Commercial & custom builders
Books and taxes for metal building erectors.
A steel kit ordered months before the crew shows up, a deposit paid to the manufacturer, crane and bolt-up crews, and a concrete sub poured on someone else's schedule. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June made $27,000. The Ceco kit deposit for the Hutchins warehouse went out, so I logged it against that job instead of letting it sit in general materials.
- Hutchins Ag Supply drawProgress billing
- Deposit, Westview StorageDeposits
- Ceco Building SystemsSteel kit
- Ironhide Erection CrewErection labor
- Crane rental, United RentalsEquipment rental
Why your books are different
Metal building erector books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees one big supplier bill and one customer check. Your business orders a steel kit months before the crew ever shows up, collects a deposit long before the building exists, and erects on a schedule the weather controls, not you. When the books do not track any of that, a good job and a bad one look the same until the year ends.
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1
The steel deposit is not a cost yet
A $95,000 deposit goes out to Ceco to start fabrication on the Hutchins warehouse, four months before a crew ever erects a single post. Book that as an expense the day it clears and the month looks like a disaster for a job that has not even started.
What we doHolds the kit deposit against that specific job until the building actually goes up, so one big supplier payment does not wreck an otherwise normal month. -
2
Weather delays scramble the job cost
A crew mobilizes to erect a 12,000 square foot building, gets rained out for two weeks, and comes back to finish. The costs land in two different months for one job, and without job costing the building looks like two half-finished projects instead of one.
What we doKeeps every cost tied to the job it belongs to no matter how many months the weather stretches it across. -
3
Crane rental gets lost in equipment costs
A one-day crane rental for a bolt-up job gets lumped in with monthly equipment costs, so you cannot tell how much crane time actually costs you per building.
What we doCodes crane and lift rental to the specific job it was rented for, so you can price the next building with real numbers. -
4
Steel price swings blur the margin
Steel prices moved between the estimate and the day the kit was ordered, and the bid was already locked in. Without clean job costing, you cannot tell if this building lost money because of steel prices or because of labor.
What we doSeparates steel kit cost from labor and other job costs, so a thin margin points to the actual cause instead of a guess.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a metal building erector.
Set up once for kit deposits, draws, and erection costs, and an accountant checks it every month.
Money in
- DepositsMoney collected upfront to start fabrication on a steel kit.
- Progress billingDraws paid as foundation, erection, and closeout phases complete.
- Change order billingExtra openings, canopies, or upgrades added after the order, billed apart.
- Direct cash salesSmaller ag and shop buildings paid in full without a lender involved.
- RetainageThe percentage held back on larger commercial jobs until final walkthrough.
Money out
- Steel kit purchasesThe building package itself, from manufacturers like Butler, Nucor, or Ceco.
- Erection laborBolt-up crews paid by the building or by the square foot.
- Concrete and site workSlab, footings, and grading, self-performed or subcontracted.
- Crane and lift rentalCranes and manlifts rented by the day from United Rentals or Sunbelt.
- Fuel and fleetFuel, repairs, and insurance for trucks and trailers hauling steel.
- Insurance and bondingGeneral liability, builder's risk, and bonding on bid jobs.
- Permits and engineeringBuilding permits and stamped engineering fees for wind and snow load.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
Profit once the kit, labor, and site work are all in against the contract price.
- Deposits outstanding
Kits paid for but not yet erected, so a slow month does not look worse than it is.
- Erection days lost
Weather delays across open jobs, since they push both cost and cash flow.
- Backlog
Signed buildings not yet erected, an early read on the season ahead.
Ask Gus
Things metal building erectors 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.
It does not, once I moved that deposit against the Hutchins job instead of counting it as a straight expense. The building has not gone up yet, so the cost is not fully earned against the job either.
No. I keep every cost tied to the job, so the delay just spreads the same total across more months. The building's real cost does not change because the weather did.
I can show you the kit cost against the contract price for that specific job, which usually answers it. If it is close, that is worth a call with the accountant before you price the next one.
The tax side
The tax side of a metal building erection business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. A kit deposit that is not a cost yet, and equipment write-offs that need to be tracked apart from job costs.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Deposits are not deductions yetMoney paid to a steel manufacturer to start fabrication is usually not a deductible cost until the building is actually erected and the job is closed out. Gus flags deposits so the accountant times the deduction correctly.
- Equipment write-offsCranes, lifts, and trailers the business owns outright can usually be written off in the year purchased, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Subcontractor 1099sAny erection crew or site work sub not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current all year.
- Long-term contract incomeLarger commercial buildings that span more than one tax year sometimes have to show income as it is earned rather than only when billed. Gus flags multi-year jobs for the accountant to review.
Deductions metal building erectors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Crane and lift rental
- Small tools and hand tools
- Truck and fleet fuel
- Safety gear and PPE
- General liability insurance
- Bonding premiums
- Engineering and stamped drawings
- Permit fees
- Welding equipment and supplies
- Continuing education
- Uniforms with your logo
- Phone and tablet for the jobsite
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 metal building erector's year, kept every month.
Weather decides when steel goes up, but the tax calendar runs on its own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of it. 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 subcontractor 1099 list gets finalized, 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 no matter how the weather moved the schedule.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand on every kit ordered and every building erected, and whether this year's backlog is ahead of last year's.
- October
Before winter
A look at equipment worth buying before the season slows, and any moves worth making before December closes the books.
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 metal building erectors. 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 metal building erectors ask first.
Do you track steel kit deposits separately from job costs?
Yes. A deposit sent to the manufacturer stays tied to that job but is not counted as a finished cost until the building is actually erected, so one big deposit does not wreck an otherwise normal month.
A job got rained out for two weeks mid-erection. Does that hurt the numbers?
No. Every cost stays tied to the job it belongs to no matter how many months the weather stretches it across, so the building's true cost does not change just because the crew came back later.
Steel prices moved between our bid and the order. Can Gus tell me what that cost us?
Yes. The kit cost is tracked separately from labor and site work on every job, so you can see exactly what the steel itself cost against the contract price.
We erect ag buildings for cash and commercial buildings on progress billing. Can the books handle both?
Yes. Each job is tracked on its own terms, whether it is paid in full up front or billed out in draws as the building goes up.
Our books are behind from a busy erection season. Can you catch them up?
Yes. Send the bank statements and job records you have. Gus sorts income and cost by job, and most owners know where each building stands within 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