Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for retractable screen and motorized shade companies.
Deposits, motorized track systems, remote and smart home upgrades, and warranty visits on motors that stop responding. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $9,400. The Somfy motor kits for three jobs went in as materials for those jobs, not a general parts cost.
- Deposit, Pearson patio screensJob deposits
- Final payment, Kwan shade jobFinal payments
- Somfy motor kits orderMotors and controls
- Phantom Screens track orderScreen and shade track
- Google local servicesLead fees and marketing
Why your books are different
Retractable screen and motorized shade books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business sells both a simple manual screen and a smart home connected shade system out of the same truck, and warranty calls on a motor that will not respond eat into weeks that should be booked for new installs. When the books do not separate that, you cannot tell what is actually profitable.
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1
Motors and controls hide inside general parts costs
A Somfy or similar motor kit with smart home integration costs several times what a manual crank screen track does, and when both get logged under one materials line, the owner cannot see how much the motor and app connectivity actually adds to a job.
What we doKeeps motors and controls on their own line against the job, so the smart home upgrade's real cost and markup are visible. -
2
Warranty calls eat a week with nothing to show for it
A motor that stops responding to its remote a year after install means a truck roll and a replacement part with no new invoice to offset it, and if that time is not tracked, the owner cannot see how much warranty work is really costing.
What we doLogs warranty and callback visits against the original job, so the true cost of a motor brand or install method stays visible. -
3
A deposit looks like profit before the track is even ordered
Custom track sizing for a patio or lanai job can take a couple of weeks to arrive after the deposit is collected, so the deposit sits as income on the books before a single screen is measured for install.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so a wait for custom parts does not distort the month. -
4
A bulk motor order skews a slow month
Ordering motor kits or track for several upcoming jobs at once can make a month look like a loss on paper, with the installs 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 retractable screen and shade 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 custom-sized screen or shade jobs, tracked against the job.
- Final paymentsPayment collected once the screens or shades are installed and tested.
- Warranty service feesCharges for out-of-warranty repairs or motor replacements.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut from Wisetack booked as a fee.
Money out
- Motors and controlsSomfy or similar motor kits, remotes, and smart home hubs, kept apart from track.
- Screen and shade trackPhantom Screens or similar track systems and mesh.
- Replacement partsMotors, remotes, and mesh kept in stock for warranty visits.
- Crew wages and subsInstall and service technician pay.
- Vehicle fuel and repairsService vans used for installs and warranty calls.
- Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and Angi ad spend.
- Financing and card feesWhat the lender or Square kept before you got paid.
What we watch for you
- Motor cost share
Motors and controls against money in, so smart home upgrades stay priced to actually cover their cost.
- Warranty call rate
How many jobs need a return visit, which points to a motor brand or install step worth a second look.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for custom track not yet installed, so a wait for parts does not look like a loss.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things retractable screen 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 hub as an added item on the same job, so the upgrade and what it added to the bill are both visible.
I have been logging those visits against the original jobs. Once a few more come in I can show you if one motor line is behind the pattern.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a retractable screen and shade business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted before custom track arrives, a motor upgrade filed like plain mesh, 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-offsA service van outfitted for the business, or shop equipment, 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 an install tech, 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 retractable screen and motorized shade companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Motor and remote spare parts
- Screen mesh and track stock
- Vehicle fuel and repairs
- Google local services ads
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for service calls
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Warranty parts inventory
- Truck wraps and yard signs
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 retractable screen and shade year, kept every month.
New installs climb with warm weather while warranty 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 demand for new installs picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether new installs or warranty work carried the summer.
- October
Before the season slows
A look at any equipment or parts stock 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 retractable screen and motorized shade 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 retractable screen 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 estimates 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 motor kits all at once?
Often, yes, when they are stocked for the business rather than tied to one invoiced job. Gus flags large purchases and the accountant decides how they get written off.
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 track warranty visits separately from new installs?
He logs warranty and callback work against the original job, so you can see whether a motor brand or install method is behind a pattern of return visits.
Do you handle sales tax on the parts I buy?
No. Sales tax on materials and contracts 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