Restoration & remediation
Books and taxes for mold remediation companies.
Containment barriers, independent clearance testing, and jobs split between insurance-covered water losses and out-of-pocket humidity calls. 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
July made $14,000. The clearance testing fee for last week's duplex job went to the independent assessor as a sub, not a lab expense, so it is easy to see who got paid what.
- Homeowner payment, VenmoCash jobs
- State Farm claim payoutInsurance claims
- Independent assessor feeClearance testing
- Grainger air scrubber filtersEquipment and supplies
- Landfill dump feeDisposal
Why your books are different
Mold remediation books go wrong when clearance testing gets mixed with cleanup.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is containment, negative air machines, and a clearance test from someone outside your own crew before a job can close. When the books do not separate those pieces, a job's real cost stays hidden.
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1
Clearance testing looks like just another lab bill
Many states require an independent assessor, not your own crew, to test the air after a remediation job before it can be called clean, and if that fee gets logged with your regular supplies, there is no way to see how much of a job's cost went to someone outside your crew.
What we doBooks the independent assessor's fee as its own line, separate from your cleaning and testing supplies, so a job's real outside cost is clear. -
2
Cash jobs and insurance jobs blur together
A basement mold job from years of humidity is usually paid out of pocket, while mold that follows a covered water loss can ride on that same insurance claim, and mixed together there is no way to see which kind of job actually fills your calendar.
What we doKeeps cash-pay mold calls separate from claim-based jobs so you know which side of the business is carrying you. -
3
Containment materials disappear into general supplies
Plastic sheeting, negative air machine filters, and zippered doorways get bought in bulk for a run of summer jobs, and lumped in with everything else, a slow month right after a big supply order looks worse than it is.
What we doKeeps containment materials in their own line and tells you when a stock-up, not a slow month, is the reason a month looks thin. -
4
Negative air machines get filed as a supply run
A negative air machine or an air scrubber can cost several thousand dollars, and bought alongside filters and tape, it can get expensed the same way and throw off equipment depreciation.
What we doFlags a big equipment purchase the day it shows up, logs it separately, and gets the accountant's call on how to write it off. -
5
A slow-drip leak job runs longer than the invoice suggests
A hidden leak behind a wall can mean two or three return visits over a month before mold is fully cleared, and if only the final invoice gets counted, the real labor and equipment time on that job disappears.
What we doTracks a job's full run of visits and equipment days so its true cost shows, not just the closing invoice.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mold remediation company.
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
- Cash and self-pay jobsBasement and attic humidity jobs the homeowner pays for directly.
- Insurance claim paymentsMold tied to a covered water loss, paid through the same claim.
- Pre-listing inspectionsMold checks ordered before a home goes on the market.
- Property manager contractsRecurring mold calls across a rental portfolio.
- Commercial and landlord contractsLarger buildings with ongoing moisture problems.
Money out
- Containment materialsPlastic sheeting, zippered doorways, and tape.
- Negative air machinesAir scrubbers and negative air units, logged so they depreciate right.
- Clearance testing feesWhat the independent assessor is paid to test the air after a job.
- Disposal feesMoldy drywall, insulation, and other contaminated debris.
- Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the response vehicles.
- Insurance and licensingGeneral liability and any state mold license fees.
- Marketing and lead feesInsurance referral networks and local ads.
What we watch for you
- Cash versus claim mix
How much work is out-of-pocket versus insurance-paid, since the two behave very differently in your cash flow.
- Job margin
What a job actually made after containment, equipment days, and clearance testing.
- Clearance testing cost
What independent assessors are costing you against what jobs bill for.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things mold remediation 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.
Two jobs are still waiting on the independent assessor's clearance report before final payment comes in. I kept those as receivables, not income yet.
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.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a mold remediation business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Equipment filed as supplies, an outside assessor paid without paperwork, 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.
- Negative air machines and scrubbersEquipment bought for the business, like negative air machines and air scrubbers, can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Independent assessor 1099sAn assessor or lab paid $2,000 or more in 2026 outside of payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- State mold licensingMany states require a specific mold assessor or remediator license, separate from a general contractor license, with its own renewal rules. Gus flags when that cost or deadline is coming 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 mold remediation companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Negative air machine filters
- Containment plastic and zippers
- Sealed-filter vacuum bags
- Moisture meters
- Independent lab testing fees
- Dump and disposal fees
- Respirators and PPE
- Phone and tablet for job photos
- State license and continuing education
- Insurance referral network fees
- Tools that live on the truck
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 mold remediation year, kept every month.
Humidity does not wait for a schedule, but 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.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for independent assessors is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned 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
Peak season check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the summer humidity rush changed the number.
- October
Before the slowdown
Before the humid season fades, 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 mold remediation 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 mold remediation owners ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs that mix cash pay and insurance?
Yes. He keeps cash jobs and insurance-paid jobs in separate categories, so you always know which side of the business is bringing in the work.
Do I have to change how I bring in an independent assessor?
No. Keep working with the assessor you use. Gus books their fee as its own line, and an accountant checks it like any other cost.
A job took three visits before clearance passed. Does that mess up the numbers?
No. Gus tracks the full run of visits and equipment time on a job, so its true cost shows up, not just the invoice you sent when it closed.
Do I write off a negative air machine 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.
My state requires a mold license. Does Gus handle that?
No. Gus keeps the books and flags when a license fee or renewal is coming up, but staying licensed and compliant with your state's rules is on you.
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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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