HVAC, insulation & chimney

Books and taxes for residential HVAC companies.

Service calls, financed system replacements, maintenance agreements, and manufacturer rebates that land months late. 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
$14,500
what you made

August came in at $14,500. The Carrier rebate on the Petersen install finally landed, so I matched it to that job instead of dumping it into this month's income.

  • ServiceTitan payoutService calls
  • Wisetack payoutFinanced replacements
  • Watsco SupplyEquipment and parts
  • Google local servicesLead fees
  • Speedway fuel, truck 3Trucks and fuel
Money in$61,800
Money out$47,300
Set aside for taxes$3,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Residential HVAC books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is a heat pump financed through a lender, a rebate that shows up two months later, and a maintenance plan sold in May for visits in October. When the books do not know the difference, the monthly number lies.

  1. 1

    Financed replacements pay out short

    A homeowner finances a $9,800 heat pump swap and the lender pays you less, keeping a fee for itself. Book the deposit as the sale and both your revenue and your true cost per job come out wrong.

    What we doBooks the full $9,800 as money in and the lender's cut as a financing fee, so your prices and your job costs both show up honest.
  2. 2

    A maintenance plan is not May's income

    A homeowner pays $220 upfront for a spring and fall tune-up. Booked as income the day it is sold, May looks great and the October visit month looks like it earned nothing for the work performed.

    What we doHolds the prepaid balance until each visit happens, so the months you actually do the work are the months that get the credit.
  3. 3

    The rebate check lands two months late

    A Carrier or Trane rebate promised at the sale often pays out weeks after the job closes, sometimes to the homeowner instead of you. Untracked, it either goes missing from income or gets counted against the same job twice.

    What we doTies each rebate to the install it came from and books it the month it actually lands.
  4. 4

    A new system is not a supply run

    A furnace or condenser bought for one install costs as much as a truck payment. Filed with copper fittings and screws, it muddles the month and hides how that job actually did.

    What we doFlags equipment buys the day they show up and keeps them tied to the job they served.
  5. 5

    Commission techs hide inside wages

    A tech paid a percentage of every replacement he closes looks like plain payroll on a bank statement. That buries what installs really cost you against what service calls cost you.

    What we doKeeps base wages and commissions in their own lines, so labor cost is visible against the work that earned it.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a residential HVAC 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

  • Service callsDiagnostic and repair visits, paid in the truck or by invoice.
  • System replacementsFull furnace, condenser, and heat pump swaps, kept apart from smaller repairs.
  • Financed installsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
  • Maintenance agreementsSpring and fall tune-up plans, recognized as each visit happens.
  • Manufacturer rebatesCarrier, Trane, and Lennox rebates, matched to the job they belong to.

Money out

  • Tech wages and commissionsKept apart so you can see labor against the work it paid for.
  • EquipmentFurnaces, condensers, and heat pumps, logged so they get written off right.
  • Parts and refrigerantCopper, fittings, capacitors, and refrigerant, tracked apart because prices swing.
  • Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the fleet.
  • Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services, Angi, and the answering service.
  • Financing and card feesWhat the lender, Square, or Stripe kept before you got paid.
  • Licensing and insuranceState contractor license, bonding, and liability coverage.

What we watch for you

  • Labor share

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

  • Install margin

    What a replacement clears after equipment and refrigerant, separate from service call profit.

  • Financing cost

    What lenders keep on financed replacements. Worth knowing before you offer it on every big ticket.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things residential HVAC 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.

Just bought a used bucket truck for $11,000. Does that come off this year?

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

Why does this month look smaller than what I actually sold?

Two financed installs paid out $740 short combined. That was the lender's fee. I booked it as a cost, so your sales still show the full invoice.

My lead tech gets a cut of every install he closes. Does that change anything?

It changes where the money sits, not what you do. I keep his commission separate from base wages so you can see install labor against what installs actually bring in.

The tax side

The tax side of a residential HVAC business.

Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Equipment filed as supplies, a rebate nobody tracked, and a helper paid like a contractor who works like an employee.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Trucks and shop equipmentBusiness vehicles and shop equipment can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. A heavy truck over 6,000 pounds has its own cap.
  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
  • Employee or contractorA helper who drives your truck, works your schedule, and installs on your jobs is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks 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 HVAC companies miss

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

  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Refrigerant and gauges
  • Copper and fittings
  • Capacitors and contactors
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Google local services ads
  • The answering service
  • Tools that live on the truck
  • Phone and tablet for dispatch
  • Contractor license renewal
  • Liability insurance
  • 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 residential HVAC year, kept every month.

Furnace calls and cooling season pull your cash flow in opposite directions. Your team keeps you ahead of both, and of the return. 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, right as the furnace calls taper off and the shoulder season slows things down.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this summer's install pace changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the fall push

    Furnace season is coming. 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 HVAC 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 residential HVAC owners ask first.

Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies like Wisetack?

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 jobs in ServiceTitan. 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.

How does Gus handle a manufacturer rebate that shows up months later?

He matches it to the install it belongs to and books it the month it actually lands, so it does not get missed or counted against the wrong job.

My techs earn commission on installs. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money is tracked, not what you do. Commissions stay in payroll but get their own line, so you can see install labor against what installs earn.

Do I write off a new furnace I bought for the shop truck 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.

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.

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