Electrical, energy & home tech

Books and taxes for structured cabling contractors.

Builder pre-wire contracts, remodel cabling jobs, failed certification runs, and network racks that cost as much as a truck. 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
AprilExample month
$8,500
what you made

April came in at $8,500. The Ridgeline tract job's rough-in draw posted for eight houses, and the Fenwick remodel's cert testing turned up two failed runs I flagged for a redo.

  • Ridgeline Homes rough-in drawBuilder pre-wire contracts
  • Fenwick remodel final paymentRemodel cabling jobs
  • Graybar cable and connector orderCable and connector stock
  • Fluke cable certifier calibrationTesting equipment
  • Shell fuel, crew vanTruck and fuel
Money in$33,000
Money out$24,500
Set aside for taxes$1,800
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A structured cabling contractor's books go wrong around drops and rework.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business prices by the drop, sometimes has to repull a run for free, and splits its time between thin builder contracts and better-paying remodel work. When the books do not know that, pricing decisions get made on bad information.

  1. 1

    A job's price is set per drop, but costs do not scale the same

    A cabling contract might be quoted at a flat rate per drop, but connector count, patch panel size, and rack space do not scale in a straight line with the number of runs, so a job with lots of short runs can look thinner than one with fewer, longer runs at the same drop count.

    What we doTracks materials against the actual drop count for each job, so pricing decisions are based on what a job really costs.
  2. 2

    A failed cable certification means repulling wire for free

    When a cable run fails certification testing, the fix is repulling it at the contractor's own cost, and if that rework is not flagged apart from the original job, it quietly erodes what looked like a normal margin.

    What we doFlags certification rework as its own category, so a pattern of failed runs on one supplier's cable or one crew's work shows up before it costs a season's profit.
  3. 3

    Builder tract contracts pay far less per hour than remodel work

    A builder pre-wiring twenty identical houses pays a thin, volume-based rate per drop, while a homeowner's remodel job pays for the same work at a much higher hourly rate. Blended together, the business looks like it earns one average number that describes neither job well.

    What we doKeeps builder contract work and direct remodel jobs in separate lines, so you can see which one is actually worth chasing.
  4. 4

    Network racks get filed as ordinary supplies

    A fully loaded network rack with patch panels and a small switch can cost as much as a used truck, and filed as supplies alongside cable and connectors, it muddies the month it was bought and hides an asset that should be tracked.

    What we doFlags rack and panel purchases the day they show up and logs them as equipment, so the accountant can decide how to write them off.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a structured cabling 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

  • Builder pre-wire contractsVolume-priced cabling work paid by a builder across a set of homes.
  • Remodel cabling jobsDirect homeowner jobs, priced and paid at a higher rate per drop.
  • Cable certification feesTesting and certification of completed runs, billed as its own service.
  • Network rack installsRack, patch panel, and switch setup jobs.

Money out

  • Crew wagesKept apart from certification rework so labor cost by job type stays clear.
  • Cable and connector stockCat6, fiber, and connectors from Graybar or a similar distributor.
  • Network racks and patch panelsLogged as equipment when a purchase is large enough to matter.
  • Testing equipmentCable certifiers and their calibration and repair costs.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the crew van.
  • Lead fees and marketingBuilder relationships and Houzz or Google local services leads.

What we watch for you

  • Cost per drop

    Materials against the actual number of cable runs, so pricing reflects what a job really costs.

  • Certification rework

    Failed runs that had to be repulled for free, so a pattern shows up before it costs real money.

  • Builder versus remodel mix

    How much of the month came from thin-margin tract work against higher-margin remodel jobs.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things structured cabling 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 Ridgeline job is eight houses at a flat rate per drop. Does that show up differently than my remodel work?

Yes, I keep builder contracts and direct remodel jobs in separate lines, so you can see which one is actually worth chasing.

Two runs at the Fenwick job failed certification and I had to repull them for free. Does that get tracked?

Yes, I flag certification rework as its own category, so a pattern of failed runs shows up before it costs you a season's profit.

I just bought a fully loaded network rack for a job. Does that 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.

The tax side

The tax side of a structured cabling business.

Most of what goes wrong here is blended pricing. Builder work mixed with remodel work, rework hidden in a normal job, 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.

  • Cable testers and rack equipmentCertifiers, rack hardware, and shop tools 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 structured cabling contractors miss

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

  • Cable certification testers
  • Punch down tools
  • Rack mounting hardware
  • Truck signage and wraps
  • Liability and bonding insurance
  • Builder lead fees
  • Phone for site photos
  • Dump fees for old cable
  • Home office for scheduling
  • Vehicle registration

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 structured cabling contractor's year, kept every month.

Builder schedules and remodel calls do not run on the same clock. 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 tract contracts are paying what they should.

  4. October

    Before the holiday remodels

    Homeowners want networks ready before holiday guests bring their devices. Before it hits, 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 structured cabling 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 structured cabling contractors ask first.

We pre-wire tract homes for a builder at a flat rate per drop. Does that mix in with my remodel work?

No. Builder contracts and direct remodel jobs are tracked in separate lines, so you can see which one is actually worth chasing.

A few cable runs failed certification and I had to repull them for free. Does that show up anywhere?

Yes. Certification rework gets flagged as its own category, so a pattern of failed runs shows up before it costs you real money.

Do I write off a fully loaded network rack 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.

I use a helper on bigger tract jobs. Does that change the books?

It depends on how the work is set up, and Gus flags it so the accountant can weigh in on whether that helper looks like an employee or a contractor.

My pricing is per drop. Can Gus still track my real cost per job?

Yes. He tracks materials against the actual number of drops on each job, so your pricing reflects what a job really costs, not just a flat per-drop guess.

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