Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for parking lot striping and maintenance companies.
New construction striping, recurring restripe contracts, ADA compliance signage, and a rained-out day the crew still got paid for. 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
May came in at $12,000. The big thermoplastic order for the shopping center job got tied to that job, so it did not make a normal month look heavier than it was.
- Shopping center restripe contractMaintenance contracts
- Thermoplastic orderPaint and thermoplastic
- ADA signage orderStencils and signage
- Fleet fuel, striping trucksTrucks and fuel
- One-off lot restripeOne-off jobs
Why your books are different
A striping and maintenance company's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs on recurring restripe contracts, one-off jobs, and paint bought in bulk ahead of a big lot. Blend those together and you cannot see which kind of work actually holds the business up.
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1
Recurring contracts blur with one-off jobs
An apartment complex's annual restriping contract is steady income that fills the calendar between one-off jobs for single businesses, but lumped together, you cannot see how much of the business runs on that repeat base.
What we doKeeps recurring maintenance contracts in their own income category, separate from one-off jobs. -
2
A paint order ahead of a big contract skews the month
Ordering enough thermoplastic and paint for a large retail plaza restriping makes that month look heavy and the next one thin, when it is really one order spread across weeks of work.
What we doTies bulk material orders to the job, so a big buy does not distort a normal month. -
3
ADA compliance work gets billed as one number
A parking lot restripe that includes new handicap spaces and van-accessible signage is really two different costs, paint and signage, and billed as one line, you cannot tell if the signage actually got priced right.
What we doKeeps signage and striping materials in separate lines, so each part of the job stays visible. -
4
A rained-out job still costs a day
A crew that shows up and cannot stripe because the pavement is wet still gets paid for the day, a real cost with no matching income for that job.
What we doFlags days where labor went out with no matching job revenue, so a rescheduled day does not quietly disappear. -
5
The striping machine looks like a supply purchase
A self-propelled striping machine or a seal coat sprayer can cost as much as a truck, and filed as supplies it just muddies the month and the deduction gets missed.
What we doFlags big equipment buys the day they show up and logs them as equipment, not supplies.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a striping and maintenance 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
- Progress billingNew construction lot striping billed as part of a paving package.
- Maintenance contractsAnnual or biennial restriping for retail plazas and apartment complexes.
- Seal coatingOften bundled with a restriping job.
- ADA compliance upgradesHandicap spaces and required signage.
- One-off jobsSmall lots and single businesses billed flat fee.
Money out
- Field crew wagesStriping and seal coat crews.
- Paint and thermoplasticOrdered by the job or in bulk ahead of a big contract.
- EquipmentStriping machines, sweepers, and seal coat sprayers.
- Stencils and signageADA-compliant signs and stencil sets.
- Trucks and fuelCrew trucks moving between lots.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage for larger jobs.
- PermitsLane closures and right-of-way work on public roads.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each job actually made after paint, signage, and labor.
- Maintenance contract base
How much steady recurring restripe income is booked against one-off jobs.
- Rescheduling cost
Labor paid on days a job could not finish, worth tracking if it happens often.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things striping and maintenance 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 tied the order to that job, so it will not make a normal month look heavier than it was.
As a day of labor with no matching job revenue. I flag those so a rescheduled day does not just quietly disappear into your normal payroll.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, yes, a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of a striping and maintenance business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Bulk paint buys treated like a bad month, weather days that vanish, 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.
- Equipment write-offsStriping machines, sweepers, and seal coat sprayers can often be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Sub-subcontractor 1099sAny outside crew or signage installer not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA crew member who works your schedule, uses your equipment, and takes direction from you is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- 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 parking lot striping and maintenance companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Striping machines and sprayers
- Stencils and layout tools
- ADA signage
- Safety cones and vests
- Continuing education
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Permit fees
- Job costing software
- Uniforms with your logo
- Paint and thermoplastic storage
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 striping and maintenance year, kept every month.
Bid season, bulk paint orders, and tax season each run on their own clock. Your team keeps you ahead of all three. 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 the 1099 list for outside crews is ready. Bidding is picking up, so your monthly set-aside gets planned before spring restriping fills the schedule.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring restriping season gets underway. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a big retail plaza contract changed the number.
- October
Before year end
As cooler weather narrows the paint curing window, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything else worth doing before the year ends.
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 parking lot striping and maintenance 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 parking lot striping companies ask first.
Can Gus keep our recurring restripe contracts separate from one-off jobs?
Yes. Recurring maintenance contracts sit in their own category from day one, so you can always see how much of your revenue runs on that steady base.
We order paint in bulk ahead of a big contract. Won't that throw off a month?
No. The order gets tied to the contract it was bought for, so a big restripe job's paint bill does not make an ordinary month of smaller jobs look expensive by comparison.
Do I write off a new striping 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.
A rained-out day still costs us in labor. Does that get tracked?
Yes. Gus flags days where crew labor went out with no matching job revenue, so a rescheduled day shows up clearly instead of quietly blending into your normal payroll.
Our books are behind after a busy season. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know exactly 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