Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for pool resurfacing and repair companies.
Deposits, a pool drained and refilled around one job, plaster or pebble finish material, and equipment repair calls between the bigger resurfacing work. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $12,000. The pebble finish material for the Doran resurface went in as materials for that job, not general supplies.
- Deposit, Doran pool resurfaceJob deposits
- Repair call, Bellamy pumpEquipment repair calls
- Pebble Tec finish materialPlaster and finish material
- Drain-down water disposal feeDrain-down and refill costs
- Google local servicesLead fees and marketing
Why your books are different
Pool resurfacing books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business runs bigger resurfacing jobs that take a pool offline for days, alongside smaller equipment repair calls that fill the gaps. When the books blend those two very different jobs, you cannot tell which one is actually paying the bills.
-
1
Resurfacing jobs and repair calls get logged the same way
A multi-day plaster or pebble resurface job and a same-day pump repair use completely different labor and material amounts, but when both get filed under one general service category, the owner cannot see which type of work is worth chasing more of.
What we doSplits resurfacing job income from equipment repair income, so each shows up as its own number. -
2
Drain-down and refill costs disappear into overhead
Draining a pool, refilling it, and sometimes paying a water disposal fee are real costs specific to a resurfacing job, but when they are filed as a general utility expense instead of tied to the job, the true cost of a resurface is understated.
What we doBooks drain-down and refill costs against the job they belong to, so the full cost of a resurface is counted. -
3
A deposit looks like profit before the pool is even drained
A deposit on a resurfacing job that will not start for two weeks shows up as income the day it lands, so the month looks strong before the pool is drained or a bag of finish material is opened.
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. -
4
A bulk finish material order skews a slow month
One pebble or plaster finish order for several upcoming resurfacing jobs can make a month look like a loss on paper, with the jobs and revenue landing weeks later.
What we doFlags large stock-up purchases and notes which jobs they belong to, so a big order does not read as the month falling apart.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pool resurfacing and repair 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
- Job depositsCollected at contract signing for resurfacing jobs, tracked against the job.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once the pool is refilled and balanced.
- Equipment repair callsOne-off pump, filter, and heater repairs outside a resurfacing job.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
Money out
- Plaster and finish materialPebble Tec, quartz, or plaster finish material for resurfacing jobs.
- Drain-down and refill costsWater disposal fees and the cost of refilling the pool.
- Repair partsPumps, filters, and heater parts kept in stock for calls.
- Crew wages and subsResurfacing crew pay, tracked apart from repair labor.
- Equipment rentalSandblasting and surface prep equipment for resurfacing jobs.
- Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and Angi ad spend.
What we watch for you
- Resurface versus repair split
How much of the month came from resurfacing jobs versus repair calls, so pricing decisions use the right number.
- Drain-down cost per job
What refilling and disposal actually cost, tracked per job so it stays priced right in every bid.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for resurfacing not yet done, so a big deposit month does not look like profit that is not there yet.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things pool resurfacing 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 booked the finish upgrade as a change to the same job, so the added cost is visible against the original price.
The Pebble Tec order for the Doran job landed this month before the job was billed out. I tagged it to that job, so it is not really a loss, it is a job still in progress.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a pool resurfacing business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted too early, a drain-down cost buried in overhead, 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-offsSandblasting or surface prep equipment 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 resurfacing crew, 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 pool resurfacing and repair companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Sandblasting equipment rental
- Finish material samples
- Truck and trailer fuel
- Google local services ads
- Water disposal 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
- Repair parts inventory
- Truck signage
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 pool resurfacing year, kept every month.
Resurfacing demand climbs as pool season approaches, while repair calls run steadier through the year. 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 spring resurfacing demand picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether resurfacing jobs or repair calls 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 pool resurfacing and repair 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 pool resurfacing owners 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 scheduling 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 sandblasting equipment 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 resurfacing jobs apart from repair calls?
He splits the two by category as deposits and payments land, so your bigger resurfacing jobs and smaller repair calls each show up as their own number.
Do you handle sales tax on the finish material I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and services 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