Site work & heavy civil
Books and taxes for pond and lake construction companies.
Farm pond digs, retention basin contracts, a landowner waiting on a cost-share reimbursement, and a wet site that needs pumps running for weeks. Gus sorts every dollar, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $19,000. The dewatering pump rental for the Miller farm pond got logged as its own cost, not folded into equipment rental.
- Miller farm pond paymentPrivate pond contracts
- Meridian basin drawRetention basin contracts
- Dewatering pump rentalDewatering
- Clay liner haulingLiner materials
- Shell fuel accountFuel
Why your books are different
Pond and lake construction books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and bills. Your business is water tables that dictate the schedule, liners priced two very different ways, and landowners sometimes waiting on their own reimbursement to pay you. When the books do not know that, a finished job can look wrong for months.
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1
Cost-share reimbursement muddies when a job is paid
A landowner building a conservation pond through a USDA cost-share program sometimes cannot pay the full balance until the program reimburses their share, so a finished job can sit partly unpaid for months while it looks complete on paper.
What we doTracks what has actually cleared against what is still owed once a reimbursement comes through, so a finished job does not read as fully paid before it is. -
2
Dewatering gets treated like a supply run
Keeping an excavation dry below the water table takes rented pumps running for days or weeks, a real cost that varies a lot by how wet the site is, but lumped into general equipment rental nobody can see it.
What we doKeeps dewatering costs in their own line, so a wet site's real cost is visible next to a dry one's. -
3
Clay liner and synthetic liner get counted the same
A compacted clay core and a synthetic liner cost very differently to install, and combined into one materials line, nobody can tell which approach is actually more profitable to bid.
What we doKeeps clay liner and synthetic liner costs separate, so each approach shows its own real cost. -
4
Dam compliance costs disappear into the job
A pond with a dam or spillway component often needs an engineer's sign-off, compaction testing, and a dam safety permit, and those costs blend into the general dig if nobody separates them.
What we doKeeps permit, testing, and engineering costs in their own line, so a dam job's real cost is visible against a simple pond dig. -
5
Fish stocking gets booked like a new pond job
Fish stocking or vegetation control sold as a follow-up service after the main dig is finished gets logged like a brand new contract, hiding that it is really repeat business from an existing customer.
What we doTags add-on services to the original job, so repeat and upsell revenue is visible on its own. -
6
A dry-season rush looks like an unusual month
Most pond work happens when the water table is low, so several jobs can start and pay out in the same few weeks, making that stretch look unusually busy compared with the rest of the year.
What we doKeeps the calendar in view, so a dry-season rush reads as the normal seasonal pattern it is, not a fluke.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pond and lake construction 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
- Private pond contractsFarm ponds and recreational lakes billed straight to the landowner.
- Retention basin contractsStormwater basin work billed to a developer or builder.
- Dredging contractsRestoring an existing pond or lake that has silted in.
- Cost-share reimbursed contractsJobs where part of the landowner's payment comes through a conservation program.
- Fish stocking and add-on servicesFollow-up work sold after the main dig is finished.
Money out
- FuelDiesel for the excavator, dozer, and support equipment.
- EquipmentExcavators and dredging equipment, logged so they get written off right.
- Equipment rentalA compactor or additional excavator rented for a bigger job.
- DewateringPumps rented to keep an excavation dry below the water table.
- Liner materialsClay import for a compacted core or synthetic liner material.
- Compaction testing and engineeringTesting and sign-off required on a dam or embankment job.
- PermitsDam safety and wetlands permits where a job needs them.
- Insurance and bondingGeneral liability, equipment coverage, and the bond that let you bid the job.
What we watch for you
- Cost per pond
Fuel, materials, and dewatering against what each job billed, so bids get sharper.
- Dewatering cost
What keeping a site dry actually costs, tracked so a wet job prices in what it should.
- Fuel share
Diesel against revenue. When it climbs, a bid needs to move with it.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things pond and lake 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 track what has cleared against what is still owed, so the job shows as done but not fully paid until that balance actually lands.
I kept that dewatering cost in its own line, so it shows up as what made that site more expensive, not a mystery in equipment rental.
I tagged it to the original Miller job as an add-on, so it reads as repeat business, not a brand new contract.
The tax side
The tax side of a pond and lake construction business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing on cost-share jobs and materials nobody separated. Get those right and the set-aside was already running.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Excavators and dredging equipmentEquipment bought for the business can usually be written off the year it goes to work. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, but whether to take it all now depends on the year you are having.
- Contractor 1099sAn engineer or a testing sub not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if you paid them $2,000 or more in 2026. Gus keeps that list running all year.
- Employee or contractorAn operator who runs your machine, works your schedule, and takes direction on site is usually an employee, not a sub. 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 only when cost-share timing and job costs were tracked correctly all year.
Deductions pond and lake construction companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Diesel and DEF
- Dewatering pump rental
- Clay liner hauling
- Synthetic liner material
- Compaction testing fees
- Engineering sign-off fees
- Permit fees
- Equipment insurance
- Bond premiums
- CDL renewal fees
- Safety gear and PPE
- Shop and yard rent
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 pond building year, kept every month.
The water table sets your schedule more than the calendar does. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax deadlines no matter when the dry season lands. 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 engineers and testing subs 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, no matter when the dry-season rush hits.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this year's dry-season push of pond digs changed the number.
- October
Before the ground saturates
The last stretch before wetter ground slows digging down. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December and gets cost-share balances chased down.
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 pond and lake construction 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 pond and lake builders ask first.
Can Gus track a job where the landowner is waiting on a cost-share reimbursement?
Yes. He tracks what has cleared against what is still owed, so a finished pond does not read as fully paid until the reimbursement actually comes through and the balance clears.
Does Gus separate clay liner cost from synthetic liner cost?
Yes. Each liner type stays in its own line, so you can see which approach actually costs less to install and bid the next job with real numbers.
Do I write off an excavator all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted the year you buy it, and 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 after a busy dry 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.
Does a wet site that needed weeks of dewatering throw off my numbers?
No. Dewatering costs stay in their own line, so a wet job's higher cost shows up as exactly what it was, not a mystery dragging down the month.
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 site work & heavy civil
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Home plan & house design sellers
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