Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for masonry contractors.
Progress billing on wall packages, retainage, pallet deposits from the brick yard, and heaters to keep mortar curing in the cold. 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 $12,000. The heaters and enclosures for the late job got tied to that job's cost, so it did not look like a normal month went sideways.
- GC pay app #5 payoutProgress billing
- Brick and block orderBrick, block, and stone
- Pallet deposit, brick yardBrick, block, and stone
- Heater rental, cold weatherCold weather protection
- Fleet fuel, crew trucksTrucks and fuel
Why your books are different
A masonry contractor's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is progress billing, brick yard pallet deposits, and weather that changes what a job costs to build. Blend those together and a job's real cost disappears.
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1
Pallet deposits look like a straight material cost
A supplier charges a deposit on brick and block pallets that comes back once you return them empty, but if the refund is not tracked, materials look more expensive than they actually were.
What we doTracks pallet deposits and their refunds separately, so the real cost of brick and block stays accurate. -
2
Cold weather protection spikes a late-season month
Heaters, enclosures, and blankets needed to keep mortar curing above freezing on a late job cost real money that a summer job never sees, and it can look like a normal month went sideways.
What we doKeeps cold weather protection costs tied to the job, so a winter job's numbers make sense next to a summer one. -
3
Mason and tender wages blend together
A skilled mason and a tender hauling block get paid very different rates, and lumped into one labor line, you cannot see whether a job's crew mix actually made sense for the work.
What we doKeeps wage categories clear enough that labor cost against a job's scope stays visible. -
4
Retainage on masonry packages disappears
A general contractor holds back 10 percent on a school wall package and does not release it until closeout, sometimes a year after the last course goes up.
What we doKeeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see what is still owed and roughly when it should land. -
5
A bad delivery of cracked brick looks like a mystery loss
A pallet of brick that arrives cracked or chipped has to be set aside and reordered, a real cost against that job if it goes uncaught.
What we doKeeps damaged material costs visible against the job, so a loss shows up where it actually happened.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a masonry 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
- Progress billingGeneral contractor pay applications on wall and veneer packages.
- Retainage releasesHeld-back money on install jobs, paid out at closeout.
- Change order billingAdded courses, stone veneer upgrades, and scope changes.
- Tuckpointing and restorationRepair and repointing work on existing buildings, often billed direct.
- Direct owner contractsSmaller restoration jobs without a general contractor.
Money out
- Field crew wagesMasons and tenders, including certified payroll on public jobs.
- Brick, block, and stoneDistributor and masonry supply yard orders.
- Mortar, sand, and limeMix materials used on nearly every job.
- Scaffolding rentalRented by the day or week for taller walls.
- Cold weather protectionHeaters, enclosures, and blankets to keep mortar curing.
- Trucks and fuelCrew trucks moving between active job sites.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage for larger jobs.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each wall package actually made after materials and labor.
- Pallet deposits
What you are owed back from suppliers once pallets are returned.
- Retainage owed
Money general contractors are holding on install jobs right now.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things masonry 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.
Only until you return the pallets. I track the deposit and the refund separately, so your material cost stays accurate once the pallets go back.
The job needed heaters and enclosures to keep the mortar curing in the cold. I tied that cost to the job, so it does not look like a normal month went sideways.
Not if they are both on payroll. If any of them are paid outside payroll and get $2,000 or more this year, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a masonry business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Pallet deposits mixed with real material cost, weather costs mistaken for a bad month, 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.
- Equipment write-offsMasonry saws, mixers, and crew trucks can often be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Heavier trucks carry a separate cap.
- Sub-subcontractor 1099sAny outside mason or tender not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA mason or tender who works your schedule, uses your tools, and takes direction from your foreman is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- 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 masonry contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Masonry saws and mixers
- Trowels and hand tools
- Safety gear and PPE
- Mason license renewal
- Continuing education
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Scaffolding rental
- Cold weather protection gear
- Job costing software
- Uniforms with your logo
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 masonry year, kept every month.
Wall-raising season, weather costs, and tax season each run on their own clock. Your team keeps you ahead of all three. 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 the 1099 list for outside crews is ready. Bidding is picking up, so your monthly set-aside gets planned before spring wall packages mobilize.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring wall-raising season gets underway. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a large school or commercial package changed the number.
- October
Before cold weather costs hit
Before late-season jobs need heaters and enclosures, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything else worth doing before the year ends.
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 masonry 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 masonry contractors ask first.
Do pallet deposits and refunds get tracked correctly?
Yes. Gus tracks what you pay the supplier as a deposit separately from what comes back when you return the pallets, so your material cost reflects what brick and block actually cost.
Winter jobs need heaters and enclosures. Does that throw off the books?
No. Gus ties cold weather protection costs to the specific job that needed them, so a late-season job's numbers make sense next to a summer one instead of looking like a bad month.
Do I write off a new masonry saw 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.
We do both new construction and tuckpointing. Can the books tell them apart?
Yes. Tuckpointing and restoration work sits in its own income category, separate from new wall packages, so you can see which kind of work actually pays best.
Our books are behind after a big wall package. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know exactly 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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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