Landscaping & lawn care
Books and taxes for pond and water feature builders.
A custom build paid in a deposit and a final payment, liner and pump systems bought per project, koi and aquatic plants stocked at the end, and maintenance visits that keep clients coming back. 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 $16,700. The koi and aquatic plants for the Foster build are booked to that project, since livestock cost can swing a job's total fast.
- Foster koi pond, final paymentFinal payments
- Maintenance visit billingMaintenance and service visits
- Liner and pump system orderPond materials
- Koi and aquatic plant stockLivestock and plants
- Excavation sub, Foster buildSubcontractors
Why your books are different
Pond and water feature books go wrong around livestock and long builds.
A generalist sees deposits and a materials bill. Your business runs on custom builds that take weeks, use specialty liners and pumps priced per project, and end with koi and plants that are worth real money and can die. When the books do not track that, a build's real margin stays hidden until it is done.
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1
Koi and aquatic plants get treated like generic materials
Livestock and plants bought for a build's final stage carry a different kind of risk than liner and stone, since they can be lost to disease or a bad delivery, but if they are filed the same as general materials, that risk never shows up in the numbers.
What we doKeeps livestock and plant costs in their own line, so their real cost and risk to a project are visible on their own. -
2
A deposit on a multi-week build looks like early profit
A $15,000 koi pond build takes a deposit before excavation starts, and booked as plain income that month, it makes the business look flush while the real liner, pump, and labor costs are still weeks away.
What we doTracks each deposit and final payment against its own project, so a month's number reflects work actually finished. -
3
Excavation and specialty subs blur with your own crew
An excavation sub or an electrician for pump wiring paid on a build gets logged the same as your regular crew, hiding how much of a project's labor cost is actually subcontracted out.
What we doKeeps subcontractor payments in their own line, separate from crew wages, so labor cost per project stays honest. -
4
Recurring maintenance visits get lost against one-time builds
Ongoing maintenance visits to keep a client's pond healthy are steady, repeat income, but if they are booked the same as a new custom build, you cannot tell how much of your revenue is dependable versus project by project.
What we doKeeps maintenance and service visit income separate from new build revenue, so your steady income is visible on its own.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pond and water feature 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
- Project depositsThe upfront payment that starts a pond or water feature build.
- Final paymentsThe closing payment once a build wraps.
- Maintenance and service visitsRecurring visits to maintain a completed pond or feature.
- Repair and equipment replacementPump or filter repairs on existing installations.
Money out
- Pond materialsLiners, pumps, filtration systems, and stone from the build.
- Livestock and plantsKoi, aquatic plants, and other stock added at the end of a build.
- SubcontractorsExcavation crews and electricians on a project.
- Crew wagesYour own install crew, kept apart from subcontractor costs.
- EquipmentSkid steers and excavation tools, logged so they get written off right.
- Trucks and fuelFuel and insurance for delivery and crew vehicles.
What we watch for you
- Build job margin
Deposits and final payments against materials and subs, so a project's real profit shows up.
- Livestock loss rate
Koi and plant replacement costs against builds completed, worth knowing before quoting stock.
- Maintenance revenue share
Recurring service income against new build income, your steady base worth tracking.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so a big build season does not end in a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things pond and water feature 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 keep livestock and plants in their own category, so you can see exactly what stock added to the project, separate from materials and labor.
I hold it against that project until the work happens, so this month does not look inflated and the real build cost shows up when it should.
If he is not on payroll and you pay him $2,000 or more this year, he needs a 1099. I keep that list running so it is ready when it is due.
The tax side
The tax side of a pond and water feature building business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and classification: deposits booked too early, livestock mixed with materials, and subs paid like employees.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment and vehiclesExcavation tools, skid steers, and trucks bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAn excavation sub or electrician not on your payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
- Employee or contractorA helper who drives your truck, uses your tools, and works your schedule is usually an employee, not a sub. Getting that wrong on a big build gets expensive.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when project income and cost are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions pond, water feature, and koi pond builders miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Liners and pump systems
- Koi and aquatic plant replacement
- Excavation equipment repairs
- Fuel for delivery trucks
- Water testing supplies
- Liability and bonding insurance
- Job site signage
- Hand tools and small equipment
- Uniforms with your logo
- Card and financing fees
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 and water feature year, kept every month.
Your build season is a handful of long projects with maintenance in between. 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 and you get a monthly set-aside, so a busy spring backlog does not become an April surprise.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring builds are already underway.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand on the year's projects, what you will owe, and whether pricing on livestock and materials needs a second look.
- October
Before the season closes
Before the last fall builds wrap and maintenance visits shift for cooler weather, 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 pond, water feature, and koi pond 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 pond and water feature owners ask first.
Can Gus track profit on each pond build separately?
Yes. Deposits, final payments, materials, livestock, and subs get tied to the project they belong to, so you can see what a build actually made.
Koi and plants can be expensive and sometimes do not survive delivery. Does that get tracked?
Yes, livestock is kept in its own category so losses and replacement costs are visible, not buried inside general materials.
I do ongoing maintenance visits for past clients. Should that be tracked differently from new builds?
Yes, and Gus already does. Maintenance and service income stays in its own line, so you can see your steady, repeat income apart from project-by-project build revenue.
Do I write off excavation equipment all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase for the accountant.
My books are a season behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements and any project records you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
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