Vehicle sales & auto services
Books and taxes for mobile tire service businesses.
Mobile mount and balance calls, tire sales, fleet contracts, and a pallet of new inventory all move through the books differently. Gus sorts every dollar into its own line, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November netted $8,800. The winter tire pallet from your distributor got booked as inventory, so its cost lines up with the swap jobs that actually use it.
- Mobile install, card at curbMobile mount and balance
- Fleet account invoiceFleet and commercial accounts
- American Tire Distributors orderTire inventory
- Old tire disposal feeDisposal and recycling
- Fuel, service vanVan fuel and maintenance
Why your books are different
A mobile tire business's books go wrong around the tire, not the call.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business carries real tire inventory, serves fleet contracts and one-off roadside calls at very different rates, and swings hard with the seasons. When the books do not track any of that, a busy month can hide a thin margin.
-
1
Tire inventory gets treated like a supply expense
A pallet of tires bought from a distributor to keep on the van feels like restocking supplies, but it is inventory tied to specific jobs, and lumped into general expenses it is hard to see if pricing per tire actually covers what it cost.
What we doTracks tire inventory as its own category, so the real cost per job is visible against what you charged. -
2
Fleet accounts and one-off calls blur together
A standing contract to rotate tires on a delivery company's fleet every month pays very differently than a single roadside puncture call, and mixed together it is hard to tell which kind of work is actually carrying the business.
What we doKeeps fleet and commercial accounts separate from one-off mobile calls, so you can see which is really paying the bills. -
3
Disposal fees get forgotten
Every old tire you take off has to be disposed of properly, usually for a fee, and that steady small cost is easy to lose track of against the bigger tire purchase it is tied to.
What we doKeeps disposal fees in their own line so the true cost of a swap, not just the tire itself, is visible. -
4
A seasonal swap rush distorts the rest of the year
Winter tire changeover season can bring in more work in six weeks than a normal slow month, making the calmer stretches look like trouble instead of the expected calendar.
What we doTracks the seasonal pattern so a normal slow month does not get mistaken for a decline. -
5
Van equipment gets mixed with hand tools
A tire changer and balancer mounted inside the service van cost as much as a small truck, and filed with wrenches and jacks, that investment muddles the month and its tax treatment gets missed.
What we doFlags van-mounted equipment separately and gets the accountant's call on how to write it off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mobile tire service.
Set up once for how tires, jobs, and accounts move. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Mobile mount and balanceOn-site tire mounting and balancing calls billed by the job.
- Tire salesTires sold and installed as part of a mobile visit.
- Fleet and commercial accountsStanding contracts with delivery fleets or businesses for scheduled rotations.
- Roadside puncture repairsOne-off flat repair calls, often booked through a dispatch app.
Money out
- Tire inventoryTires bought wholesale from a distributor like American Tire Distributors to keep stocked on the van.
- Disposal and recyclingFees paid to properly dispose of old tires.
- Van fuel and maintenanceThe vehicle that carries your equipment and inventory to every job.
- Van-mounted equipmentThe tire changer and balancer built into the service van.
- TPMS sensors and valve stemsReplacement sensors and hardware used on most jobs.
- Lead feesWhat a dispatch app keeps for booking a mobile call.
- InsuranceLiability and commercial auto coverage for a mobile service business.
What we watch for you
- Revenue per job
What an average mobile call nets once tire cost and disposal fees are considered.
- Fleet versus one-off mix
How much of the month's income comes from standing contracts versus single calls.
- Inventory turnover
How fast tire stock actually moves, so cash is not sitting in tires nobody's buying.
- Disposal cost per swap
What it actually costs to get rid of old tires against what a swap job charged.
Ask Gus
Things mobile tire service 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.
Not all at once. I book it as inventory, so the cost lines up with the jobs that actually use those tires, not just the month you bought them.
Yes. Fleet and commercial accounts stay in their own category, so you can see which kind of work is really carrying the business.
No, I track the seasonal pattern so a normal slow stretch after the rush reads as the calendar, not a decline.
The tax side
The tax side of a mobile tire service business.
Most of what goes wrong here is treating tires like inventory and van equipment like equipment. Getting both right is what makes the return come out clean.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Tires are inventory, not a routine expenseTires bought to install on jobs are inventory. Their cost is tracked against the jobs that use them rather than as a flat monthly supply expense.
- Van-mounted equipment and Section 179A tire changer or balancer built into your service van can usually be expensed the year you buy it, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Self-employment tax on profitA sole proprietor or partner pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on business profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base for 2026.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, with limits starting above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint taxable income.
Deductions mobile tire service businesses miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Tire disposal and recycling fees
- TPMS sensors and valve stems
- Van fuel and maintenance
- Tire changer and balancer upkeep
- Lead fees from dispatch apps
- Commercial auto insurance
- Air compressor and hoses
- Uniforms and safety gear
- Scheduling and dispatch software
- Torque wrenches and hand tools
- Nitrogen fill equipment
- Advertising to fleet accounts
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 tire service's year, kept every month.
Swap season brings the rush every year on schedule. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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, and a monthly set-aside is planned before spring swap season brings the year's first busy stretch.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed during the spring tire swap rush. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at midyear, what you will owe, and whether fleet accounts are keeping the slower summer months steady.
- October
Before the winter rush
Gus looks at any equipment worth buying and what the year's number looks like heading into the busiest swap season of the year.
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 tire service businesses. 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 tire service owners ask first.
I bought a big batch of tires for the season. Does that all count as an expense now?
No. Gus books it as inventory, so the cost lines up with the jobs that actually use those tires, not just the month you bought them.
My fleet contract pays completely differently than one-off calls. Can Gus keep those separate?
Yes. Fleet and commercial accounts stay in their own category, so you can see which kind of work is really carrying the business.
Winter swap season is my busiest stretch. Will the slow months after it look bad?
No. Gus tracks the seasonal pattern so a normal slow stretch after a rush reads as the calendar, not a decline.
Do you track how much tire disposal actually costs me?
Yes. Disposal fees get their own line, so the true cost of a swap, not just the tire itself, is visible.
I book a lot of my calls through a dispatch app. Does that change anything?
Gus keeps lead fees tied to the calls they generated, so you can see what a booked job actually nets after the app's cut.
My tire purchases and job income have never been tracked separately. Can that be fixed?
Yes. Send what you have and Gus rebuilds the categories going forward, so inventory and job income are finally split out.
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