Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for patio cover and awning companies.
Deposits, progress draws, aluminum and fabric orders, and jobs that go from measure to install in a single afternoon. 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 came in at $11,200. The Alumawood cover order for the Griggs job went in as materials for that job, not a general supply cost.
- Deposit, Griggs patio coverJob deposits
- Final payment, Ochoa awningFinal payments
- Alumawood cover kitAluminum cover kits
- Sunbrella fabric orderAwning fabric
- Angi lead feeLead fees and marketing
Why your books are different
Patio cover and awning books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business runs quick one and two day installs alongside bigger insulated patio cover jobs, and both a solid aluminum cover and a retractable fabric awning get sold out of the same truck. When the books do not separate them, you cannot tell which product actually pays.
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1
Solid covers and fabric awnings get costed the same way
An insulated aluminum patio cover and a retractable fabric awning use completely different materials and install times, but when both get logged under one general materials line, the owner cannot tell which product line is worth pushing.
What we doTags material and labor costs to the job and the product type, so cover margin and awning margin show up separately. -
2
A one-day install makes the deposit and final payment collide
When a job goes from measure to install in a matter of days, the deposit and final payment sometimes land in the same week, and it is easy to record the total twice or miss that a chunk was already collected as a deposit.
What we doTracks the deposit against the job so the final payment only counts what is actually still owed. -
3
Motorized retractable awnings hide their real cost
A motorized retractable awning with a wind sensor costs far more than a manual crank model, and when both get filed the same way, the owner cannot see how much the motor and sensor upgrade actually adds to the job.
What we doKeeps motorized components on their own line against the job, so the upgrade's real cost and markup are visible. -
4
An aluminum stock order skews a slow month
One bulk Alumawood or fabric order for several upcoming jobs can make a month look like a loss on paper, with the installs and revenue landing weeks later.
What we doFlags large stock-up purchases and notes which jobs they belong to, so a big order does not read as the month falling apart.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a patio cover and awning 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
- Job depositsThe third to half collected at contract signing, tracked against the job it belongs to.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once the cover or awning is installed and inspected.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut from Wisetack or Service Finance Company booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded lighting, ceiling fans, or motorized upgrades billed separately.
Money out
- Aluminum cover kitsAlumawood or similar solid patio cover systems, kept apart from fabric awnings.
- Awning fabricSunbrella or similar fabric and hardware for retractable and fixed awnings.
- Motors and sensorsWind sensors and motor kits for retractable awnings, tracked as their own cost.
- Crew wages and subsInstall crew pay and any electricians brought in for motorized units.
- Equipment rentalLifts and post hole diggers for larger cover installs.
- Lead fees and marketingAngi, HomeAdvisor, and Google local services ads.
- Financing and card feesWhat the lender or Square kept before you got paid.
What we watch for you
- Cover versus awning margin
How solid aluminum covers compare to fabric awnings, so you know which product to promote.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for covers not yet installed, so a fast install cycle does not confuse what is actually owed.
- Motorized upgrade share
How often customers add motors and sensors, and what that upgrade is worth once its real cost is counted.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things patio cover and awning 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 booked the motor and sensor as a change order on the same job, so the upgrade and what it added to the bill are both visible.
No. I tracked the deposit against that job first, so the final payment only shows what was still owed, not the full price twice.
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 running.
The tax side
The tax side of a patio cover and awning business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit and a final payment colliding in the same week, a motor upgrade filed like plain fabric, 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-offsA lift or post hole digger bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like an install crew or an electrician, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment taxAn owner not on payroll pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- 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 patio cover and awning companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Lift and post hole digger rental
- Fabric and hardware samples
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Angi and Google local services ads
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Motor and sensor spare parts
- Truck wraps and yard signs
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 patio cover and awning year, kept every month.
Demand climbs as the weather heats up and quick installs keep the crew moving all summer. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. 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 before spring demand for covers and awnings picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether covers or awnings carried the summer.
- October
Before the season slows
A look at any equipment worth buying before winter, 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 patio cover and awning 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 patio cover and awning owners ask first.
Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
I run estimates in Jobber. Do I have to change how I work?
No. Keep running jobs the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit or payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off a motor and sensor upgrade all at once?
Often, yes. Business equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
My books are behind from last 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.
How does Gus keep a fast install from double counting the payment?
He tracks the deposit against the job the day it lands, so when the final payment arrives days later he only counts what was still owed, not the full price again.
Do you handle sales tax on the aluminum and fabric I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and contracts varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
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