Hard goods, dealers & local stores
Books and taxes for piano dealers.
Showroom sales, trade-ins toward a new upright or grand, rent-to-own contracts, and subcontracted movers and tuners billed apart from the sale. 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
December came in at $17,700. A grand piano trade-in came in on the big holiday sale, so I logged it as used showroom stock instead of letting it read as a plain discount.
- Showroom sale, uprightRetail sales
- Rent-to-own paymentsRental contract income
- Yamaha distributor invoiceInventory purchase
- Coleman Piano Moving pmtMoving and delivery
- Tuner contractor pmtTuning services
Why your books are different
Piano dealer books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and vendor bills. Your business is high-ticket instruments taken in on trade, rent-to-own contracts that stretch over years, subcontracted movers and tuners paid per job, and school and church sales that run on their own terms. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies.
-
1
A piano trade-in vanishes instead of becoming showroom stock
A customer trades an old upright toward a new grand. Logged only as a discount on the new instrument, the traded piano disappears from the books even though it is now sitting in the showroom as inventory the dealer owns and still has to sell.
What we doLogs the traded piano as inventory coming in at a fair value, so the showroom's used stock matches what the books actually show. -
2
Rent-to-own contracts get counted as a sale on day one
A family renting a piano toward eventual ownership pays month by month over a year or more, and if the full purchase price is booked as income up front, the month looks far bigger than what actually changed hands.
What we doBooks rent-to-own income as it is actually collected each month, so the sale reflects real payments, not a contract's full future value. -
3
Subcontracted movers and tuners get lumped into inventory cost
A piano mover or tuner paid per job looks like part of the cost of the instrument if the books do not separate labor from the piano itself, which hides what moving and tuning actually cost against what they earn, and muddies who needs a 1099 at year end.
What we doKeeps mover and tuner payments in their own line apart from inventory cost, so labor is visible and the 1099 list stays accurate. -
4
School and church bulk sales blur normal retail margin
A school district or a church buying several pianos at once often negotiates a bulk price well below single-unit retail, and if that is not tracked apart from regular sales, it can make normal showroom margin look worse than it really is.
What we doFlags bulk institutional sales apart from single-unit retail, so regular showroom margin stays visible on its own.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a piano dealer.
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 salesSingle-unit new and used piano sales at the time of purchase.
- Rental contract incomeMonthly rent-to-own payments, tracked as collected.
- Institutional salesBulk sales to schools and churches, kept apart from single-unit retail.
- Tuning and service feesIn-home tuning and repair appointments billed apart from sales.
Money out
- Inventory purchaseNew pianos bought from Yamaha, Steinway, or a regional distributor.
- Moving and deliverySubcontracted piano moving crews for delivery and pickup.
- Tuning servicesPayments to subcontracted or staff piano tuners.
- Showroom payrollSales staff and office help.
- Rent and utilitiesShowroom lease and climate-controlled storage.
- Trade-in reconditioningParts and labor to make a trade-in resellable.
- Card and financing feesWhat a financing partner or card processor kept before the sale hit the bank.
What we watch for you
- Rent-to-own balance outstanding
What is still owed on active rental contracts, so future collections stay visible.
- Gross margin, retail versus institutional
Single-unit and bulk sale margin usually differ, and blending them hides which side is actually paying the bills.
- Mover and tuner payments owed
What subcontracted movers and tuners are owed, tracked so the 1099 list stays accurate.
- The set-aside
What the dealer will owe, set aside a little at a time so filing season is never a scramble.
Ask Gus
Things piano dealers 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 log it as used inventory coming in at a fair value, so what is sitting in your showroom matches what the books actually show.
No. I book it as it is actually collected each month, so the sale reflects real payments instead of the contract's full future value all at once.
Once you pay him $2,000 or more this year without payroll withholding, that triggers a 1099-NEC due January 31. I track it as the year goes so nothing gets missed.
The tax side
The tax side of a piano dealer.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and worker classification. A rental contract counted too early, a mover treated the wrong way, 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.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldWhat was actually paid for the pianos sold during the year, not just what was spent restocking, is what counts against sales. Trade-ins and reconditioned units on the showroom floor at year end need a fair value on the books.
- Employee or contractor movers and tunersA mover or tuner who works your schedule, uses your equipment, and takes only your jobs is usually an employee, even if paid per job. One who sets their own hours and works for multiple dealers is more likely a genuine contractor. Getting it wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- Contractor 1099sAny subcontracted mover or tuner not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income. It only lands right when rental contracts and trade-ins are booked correctly all year.
Deductions piano dealers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Climate-controlled storage
- Moving equipment and dollies
- Tuning tools kept in-house
- Financing and card processing fees
- Local advertising and signage
- Business liability insurance
- Damaged or unrepairable trade-in write-downs
- Showroom fixtures and display cases
- Point of sale and rental contract software
- Trade show and vendor travel
- Delivery vehicle fuel and repairs
- Warehouse racking and 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 piano dealer year, kept every month.
Rent-to-own contracts run for years and school orders arrive on their own calendar. 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 mover and tuner 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, with the set-aside already covering what the dealer owes.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how school and institutional orders changed the number.
- October
Before holiday gifting
Before the holiday season for pianos and keyboards, 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 piano dealers. 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 piano dealer owners ask first.
Does a piano trade-in just knock down the sale price?
No. Gus logs the traded piano as used inventory coming in at a fair value, so your showroom's used stock matches what the books actually show instead of the trade-in just vanishing.
We offer rent-to-own contracts. How does that get counted?
Gus books rental income as it is actually collected each month, so the sale reflects real payments instead of the contract's full future value counted all at once.
We use subcontracted movers and tuners. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus keeps their payments in their own line apart from inventory cost, and if you pay one $2,000 or more in 2026, he keeps that 1099 list running all year.
We sell in bulk to schools sometimes. Should that be tracked differently?
Yes. Gus flags bulk institutional sales apart from single-unit retail, so your regular showroom margin stays visible on its own.
Our piano showroom books are behind from a busy season. Can Gus catch up?
Most dealers know where they stand within a week. Send over the bank statements you have, and Gus sorts through the backlog with the accountant checking his work.
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