Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for pergola builders.
Deposits, progress draws, cedar and aluminum orders, and the motorized louvered roof that costs more than the frame. 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
June came in at $11,800. The StruXure roof system for the Bennett job went in as materials for that job, not a general supply cost.
- Deposit, Bennett pergolaJob deposits
- Final payment, Ruiz jobFinal payments
- 84 Lumber cedar orderLumber and framing
- StruXure roof systemLouvered roof systems
- Houzz lead feeLead fees and marketing
Why your books are different
Pergola books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and lumber bills. Your business is framing one job while collecting a deposit on the next, and a motorized roof system that costs more than the structure under it. When the books do not separate that, you cannot tell which jobs actually paid.
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1
A deposit looks like profit before the frame goes up
A $9,000 deposit on a pergola that will not be built for three weeks shows up as income the day it lands, so the month looks strong before a single post is set. Then the cedar order and the crew's time hit later with nothing left to offset them.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so a big deposit month does not hide a thin one underneath it. -
2
The roof system outweighs the frame in the books
A motorized louvered roof can cost more than the cedar posts and beams it sits on. Lumped into one materials line, it hides how much of the job's cost is structure versus the roof upgrade the customer paid extra for.
What we doKeeps roof system costs on their own line against the job, so you can see what the upgrade actually cost against what it was billed. -
3
Aluminum kits and cedar framing get mixed together
Running an aluminum kit job and a custom cedar build in the same month, with both material orders logged the same way, makes it hard to see which style of pergola is actually more profitable to sell.
What we doTags material costs to the job and the build type, so you can compare margins between kit jobs and custom framing. -
4
A hardware and fastener order skews a slow month
A bulk order of OZCO brackets, post bases, and structural screws for three upcoming jobs can make a month look like a loss on paper, with nothing built yet to show for it.
What we doFlags large hardware orders and notes which jobs they belong to, so a stock-up does not read as the month falling apart.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pergola builder.
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.
- Progress drawsPayments collected at framing or roof installation milestones.
- Final paymentsWalkthrough payment once the structure and roof system are complete.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut from Wisetack or GreenSky booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded lighting, fans, or screen panels billed separately from the base contract.
Money out
- Lumber and framingCedar, redwood, and pressure-treated posts and beams from 84 Lumber or a local yard.
- Louvered roof systemsMotorized aluminum roof kits, kept apart from framing costs so margin is visible.
- Hardware and fastenersOZCO brackets, post bases, structural screws, and connectors.
- Crew wages and subsFraming crew pay and any electricians wired in for lighting or fans.
- Equipment rentalPost hole diggers, concrete mixers, and lifts for roof installation.
- Lead fees and marketingHouzz, Angi, and Google local services ads.
- Financing and card feesWhat the lender or Square kept before you got paid.
What we watch for you
- Material cost share
Framing and roof system costs against money in, so pricing keeps up with lumber and aluminum prices.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for pergolas not yet built, so a big deposit month does not look like profit that is not there yet.
- Kit versus custom margin
How aluminum kit jobs compare to custom cedar builds, so you know which to sell more of.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things pergola builders 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 it as a change order on the same job, so you can see the extra scope and what it added to the bill.
The StruXure roof order for the Bennett job landed this month. I tagged it to that job, so it is not really a loss, it is a job still in progress.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a pergola building business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted too early, a roof system filed like lumber, 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 post hole digger, mixer, or lift 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 a framing crew or an electrician for lighting, 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 pergola builders miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Post hole digger rental
- Concrete mixer rental
- OZCO brackets and hardware
- Cedar and lumber samples
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Houzz and Angi lead fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- CompanyCam or job photo software
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 pergola building year, kept every month.
Deposits start landing in spring and the crew stays busy through fall. 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 the spring deposits start coming in for the season ahead.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether kit jobs or custom builds 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 pergola builders. 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 pergola builders 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 and jobs 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 motorized roof system 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 tell a deposit apart from a finished sale?
He tracks each job from deposit to final payment, so a deposit collected for work not yet done shows up as a job in progress, not as profit for the month it landed.
Do you handle sales tax on the materials 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