Home maintenance & specialty services
Books and taxes for piano movers.
Direct piano moves, dealer referral deliveries, the occasional crane job for a fourth-floor walkup, and insurance sized to what you are actually carrying. Gus sorts all of it, and an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $6,300. The fourth-floor walkup job needed a crane rental, so I tied that cost to the job instead of letting it sit in general equipment.
- Direct piano move, cardPiano moves
- Steinway dealer referralDealer referral moves
- Crane rental, high-rise jobHoist and crane rental
- Piano insurance rider premiumInstrument insurance
- Shell fuelTruck and fuel
Why your books are different
Piano mover books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and a fuel bill. Your business handles instruments worth more than most household goods put together, dealer referral work, and the rare job that needs a crane. When the books do not track those apart, one hard job can look like a bad month.
-
1
Dealer referral moves pay a different rate than direct bookings
A piano store or dealer that refers you delivery and moving work usually pays a set rate it negotiates, which can run lower than what a customer would pay you booking direct for the same climb up a narrow staircase.
What we doKeeps dealer referral jobs in their own line, so you can see that rate against your direct bookings. -
2
A crane or hoist rental belongs to the job that needed it
A grand piano going in through a window on the fourth floor sometimes needs a crane or hoist rental that costs more than the move itself. Filed as general equipment instead of tied to that job, the job looks like it lost money when the price should have covered it.
What we doTies crane and hoist rental costs to the specific job, so you can see whether your quote actually covered a hard move. -
3
Instrument insurance is sized to what you are carrying, not your revenue
A single grand piano can be worth far more than a truckload of household furniture, so the insurance premium to cover it properly can look large next to a small move fee if nobody accounts for the value on the truck.
What we doKeeps instrument insurance in its own line so the cost of covering high-value pianos is visible, not folded into general liability. -
4
Climate-controlled storage costs more than a regular unit
A piano held between a pickup and a delivery date, especially during a move across a school year or a season, often needs climate-controlled storage rather than a standard unit, and that fee gets missed if it is lumped with the move price.
What we doKeeps climate-controlled storage in its own category, separate from the move fee itself.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a piano moving 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
- Piano movesDirect-booked moves, priced by distance, stairs, and instrument type.
- Dealer referral movesDelivery and moving work sent by piano stores and dealers.
- Climate-controlled storageFees for pianos held between a pickup and a delivery date.
- Tuner and technician referralsJobs sent by piano tuners and technicians, kept apart from dealer work.
Money out
- Piano boards and riggingSkids, straps, blanket pads, and piano jacks.
- Hoist and crane rentalEquipment rented for high-floor or tight-access moves, tied to the job.
- Instrument insuranceCoverage sized to the value of pianos on the truck.
- Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the box truck.
- Storage facility rentClimate-controlled space for stored instruments.
- Subcontracted crewExtra hands brought in for heavier or harder moves.
What we watch for you
- Dealer referral rate
What piano dealers pay against your direct-booked price. Worth knowing before you take more of that work.
- Crane cost per job
What hoist and crane rentals actually run against what a hard job was quoted.
- Storage revenue
Climate-controlled storage fees against move fees, since they come from a different service.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things piano movers 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.
Not a problem, just worth watching. I keep dealer referral jobs in their own line so you can compare that rate against your direct bookings.
I tied the crane cost to that job specifically, so you can look at whether the quote actually covered it before you take another one like it.
That tracks. A grand piano can be worth more than everything else on the truck, so coverage sized to that is a real cost, not a mistake. I keep it in its own line so it does not get confused with general liability.
The tax side
The tax side of a piano moving business.
Most of what goes wrong here is tying costs to the right job: a crane rental, a high-value insurance rider, and storage that runs more than a standard unit.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Truck and rigging equipmentYour box truck, piano boards, and rigging equipment can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to the Section 179 limit, with 100 percent bonus depreciation on property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for a job, such as a subcontracted rigger, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Worker classification for regular crewA crew member who works your schedule and rides in your truck on most jobs usually counts as an employee, not a contractor, even if paid by the job.
- 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 piano movers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Piano boards and skids
- Straps and blanket pads
- Crane and hoist rental
- Instrument insurance premiums
- Climate-controlled storage rent
- Uniforms with your logo
- Phone and tablet for dispatch
- Continuing education in rigging safety
- Card processing fees
- Small tools under the expensing threshold
- Dealer and referral marketing 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 piano mover's year, kept every month.
Moves cluster around the school year and the fall concert season, and your taxes come on a 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, the 1099 list for any subcontracted help is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the summer move season changed the number.
- October
Before the recital season
As schools and churches gear up for fall recitals and concerts, Gus looks at equipment worth buying 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 movers. 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 movers ask first.
Can Gus keep dealer referral jobs separate from moves I book myself?
Yes. Dealer referral moves get their own category at the rate the dealer pays, kept apart from your direct bookings so you can compare the two.
A crane rental made one job barely profitable. Can Gus show me that?
Yes. Gus ties equipment rentals like a crane to the specific job, so you can see whether a hard move's price actually covered what it cost to do.
My insurance costs more than a typical small business. Does that mess up my numbers?
No. It is a real cost of covering high-value instruments, and Gus keeps it in its own line so it reads clearly instead of looking like an outsized general expense.
Do I need to track piano storage differently than a regular move?
Yes. Climate-controlled storage is its own category since it is a different service with a different cost than moving the piano itself.
My books have been a mix of personal and business accounts for years. Can Gus untangle that?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know where they stand inside a week.
Do I need to 1099 the rigger I bring in for hard jobs?
If you pay him $2,000 or more in the year and he is not on your payroll, yes. Gus keeps that running total so it is ready by January 31.
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 home maintenance & specialty services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Babyproofing & childproofing services
- Fine art & specialty movers
- Furniture assembly services
- Gutter and dryer vent combo service companies
- Home maintenance membership companies
- Home watch services (seasonal homes)
- Mobile home repair & skirting
- Property caretakers
- TV mounting services
- Home inspectors
- Appliance repair
- Junk removal
- Locksmiths
- Residential moving 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)
- Cedar shake roofing specialists
- Custom built-ins & trim carpenters
- Historic home restoration contractors
- Popcorn ceiling removal
- Skylight installation & repair
- Slate & tile roofing specialists
- Stair & railing contractors
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