Waste, recycling & environmental services
Books and taxes for scrap metal recyclers.
Ferrous loads by the ton, copper and aluminum by the pound, cash paid to walk-in sellers, and a demolition contractor's roll-off account. Your bookkeeper 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
August cleared $23,500. Copper prices jumped mid-month, so I kept it apart from the ferrous line instead of blending the two into one metal number.
- Nucor mill settlementFerrous sales
- Southwire copper settlementNon-ferrous sales
- Walk-in scrap payoutsBuy-back purchases
- Shear blade replacementEquipment maintenance
- ID scanning service feeCompliance recordkeeping
Why your books are different
Scrap yard books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and a fuel bill. Your business buys metal from walk-ins and demolition crews, sorts it by grade, and sells it to mills at a price that can move within the same week. Blend all of that and you cannot tell which metal is actually paying you.
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1
Ferrous and non-ferrous get blended
Steel scrap and copper or aluminum scrap trade at completely different prices that move independently. Blended into one metal sales line, a strong week for copper can hide a soft week for steel, and you lose track of which grade is carrying the yard.
What we doKeeps ferrous and non-ferrous sales in their own lines, so a price swing in one shows up as that metal, not the whole yard. -
2
Walk-in cash payouts look like payroll
Cash paid to a walk-in seller for a truckload of scrap adds up fast, and lumped in with wages, it hides what you are really paying for material versus paying your own crew, and muddies the recordkeeping many states expect for these purchases.
What we doKeeps walk-in payouts in their own line, separate from crew wages, with the documentation many states expect for scrap purchases. -
3
A demolition account gets netted instead of tracked
A demolition contractor drops loads and sometimes trades the scrap value against a roll-off rental fee. Netted into one number, you cannot tell whether you made money on the container rental or the metal itself.
What we doBooks the roll-off fee and the scrap purchase as two separate lines, so each side of a demolition account shows its own number. -
4
The shear looks like a repair bill
A hydraulic shear, a new crane, or a torch setup can run well into six figures. Filed as yard maintenance, it wrecks that month's number and misses a real write off.
What we doFlags a shear, crane, or torch purchase the day it shows up, logs it as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write it off. -
5
Metal sitting in the yard goes untracked
Scrap bought but not yet sold, a pile of copper, a stack of aluminum, is real value sitting on the ground. Left untracked, a big buy can make a month look worse than it is, and a big sale can make a slow month look great.
What we doKeeps a running count of metal on hand by grade, so buying and selling timing does not distort the month it happened in.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a scrap metal yard.
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
- Ferrous scrap salesSteel and iron sold to mills, settled by the ton.
- Non-ferrous scrap salesCopper, aluminum, and brass sold to smelters, settled by the pound.
- Demolition account salesBulk loads bought from demolition and manufacturing accounts.
- Roll-off container feesWhat contractors pay to rent a container for a job site.
Money out
- Walk-in scrap payoutsCash and check paid to the public for scrap brought to the yard.
- Shear and torch maintenanceBlades, fuel, and repairs for cutting and processing equipment.
- Truck and roll-off fuelFuel and upkeep for the fleet moving containers and loads.
- Scale calibrationKeeping the yard scale certified and accurate.
- Compliance recordkeepingID scanning and record-keeping fees many states require for scrap purchases.
- Yard securityCameras, fencing, and lighting for a yard holding valuable metal.
What we watch for you
- Ferrous versus non-ferrous mix
Which metal grade is actually carrying the month when prices move in different directions.
- Buy versus sell spread
What you pay walk-ins and accounts against what the metal later sells for.
- Metal on hand
How much bought scrap is still sitting in the yard unsold at month end.
- The set-aside
What you will owe on metal sales, tracked every month, whichever direction prices swing.
Ask Gus
Things scrap yard 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. Copper stays in its own line, so a buying spree shows up as more copper moving, not a strange spending month.
They stay apart. The container fee and the scrap purchase are two different numbers, so you can see what each one actually earned you.
Many states require an ID and a record for certain metals. That call is above my pay grade state by state, so I flag it and the accountant checks what your state requires.
The tax side
The tax side of a scrap metal yard.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and documentation. Equipment filed like maintenance, cash payouts mixed with wages, and metal grades blended together.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Shears, cranes, and processing equipmentA hydraulic shear, crane, or torch setup can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Whether to take it all now depends on the year you are having.
- Yard crew worker classificationA yard worker or scale attendant working your hours on your equipment is almost always an employee, even if paid a daily cash rate.
- Quarterly estimated taxWith income that swings hard on commodity prices, taxes are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15, rather than one bill in April.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated scrap yards 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 scrap metal recyclers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Shear blades and torch tips
- Scale calibration
- Yard security cameras
- Compliance recordkeeping fees
- Truck and roll-off fuel
- General liability insurance
- Safety gear and gloves
- Crane inspection and certification
- Fencing and lighting repairs
- Uniforms for the yard crew
- Phone for scale house dispatch
- Business licenses and permits
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 scrap yard year, kept every month.
Metal prices move every week. 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.
- January
Plan the scrap year
Last year's return gets started and you get a monthly set-aside, so April is already handled before spring cleanup brings in more loads.
- April
Signed and sent
The return is signed, filed, and off your plate. Because the set-aside tracked metal prices all year, the bill was never a mystery.
- July
Midyear metal check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer demolition volume changed the number.
- October
Before winter slows the yard
Outdoor scrap flow often slows with cold weather. Gus looks at equipment you might need 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 scrap metal recyclers. 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 scrap yard owners ask first.
Can Gus keep ferrous and non-ferrous sales separate?
Yes. Steel and copper or aluminum sit in their own lines, so a price swing in one shows up as that metal moving, not the whole yard.
We pay walk-ins cash for scrap. How does that get tracked?
As a real cost of goods, kept apart from crew wages, with the documentation many states expect for scrap purchases. Gus records it as it happens.
Do the roll-off fees and the scrap we buy off a demolition job get mixed together?
No. The container fee and the scrap purchase stay as two separate numbers, so you can see what each side of the account actually earned.
Do I write off a new shear all at once?
Often the whole cost comes off in the year you buy it, though sometimes stretching it out serves you better. Gus flags the purchase right away, and the accountant decides with your full year in view.
My books have never separated metal grades or tracked what is still in the yard. Is that fixable?
Yes. Turn over whatever bank statements and scale tickets you have, however disorganized. Gus works through the backlog, the accountant checks the result, and you will know where you stand within 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