Landscaping & lawn care
Books and taxes for mulch, stone, and landscape supply yards.
Bulk mulch and stone by the yard, walk-in cash customers next to contractor accounts on net terms, a delivery fleet running all day, and inventory piled outside that shrinks with the weather. 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
April came in at $17,300. The bulk mulch delivery from the supplier is booked as inventory, not spent all at once, since it gets sold off over the season.
- Contractor accounts, net-30Contractor sales
- Walk-in counter salesRetail counter sales
- Bulk mulch supplier deliveryInventory purchases
- Delivery truck fuel and repairsDelivery fleet
- Yard lease paymentYard and lot rent
Why your books are different
Supply yard books go wrong around inventory and two kinds of customers.
A generalist sees sales and a supplier bill. Your business buys mulch and stone in bulk, sells it off a little at a time to walk-in customers and on account to contractors, and watches some of it wash away or wear down before it sells. When the books do not track that, real margin per product stays hidden.
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1
Bulk purchases get expensed the day they arrive
A truckload of mulch bought in one delivery and expensed immediately makes that month look like a loss, even though the mulch will sell off gradually over the season, sometimes into the next one.
What we doTracks bulk inventory purchases against what sells, so a big delivery does not distort the month it lands in. -
2
Contractor accounts and cash sales blur together
A contractor buying on a net-30 account and a homeowner paying cash at the counter look identical in a simple ledger, hiding how much of your revenue is collected right away versus waiting on an invoice.
What we doKeeps contractor account sales and retail counter sales in separate lines, so cash flow timing is visible, not just total sales. -
3
Weather and handling loss disappears into cost of goods
Mulch that washes out in a storm or stone that gets contaminated with debris is a real loss, but if it just quietly reduces what looks like available inventory, the yard never sees how much waste is actually costing it.
What we doFlags unusual inventory shrinkage so you can see when weather or handling, not sales, explains a drop in stock. -
4
Delivery costs get buried in the price of the product
Running a delivery fleet all day is a real, sizable cost, but if fuel and truck expenses are not tracked apart from the product itself, you cannot tell whether delivery fees actually cover what deliveries cost to run.
What we doKeeps delivery fleet costs in their own line against delivery fee income, so pricing reflects the real cost of getting product to a job site.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mulch, stone, and landscape supply yard.
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
- Retail counter salesWalk-in customers paying cash or card at the yard.
- Contractor salesLandscaping and construction accounts billed on net terms.
- Delivery feesCharges for hauling product to a job site or home.
- Bulk and pallet salesLarger volume orders sold at a different rate than counter sales.
Money out
- Inventory purchasesMulch, stone, sand, and soil bought in bulk from suppliers.
- Delivery fleetFuel, repairs, and insurance for delivery trucks.
- Yard and lot rentLease or rent on the property where inventory is stored.
- Loader and equipmentSkid steers and loaders used to move inventory, logged so they get written off right.
- Equipment repairsLoader and conveyor maintenance from daily use.
- Bags, pallets, and packagingBagging supplies for smaller retail orders.
- Point of sale and inventory softwareSubscription costs for tracking sales and stock.
What we watch for you
- Inventory turnover
How fast product sells against what is sitting in the yard, so buying decisions have a real number behind them.
- Retail versus contractor mix
Cash counter sales against net-terms contractor accounts, so cash flow timing is visible.
- Delivery cost per load
Fleet cost against delivery fees charged, so delivery pricing covers what it actually costs.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things landscape supply yard 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.
No, I track that delivery as inventory that sells off over time, not a one-time expense, so this month should not look worse than it really is.
Yes, I keep them in separate categories, so you can see how much cash is coming in right away versus what is still waiting on an invoice.
I flag inventory losses like that so you can see when weather or handling, not slow sales, is behind a drop in stock.
The tax side
The tax side of a mulch, stone, and landscape supply yard.
Most of what goes wrong here is inventory timing: bulk purchases expensed too early, contractor accounts tracked loosely, and delivery costs mixed with product cost.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goodsProduct bought to resell is generally counted as a cost when it sells, not the day it is purchased. Getting the timing right on bulk purchases matters for an accurate monthly and annual number.
- Equipment and vehiclesLoaders, skid steers, and delivery trucks bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Sales tax on materials soldWhether mulch, stone, and soil sold at retail are subject to sales tax, and whether delivery labor is taxed with the materials, varies by state.
- 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 mulch, stone, and landscape supply yards miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Loader and skid steer repairs
- Delivery truck fuel and maintenance
- Yard lease or rent
- Bagging and packaging supplies
- Point of sale software
- Liability insurance
- Scale and measuring equipment
- Signage and yard displays
- Card processing fees
- Local ads and referral costs
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 supply yard's year, kept every month.
Your busiest months follow the planting seasons. Your taxes come on their own 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 and you get a monthly set-aside, so the spring rush does not come with a tax surprise attached.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed right as the spring buying season picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand after the spring rush, what you will owe, and whether inventory turnover is on pace.
- October
Before the fall push
Before the fall mulching and stone season, Gus looks at equipment you might buy 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 mulch, stone, and landscape supply yards. 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 landscape supply yard owners ask first.
Does a big bulk delivery mess up my monthly numbers?
No. Gus tracks bulk inventory against what actually sells, so a large delivery reads as stock on hand, not a one-time loss that month.
Can Gus track my contractor accounts separately from retail customers?
Yes. Contractor sales on net terms and retail counter sales get their own categories, so you can see the real mix of your cash flow, not just total sales.
How does Gus handle inventory that washes out or gets contaminated?
He flags unusual drops in inventory so you can see when weather or handling, not slow sales, explains the loss. The accountant can advise on how it affects your books at year end.
Do I need to charge sales tax on mulch and stone?
That depends on your state, and sometimes on whether delivery and installation labor are involved. It is a question for the accountant, not something Gus decides on his own.
My books are behind by a season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners 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.
More in landscaping & lawn care
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Hydroseeding
- Land clearing & forestry mulching
- Landscape curbing
- Organic lawn care companies
- Pond, water feature & koi pond builders
- Raised bed & edible garden installers
- Xeriscaping & native plant landscaping
- Aeration & overseeding services
- Certified arborists & plant health care
- Grading & drainage (French drain) contractors
- Leaf removal services
- Sod installation
- Stump grinding
- Commercial grounds maintenance
- Irrigation & sprinkler contractors
- Lawn fertilization & weed control
- Mosquito & tick control
- Snow removal & plowing
- Tree service & removal
- Landscape design & installation
- Lawn mowing & maintenance companies
- Chicken coop & backyard farm structure builders
- Dock & boathouse builders
- Gazebo & pavilion builders
- Outdoor audio & TV installers
- Playground & swing set installers
- Putting green installers
- Retractable screens & motorized shades
- Seawall & bulkhead contractors
- Sport court builders (pickleball, basketball)
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