Small manufacturers & fabricators
Books and taxes for precast concrete product makers.
A contractor's stock order, a custom septic tank job, a load of cement and aggregate, and a crane truck delivery fee. Your own bookkeeper stays on it all year, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $18,700. The retaining wall blocks poured this week are still curing, so their sale won't land until they ship next month.
- Ridgemont Contractors, stock orderStock product sales
- Custom septic tank jobCustom product orders
- Cement and aggregate orderCement and aggregate
- Rebar and wire mesh supplierReinforcement materials
- Crane truck deliveryDelivery and crane service
Why your books are different
Precast concrete books go wrong while the product is still curing in the yard.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your yard pours into reusable molds, lets product cure for days before it can ship, and delivers heavy finished pieces with a crane truck rather than a regular delivery van. When the books do not track cure time and delivery cost, a heavy pouring week looks like a loss and a delivery-heavy month looks thinner than it is.
-
1
Curing stock is invisible on the bank statement
Cement, aggregate, and rebar get bought and poured this week, but the product may need several days to cure before it can be moved or sold, and if the books only see cash bought and cash sold, the pour week looks like a loss even though a yard full of product is simply curing.
What we doTracks curing product as work in progress, separate from finished stock ready to ship, so a heavy pouring week does not read as a bad one. -
2
Crane delivery cost gets buried in general freight
Moving a heavy precast piece takes a crane truck and a crew, not a regular delivery run, and if that cost is not tracked against the order it served, a job with a hard delivery can quietly lose money.
What we doKeeps crane and delivery cost tagged to the order it served, so a difficult delivery's real cost is visible. -
3
Stock products and custom orders blend together
A standard catch basin poured from a reusable mold and a custom septic tank built to one job's specification cost very differently, and lumped together neither shows its real margin.
What we doKeeps custom product orders separate from standard stock sales, so each shows its true profit. -
4
A mold replacement looks like a supply purchase
A steel or fiberglass mold can cost as much as a piece of heavy equipment, but filed like the rest of the yard's supplies, it muddles the month and misses a real depreciation choice.
What we doFlags mold purchases as equipment the day they arrive, so the accountant makes the call on how they are written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a precast concrete maker.
Set up once for how stock and custom orders get paid and what a pour costs to make and deliver. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Stock product salesStandard mold products such as blocks, steps, or basins.
- Custom product ordersProducts built to a specific job's requirements.
- Delivery and crane feesWhat is billed for moving and setting a finished piece.
- Repair and patch workSmaller jobs fixing existing precast installations.
Money out
- Cement and aggregateCement, sand, and stone bought by the load.
- Reinforcement materialsRebar, wire mesh, and fiber reinforcement.
- Delivery and crane serviceCrane truck operation and fuel for heavy delivery.
- Equipment loan or leasePayments on molds, mixers, and the crane truck.
- Yard rent and utilitiesStorage yard, curing area, and building costs.
- Mold maintenanceRepair and upkeep on molds still in service.
- PayrollPour crew, finishers, and delivery drivers.
What we watch for you
- Curing yard inventory
The value of product curing but not yet ready to ship, so a heavy pouring week is not mistaken for a loss.
- Margin by product type
Stock products against custom orders, so pricing reflects what each really earns.
- Delivery cost per job
Crane and freight cost against a job's price, so a hard delivery's real cost is visible.
- Cement cost share
Cement and aggregate cost as a percent of sales, so a supplier price move gets caught before a season of pours falls behind it.
Ask Gus
Things precast concrete 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.
It only looks that way because the material cost hit already and the sale hasn't. Once it cures and ships, that batch will show up as the sale it really is.
I tag delivery and crane cost to that job, so you can see exactly whether the price charged actually covered a tough delivery.
If he is not on payroll and you pay him $2,000 or more this year, he gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a precast concrete business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing on curing product and knowing what molds and cement stock are worth at year end.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Molds and crane trucksMolds, mixers, and the crane truck can usually be written off, often in the year they are bought. Section 179 covers up to $2,560,000 and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Heavy vehicle depreciation capA crane truck or heavy delivery truck over 6,000 pounds still gets Section 179, but the deduction is capped at $32,000 rather than the full purchase price.
- Cement and product on handCement, aggregate, and curing or finished product sitting in the yard at year end get valued and matched against what actually sold, rather than expensed the day they were bought.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when curing product and crane delivery cost are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions precast concrete product makers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Cement and aggregate
- Rebar and wire mesh
- Mold release and maintenance supplies
- Crane truck fuel and repairs
- Safety gear and hard hats
- Forklift and yard equipment rental
- Freight for heavy delivery
- Yard insurance
- Shop uniforms
- Small hand tools
- Curing blankets and covers
- Waste and scrap disposal
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 precast concrete year, kept every month.
Pours and deliveries land on job schedules, though outdoor building season lifts demand. Your taxes still run on their own schedule. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Pours reviewed
Year end cement stock and curing product get valued, last year's return gets started, and your monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Pour year filed
The accountant files and signs your return. Since the set-aside has been running since January, a season of heavy pours and crane deliveries does not turn into a scramble.
- July
Midyear pour tally
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether building season demand changed the number.
- October
Ahead of winter
Gus reviews any mold, mixer, or crane truck worth buying before the ground freezes and year end closes, and flags it for the accountant's call on depreciation.
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 precast concrete product makers. 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 precast concrete makers ask first.
How does Gus handle product that's still curing at month end?
He tracks it as work in progress until it finishes curing, separate from stock that has cured and is ready to load, so a heavy pouring week does not read as a loss before the yard actually sells it.
Can Gus separate stock product sales from custom orders?
Yes. They price differently, so keeping them apart shows which kind of work is actually paying for the yard.
Does crane delivery cost get tracked against the job it served?
Yes. A tough delivery can eat a job's margin fast, so Gus keeps that cost visible against the specific order it belongs to.
Do we have to change how we quote a custom precast job?
No. Keep quoting stock and custom pours however you already do. Gus reads it off your bank statement, and if a payment is unclear he asks once and remembers your answer.
Our books are behind after a busy building season. Can that be fixed?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts curing product and delivery costs apart, the accountant checks the result, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Do I write off a new mold all at once?
Often you can. A mold or mixer bought for the yard can usually be deducted the year it is bought, though sometimes spreading it out fits the year better. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
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 small manufacturers & fabricators
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Beverage & food co-packers
- Cabinet shops
- CNC shops
- Countertop & solid surface fabricators (wholesale)
- Custom furniture makers
- Custom gate & iron works
- Custom knife makers
- Custom metal art & sign fabricators
- Cut-and-sew apparel manufacturers
- Electronics assembly shops
- Firearm manufacturers
- Luthiers & instrument makers
- Machine shops
- Monument & memorial stone makers
- Packaging manufacturers
- Pallet manufacturers & recyclers
- Plastic injection molders
- Powder coating shops
- Sandblasting & media blasting
- Sign manufacturers
- Small boat builders
- Soap & cosmetics manufacturers
- Taxidermists
- Tool & die shops
- Trailer manufacturers
- Truss & wall panel manufacturers
- Wholesale candle manufacturers
- Private label manufacturers
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