Home maintenance & specialty services
Books and taxes for mobile home repair and skirting companies.
Skirting installs, roof coating, tie-down and anchoring work, utility weatherization jobs, and park-wide contracts. Gus sorts all of it, and an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March came in at $5,700. The weatherization program job paid at its approved rate, weeks after the install, so I kept it separate from your regular cash jobs.
- Direct customer job, skirtingSkirting installs and repairs
- Utility weatherization program payoutWeatherization program jobs
- Vinyl skirting panelsSkirting materials
- Old skirting disposal feeDisposal fees
- Shell fuelTruck and fuel
Why your books are different
Mobile home repair books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and a materials bill. Your business runs on utility program jobs that pay their own rate on their own timeline, park-wide contracts, and old skirting that has to go somewhere before the new panels go up. When the books do not track those apart, the wrong month gets blamed.
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1
Utility weatherization jobs pay a program rate, later
Some utilities pay for skirting or insulation work through a weatherization program, but the rate is set by the program, often less than a direct cash job, and payment lands weeks after the work once the program approves it.
What we doKeeps weatherization program jobs in their own line at their actual pay rate, so a payment lag does not make a busy month look thin.
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2
A mobile home park contract pays once for weeks of units
A community management contract covering skirting or tie-down work across many lots often pays in one lump sum, even though the work happens unit by unit over several weeks.
What we doSpreads park-wide contract income against the weeks the units actually got serviced.
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3
Old skirting removal is a cost of its own
Replacing damaged or outdated skirting means hauling away the old panels first, and that disposal fee is a different cost than the new vinyl or block-look material going up. Lumped together, you cannot see what removal is actually costing you.
What we doKeeps disposal fees in their own category, separate from new skirting material costs.
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4
Insurance storm repair pays an adjuster's rate
Wind and storm damage repairs referred through an insurance adjuster often pay at the insurance-approved rate, and the payment can lag well behind the day the work was done.
What we doKeeps insurance-referred repair work in its own line, tracked against when the job was actually completed.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mobile home repair 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
- Skirting installs and repairsDirect customer jobs for new or replacement skirting.
- Roof coating and levelingRoof repair and home leveling jobs, kept apart from skirting.
- Weatherization program jobsUtility-paid jobs at the program's approved rate.
- Park-wide contractsMobile home community contracts covering multiple lots.
- Insurance-referred repairsStorm and wind damage work paid at an adjuster's approved rate.
Money out
- Skirting materialsVinyl or block-look panels bought wholesale.
- Disposal feesHauling away old skirting and repair debris.
- Tie-down and anchoring equipmentAnchors, straps, and leveling jacks for code compliance work.
- Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the vehicle.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for work performed under and around a home.
- Licensing feesState manufactured home installer licensing where required.
- Lead feesGoogle local services and Angi.
What we watch for you
- Program pay gap
What weatherization and insurance programs pay against your direct cash rate.
- Material margin
What skirting materials cost against what the job charged.
- Disposal cost per job
Removal fees against install revenue, so you can see the real cost of a replacement job.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things mobile home repair 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.
Yes, that is how those programs work. I keep them in their own line so the lower rate and the delay do not make a good month look bad.
I spread that payment across the weeks the units actually got done, so no single week looks inflated by the whole contract.
Many states require a licensed installer for that work, and it varies enough that this is above my pay grade. I track the licensing cost, and the accountant can point you to what your state requires.
The tax side
The tax side of a mobile home repair business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and licensing: program and insurance jobs paid on their own clock, and a state license rule that is easy to overlook.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Truck and equipmentYour truck and equipment like leveling jacks and anchoring tools 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.
- Installer licensing varies by stateMany states require a licensed installer for tie-down, anchoring, or setup work, and the requirements differ a lot state to state. Gus tracks the 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 mobile home repair and skirting companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Skirting materials
- Roof coating supplies
- Tie-down anchors and straps
- Leveling jacks and hand tools
- Disposal fees
- State installer license fees
- Liability insurance
- Google local services and Angi fees
- Phone and tablet for dispatch
- Card processing fees
- Small tools under the expensing threshold
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 mobile home repair year, kept every month.
Storm season and pre-winter prep drive your busiest stretches. 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 spring storm repair work changed the number.
- October
Before winter
Before cold weather makes skirting and underbelly repairs urgent, 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 mobile home repair and skirting companies. 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 mobile home repair owners ask first.
Can Gus track utility weatherization jobs separately from my regular jobs?
Yes. Weatherization program jobs get their own category at the program's actual rate, kept apart from your direct cash work.
A park manager paid me once for a whole community's worth of skirting. How does that get booked?
Gus spreads that contract payment across the weeks the units actually got serviced, so no single week looks inflated by the whole payment.
Does removing old skirting count as a cost separate from the new panels?
Yes. Disposal fees stay in their own line, separate from new skirting materials, so you can see what removal is really costing you.
Insurance pays me for storm damage repairs at their own rate. Can Gus track that?
Yes. Insurance-referred repair work gets its own category, tracked against the job date rather than when the payment lands.
My books are a mix of cash jobs, program payments, and insurance checks. Can Gus sort that out?
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 need a special license for tie-down and anchoring work?
Many states require one, and the rules vary a lot. Gus tracks the licensing cost, and the accountant can speak to what your specific state requires.
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