Small manufacturers & fabricators
Books and taxes for sandblasting and media blasting companies.
An on-site mobilization fee, a shop blasting job, a load of aluminum oxide media, and containment and dust control supplies. 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
October came in at $8,900. The tank job's mobilization and travel fee got its own line, so it isn't buried inside the blasting labor.
- Coastal Tank Services, on-site jobOn-site blasting jobs
- Shop job, wheel and frame setShop blasting jobs
- Aluminum oxide media orderBlast media
- Containment tarps and plasticContainment and dust control
- Rig fuel and maintenanceMobile rig costs
Why your books are different
Media blasting books go wrong between the truck and the shop.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs media through a shop cabinet some days and hauls a mobile rig to a job site others, burning through media that is consumed on some jobs and reused on others. When the books do not separate on-site work from shop work, mobilization costs and media use both get lost.
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1
Mobilization and travel time disappear into labor
Hauling a rig to a job site, setting up containment, and tearing down afterward takes real hours before any blasting starts, and if that time is not tracked, an on-site job's true cost is hidden inside the labor line.
What we doKeeps mobilization and travel charges in their own line so on-site jobs show their real cost against what they bill. -
2
Media type gets lost in one general supply line
Sand, glass bead, soda, and aluminum oxide cost very differently and some can be reused while others are gone after one pass, and lumped into one line you cannot see which jobs are actually eating the most material cost.
What we doTracks blast media as its own category so material cost by job type is visible. -
3
Containment and dust control look like a minor expense
Tarps, plastic sheeting, and vacuum recovery equipment for an on-site job can add up fast, especially on a job near occupied buildings, but it is easy to let this cost blend into general supplies.
What we doKeeps containment and dust control supplies in their own line so their real cost on a job is visible. -
4
Shop jobs and on-site jobs blend into one number
A cabinet job on a small part and a full day on-site blasting a tank or a bridge structure price and cost completely differently, and mixed together neither shows its real margin.
What we doKeeps shop blasting jobs separate from on-site jobs, so each line of work shows its true profit.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a media blasting company.
Set up once for how shop and on-site jobs get billed and what it costs to run each. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- On-site blasting jobsField work billed with mobilization and labor time.
- Shop blasting jobsCabinet work on parts brought into the shop.
- Mobilization and travel feesWhat is charged to haul the rig and set up on-site.
- Prep work for coating shopsBlasting billed to a powder coater or painter ahead of finishing.
Money out
- Blast mediaSand, glass bead, soda, and aluminum oxide, tracked by type.
- Containment and dust controlTarps, plastic sheeting, and vacuum recovery supplies.
- Mobile rig costsFuel, maintenance, and compressor upkeep for the truck-mounted rig.
- Equipment loan or leasePayments on the blast pot, compressor, or rig.
- Shop rent and utilitiesBuilding costs for cabinet and enclosed blasting work.
- Waste disposalSpent media and captured dust hauling and disposal.
- PayrollBlasters and containment crew labor.
What we watch for you
- Margin by job type
On-site work against shop work, so pricing reflects what each really earns.
- Media cost by type
What each media type actually costs against the jobs it is used on.
- Mobilization recovery
Whether travel and setup fees actually cover what mobilizing to a site costs.
- Days to get paid
How long an on-site job invoice sits before a commercial customer pays it.
Ask Gus
Things media blasting 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 should, and I keep mobilization time in its own line so you can see whether the fee you charged actually covered that setup work.
I track media by type, so you can see exactly how aluminum oxide costs compare to sand or glass bead on the jobs where you used it.
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 media blasting business.
Most of what goes wrong here is keeping mobilization, media, and containment costs from disappearing into general labor and supplies.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Rigs and blasting equipmentA blast pot, compressor, or mobile rig can usually be written off, often in the year it is 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 truck over 6,000 pounds bought to haul a mobile rig still gets Section 179, but the deduction is capped at $32,000 rather than the full purchase price.
- Media and containment supplies on handBlast media and containment materials bought ahead and sitting in the shop at year end get valued and matched to 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 mobilization and media cost are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions sandblasting and media blasting companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Blast media by type
- Containment tarps and plastic
- Vacuum recovery supplies
- Respirators and blasting hoods
- Compressor maintenance
- Rig fuel and repairs
- Hearing protection
- Waste and dust disposal
- Shop uniforms
- Trade certifications
- Small hand tools
- Freight for media delivery
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 media blasting year, kept every month.
On-site and shop jobs land on their own schedule, not a season. Your taxes still run on one. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Field season planned
Year end media and containment stock get valued, last year's return gets started, and your monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Field season filed
The accountant files and signs your return. Since the set-aside has been building since January, a heavy stretch of on-site jobs does not turn into a scramble come April.
- July
Midyear field check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether on-site work picked up this year changed the number.
- October
Ahead of next season
Gus looks at any rig or compressor buy worth making before December 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 sandblasting and media blasting 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 media blasting owners ask first.
Can Gus separate on-site jobs from shop cabinet work?
Yes. They price and cost differently, so keeping them apart shows which kind of work is actually paying for the business.
Do we have to change how we quote a job with mobilization fees?
No. Keep quoting on-site and shop jobs however you already do. Gus reads it off your bank statement, and asks once if a payment is unclear, then remembers the answer.
Can Gus track cost by media type?
Yes. Sand, glass bead, soda, and aluminum oxide get tracked separately so you can see which media is driving cost on which jobs.
We do prep work for a local powder coating shop. Does that change the books?
It changes the category, not what you do. That work gets tracked as its own line so you can see how much of your income comes from prep work versus direct customer jobs.
Our books are behind after a busy stretch of on-site jobs. Can that be fixed?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts on-site and shop jobs alike, the accountant checks the result, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Do I write off a new mobile rig all at once?
Often you can, though a heavier mobile rig carries its own cap. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides how much of it gets written off this year.
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