Home maintenance & specialty services
Books and taxes for locksmiths.
Lockout calls, rekeys, commercial master key systems, and roadside referral rates that pay less than your posted price. 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
October came in at $7,700. The AAA referral calls paid less than your posted lockout rate, so I kept them separate to see if that work is worth the volume.
- AAA referral payoutRoadside referral calls
- Square payoutLockouts and rekeys
- ABC Lock and Key SupplyLocks and hardware
- Keyline software renewalKey programming software
- Shell fuelTruck and fuel
Why your books are different
Locksmith books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and a hardware bill. Your business runs on referral calls that pay a set rate, hardware bought in bulk, and commercial jobs billed weeks apart from the work. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell which calls are worth taking.
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1
Roadside referral calls pay a set rate
AAA and similar roadside programs dispatch lockout calls and pay a set reimbursement, usually less than your posted price for a walk-up customer. Mixed in with your regular calls, you lose track of whether that volume is worth the discount.
What we doKeeps referral program payments in their own line, so you can compare them against your full-price calls. -
2
A hardware stock-up wrecks the monthly number
Key blanks, cylinders, and deadbolts get bought in bulk from a supply house to cover months of jobs. One big order makes a good month look thin and the next one look great.
What we doKeeps locks and hardware in one steady line and flags a stock-up so it does not get mistaken for a slow month. -
3
Key programming software is a running cost, not a tool
Automotive key fob and transponder work usually needs an annual code reader subscription. Filed once as a tool purchase, the yearly renewal gets lost and looks like a random charge each time it hits.
What we doKeeps key programming software as its own recurring line, so the renewal is expected, not a surprise. -
4
Commercial master key jobs pay weeks apart
A property manager ordering a master key system for a building often pays a deposit up front and the balance net-30 after the install. That gap makes a real job look like it happened in two different months.
What we doTracks the deposit and the balance to the same job, so the income lands where the work actually was.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a locksmith business.
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
- Lockouts and rekeysResidential and commercial calls paid by card or cash on site.
- Roadside referral callsAAA and similar programs, at their set reimbursement rate.
- Commercial master key systemsMulti-key builds for property managers and businesses, often deposit plus net-30 balance.
- Automotive key programmingFob and transponder work, separate from door hardware.
- Safe sales and openingsStandalone safe work, kept apart from lock and key jobs.
Money out
- Locks and hardwareCylinders, deadbolts, and key blanks from your supply house.
- Key programming softwareAnnual code reader and transponder software renewals.
- Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the van.
- Bonding and licensingState license, bonding, and background check renewal fees.
- Lead feesGoogle local services and Angi.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for work done on customer property.
- Uniforms and phoneBranded shirts and the phone used for dispatch.
What we watch for you
- Referral call rate
What roadside programs pay against your posted price. Worth knowing before you take more of that work.
- Hardware margin
What locks and blanks cost against what jobs charged.
- Commercial job lag
How long a net-30 balance takes to land after the deposit.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things locksmiths 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.
I cannot tell you that, but I can show you. I keep those calls in their own line so you can see the real rate against your full-price work whenever you want.
That is above my pay grade since it varies so much by state. I flagged it, and the accountant can walk through what your state requires.
It did not tank anything, it is one order covering months of jobs. I kept it in your hardware line and noted it so a slow-looking month is not blamed on the wrong thing.
The tax side
The tax side of a locksmith business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: a referral rate treated like your full price, a subscription filed like a one-time tool, and a commercial job split across two months.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Van and key machinesYour service van and key cutting or programming machines can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to the Section 179 limit, with 100 percent bonus depreciation on property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Licensing and bonding rules vary by stateMany states require a locksmith license, bonding, or a background check, and the rules differ a lot from state to state. Gus flags the renewal cost, the accountant checks what applies where you work.
- 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.
- 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 locksmiths miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Key blanks and cylinders
- Key cutting and programming machines
- Code reader software renewals
- License, bonding, and background check fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Google local services ads
- Phone and tablet for dispatch
- Liability insurance
- ALOA membership and training courses
- Small tools under the expensing threshold
- Shop or storage rent for hardware
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 locksmith year, kept every month.
Lockouts happen any day 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.
- 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.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer lockout volume changed the number.
- October
Before winter calls
Cold weather brings frozen and stuck locks. Before that rush, Gus looks at equipment worth buying 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 locksmiths. 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 locksmiths ask first.
Can Gus track roadside referral calls separately from my regular jobs?
Yes. AAA and similar programs pay a set rate, and Gus keeps that in its own category so you can compare it against your full-price calls.
I bill commercial master key jobs with a deposit and a net-30 balance. Can Gus follow that?
Yes. Gus tracks the deposit and the later balance back to the same job, so the income lands where the work actually happened.
Do I need to track my key programming software separately from my tools?
It helps. An annual code reader renewal is a recurring cost, not a one-time purchase, and keeping it separate means the renewal is expected instead of a mystery charge.
My licensing rules are different from a locksmith in another state. Does that matter to my books?
It matters more for the accountant than for day-to-day bookkeeping. Gus flags your license and bonding renewals as costs, and the accountant can speak to what your state specifically requires.
My books are a mess from years of running everything out of one account. Can Gus untangle it?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know where they stand inside a week.
Do I owe sales tax on locks and hardware I sell?
Often, and it varies by state whether that applies to just the hardware or the whole invoice. Gus flags parts and labor separately so the accountant can check your state's rule.
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