Cleaning services

Books and taxes for post-construction cleaning companies.

Rough cleans, final cleans, dumpster fees, and a general contractor who pays you 45 days after the walkthrough. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
AugustExample month
$11,700
what you made

August came in at $11,700. The final clean on the Ridgeline townhomes finally paid out, so it was a strong month for a job you finished back in June.

  • Meridian Builders invoiceGeneral contractor jobs
  • Homeowner final cleanDirect-to-owner jobs
  • Crew payrollCrew wages
  • Waste Management dumpsterDisposal fees
  • Grainger HEPA filtersEquipment and supplies
Money in$52,000
Money out$40,300
Set aside for taxes$3,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Post-construction cleaning books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs on phased jobs, net-30 or net-60 builder invoices, and disposal fees that can swing a month by thousands of dollars. When the books do not know that, the real timeline of your money disappears.

  1. 1

    Builder invoices land months after the work

    A general contractor might pay you 30, 45, or even 60 days after the final walkthrough. The June job you finished shows up as a July or August deposit, which makes June look empty and August look inflated.

    What we doNotes which jobs are waiting on a builder's payment terms so a slow-paying month does not get read as a slow-working month.
  2. 2

    Rough clean and final clean get billed as one job

    A project often has a rough clean after framing and drywall, then a final clean before the walkthrough. Billed and booked as a single number, you cannot see which phase actually pays for the labor it takes.

    What we doKeeps rough clean and final clean revenue in separate lines when the invoice breaks them out, so each phase's real value shows up.
  3. 3

    Dumpster and disposal fees swing wildly by job

    One new build might need a single dumpster pull, and the next might need three because of how much construction debris was left behind. Those fees can eat a big share of a job's margin if nobody is watching them.

    What we doKeeps disposal fees in their own line so you can see which jobs are costing more to clean up after than others.
  4. 4

    Heavy equipment gets buried in supplies

    A HEPA-filtered vacuum system or a commercial floor buffer built for construction dust can cost several thousand dollars. Filed as a supply purchase, it flattens a month and misses how the tax code treats real equipment.

    What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they show up and logs them separately so the accountant can decide how they get written off.
  5. 5

    A crew scaling up and down looks like inconsistent payroll

    A big commercial project might need six people for two weeks, then the next month needs two. Without context, payroll looks erratic instead of matched to the work.

    What we doKeeps wages tied to the jobs they were paid for, so a busy project month is easy to tell apart from a real slowdown.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a post-construction cleaning 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

  • General contractor jobsRough and final cleans billed to builders on their payment terms.
  • Direct-to-owner jobsFinal cleans paid straight by a homeowner after a renovation.
  • Rush and weekend feesThe premium charged for cleans scheduled tight against a closing date.
  • Debris haul-out add-onsExtra billed when a job needs more than standard debris removal.

Money out

  • Crew wagesHourly pay scaled to whatever project is running that week.
  • Disposal feesDumpster pulls and landfill fees tied to a specific job.
  • Equipment and suppliesHEPA vacuums, buffers, degreaser, and heavy-duty pads.
  • Vehicles and fuelThe box truck or van fleet that moves crews and equipment between sites.
  • Insurance and bondingGeneral liability and the bonding many builders require before letting a crew on site.
  • Scheduling softwareJobber or Housecall Pro used to line up rough and final cleans with the build schedule.

What we watch for you

  • Days to get paid

    How long builder invoices take to clear. It tells you how much cash cushion you actually need.

  • Labor share

    Crew wages against money in. It shows whether your per-square-foot price still covers a real crew.

  • Disposal cost per job

    Dumpster and landfill fees against jobs run. A rising number is worth pricing into the next bid.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things post-construction cleaning 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.

Meridian still hasn't paid me for the June job. Am I about to have a terrible month?

No. I flagged that job as waiting on their 45-day terms, so June still shows the real work, and it will not look like a surprise when the payment finally lands.

Just bought a commercial HEPA vacuum for $4,200. Does that write off this year?

Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.

One job needed three dumpster pulls instead of one. Should I be worried?

It is worth a look. I kept those disposal fees on that job's line, so you can see exactly what it cost you before you bid the next one like it.

The tax side

The tax side of a post-construction cleaning business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and big equipment. Builder payment lags and heavy machinery are where owners lose track.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Equipment write-offsHEPA vacuum systems, floor buffers, and other business equipment can usually be written off in the year they are bought, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Vehicle costsBox trucks and vans moving crews between job sites can deduct business mileage at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026, or actual vehicle costs instead.
  • Contractor 1099sAny subcontracted crew or hauler paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on your payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • 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 post-construction cleaning companies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • HEPA vacuums and filters
  • Dumpster and disposal fees
  • Degreaser and heavy-duty cleaners
  • Vehicle fuel and repairs
  • Liability and bonding insurance
  • Scheduling software fees
  • Uniforms and safety gear
  • Floor buffers and pads
  • Marketing to general contractors
  • Phone for job coordination
  • Storage for equipment
  • Background check fees for crew

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 post-construction cleaning year, kept every month.

New builds close out on their own schedule. Your taxes come on a different one. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, contractor 1099s are ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the summer building season changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the building season winds down

    Before winter slows new builds, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 post-construction cleaning 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 post-construction cleaning owners ask first.

A general contractor pays me 45 days after the walkthrough. Does that mess up my books?

No. Gus notes that a job is waiting on the builder's payment terms, so the month you did the work still shows the real activity, and the payment gets matched to it when it lands.

I bill rough cleans and final cleans separately on some jobs. Can Gus keep those apart?

Yes. When the invoice breaks them out, he keeps rough clean and final clean revenue in their own lines so you can see which phase is actually worth the labor.

One job needed way more dumpster pulls than I expected. How do I know if I priced it wrong?

Gus keeps disposal fees tied to the job they came from, so you can look back and see exactly what a job like that costs before you bid the next one.

Do I need to send you anything for a subcontracted hauler?

Just tell Gus who you paid. If it adds up to $2,000 or more for the year, he is already tracking it toward the January 1099 deadline.

My work is really seasonal with the local building calendar. Is that a problem for taxes?

No, but it is exactly why the set-aside matters. Gus tracks it every month so a strong building season does not turn into a tax bill you did not see coming.

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 cleaning services

We keep books for the business next door too.

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