you can see what a job earned from paperwork versus the physical system.

Copper prices moved between my quote and the actual purchase. Does that show up?

Yes. Gus flags jobs where the real material cost ran ahead of the quoted price, so rising copper does not quietly eat into margin.

A roofer closed in a section before our grounding was tied in. Where does that rework cost go?

Into its own category, so a missed construction stage never gets blended into the original job's materials and labor.

Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?

Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.

Do I write off my ground resistance testers 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 and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.

My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people 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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We keep books for the business next door too.

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