Electrical, energy & home tech

Books and taxes for residential electricians.

Service calls, panel upgrade draws, financed rewires, and warranty dispatch pay that never quite matches the invoice. 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
JuneExample month
$8,300
what you made

June came in at $8,300. The rough-in draw on the Miller panel job posted on its own, since trim-out and final payment land next month.

  • Housecall Pro payoutService calls
  • Wisetack payoutFinanced jobs
  • Border States Electric #4471Panel and wire stock
  • Google local servicesLead fees
  • Shell fuel, service vanTruck and fuel
Money in$34,500
Money out$26,200
Set aside for taxes$1,900
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A residential electrician's books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is panel jobs paid in stages, an apprentice earning bonuses, and code corrections tucked inside routine calls. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you.

  1. 1

    A panel job splits into three draws

    A deposit, a rough-in draw, and a final payment on one panel upgrade get booked as three separate sales instead of one job. The month the deposit lands looks flush, and the month between draws looks like nothing came in.

    What we doTracks each draw against the job it belongs to, so income lands with the stage of work, not the day the check clears.
  2. 2

    Financed rewires pay out short

    When a customer finances a $9,500 panel and rewire job through Wisetack or Synchrony, the payout lands a few points lighter than the invoice. Booked as the deposit, your sales and your real financing cost both come out wrong.

    What we doBooks the full contract as money in and the lender's cut as a financing fee, so your prices and your costs both show up honest.
  3. 3

    Apprentice bonuses hide real labor cost

    An apprentice paid hourly plus a bonus for finishing a panel job blends training wage with production pay, so you cannot tell what a service call actually costs you against a full panel swap.

    What we doKeeps hourly wages and job bonuses in separate lines, so labor cost by job type stays visible.
  4. 4

    A code correction gets folded into a service call

    A home sale inspection turns up an old fuse box or reversed polarity, and the fix gets billed and booked the same as a routine call, hiding how much of the month came from resale-driven work.

    What we doFlags code correction work as its own line, so you can see how much of the business rides on home sales.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a residential electrician.

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

  • Service callsOutlet repairs, breaker trips, and code corrections paid on the spot.
  • Panel and rewire jobsDeposit, rough-in, and final draws on permitted panel upgrades and whole-house rewires.
  • Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
  • Home warranty dispatchCovered repairs billed through a home warranty company's network.
  • New construction subcontractsWiring draws paid by a builder or general contractor on new homes.

Money out

  • Apprentice and journeyman wagesKept apart from job bonuses so labor cost by job type stays clear.
  • Panel and wire stockBreakers, panels, wire, and conduit from Border States, City Electric Supply, or Rexel.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the service van.
  • Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services, Angi, and Thumbtack leads.
  • Permits and inspectionsMunicipal fees on panel upgrades and rewires.
  • Tools and testing equipmentMeters, testers, and hand tools that keep the truck stocked.
  • Financing and card feesWhat the lender or card processor kept before you got paid.

What we watch for you

  • Labor share

    Wages and bonuses against money in. When it creeps up, pricing or scheduling needs a look.

  • Financing cost

    What lenders keep on financed panel jobs, worth knowing before offering it on every ticket.

  • Panel job margin

    Materials and permit fees against what a panel job brings in, tracked apart from service calls.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things residential electricians 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.

I just bought a $1,200 clamp meter and thermal camera. Does that come 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.

Why does this month look thin? I finished a huge rewire.

The rewire is split into three draws. Two hit this month, the final one lands next month at trim-out. The job is fine, the timing is just spread out.

My apprentice gets a bonus on bigger jobs. Does that change anything?

It changes where it shows up, not what you do. I keep his hourly pay and job bonuses in separate lines so you can see labor cost by job.

The tax side

The tax side of a residential electrician's business.

Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Equipment filed as supplies, an apprentice paid like a contractor, 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.

  • Panel job equipmentTesting equipment, service vans, and shop tools can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Whether to take it all now depends on the year you are having.
  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Employee or contractorAn apprentice or helper who drives your van, uses your tools, and works your schedule is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it 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 when the books are right all year.

Deductions residential electricians miss

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

  • Clamp meters and testers
  • Ladder and lift rental
  • Continuing education fees
  • Arc-flash rated gloves
  • Truck signage and wraps
  • Liability and bonding insurance
  • Permit drawing software
  • Phone for permits and photos
  • Dump fees for old panels
  • Home office for scheduling
  • Vehicle registration
  • Background check 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 residential electrician's year, kept every month.

Storm season and summer AC load bring panel calls any month. 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.

  1. 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.

  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 summer's rush of panel upgrades and AC-driven calls changed the number.

  4. October

    Before winter storms

    Storm season means surge and panel calls. Before it hits, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing 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 residential electricians. 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 residential electricians 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 schedule jobs in Housecall Pro. Do I have to change anything?

No. Keep running jobs the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.

My apprentice gets a bonus on bigger jobs. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Bonuses paid through payroll stay payroll. Gus keeps them visible so you can see labor against what each month brought in.

Do I write off my meters and testers 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 and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.

My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know where they stand inside a week.

Do panel upgrade draws count as income right away?

Only the draw that matches the stage of work. A deposit for a job that has not started yet is tracked as a job draw, not a finished sale, so your monthly number reflects the work actually done.

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