Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for seawall and bulkhead contractors.
Deposits, vinyl or steel sheet piling driven from a barge or a crane on shore, tieback and anchor systems, and permits that often need a waterway review. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $25,000. The tieback and anchor system for the Whitlock seawall got booked against that job, not general hardware.
- Deposit, Whitlock seawallJob deposits
- Final payment, Garner bulkheadFinal payments
- Vinyl sheet piling orderSheet piling material
- Tieback and anchor systemTieback and anchor systems
- State waterway permit feeMarine permits
Why your books are different
Seawall and bulkhead books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and material bills. Your business drives sheet piling into shoreline soil that varies job to job, installs tieback systems that hold the whole wall in place, and waits on marine permits that run longer than most land-based approvals. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell what a wall's price actually covered.
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1
Sheet piling type and length get lost in a general materials line
Vinyl and steel sheet piling cost very differently per foot, and driven depth changes with shoreline soil conditions, but if all piling costs land in one general category, the owner cannot see whether a job's price actually matched what type and length it needed.
What we doTags sheet piling material and driven length to the job, so material choice and site conditions both show up in that job's real cost. -
2
Tieback and anchor systems get bundled with piling
The tieback rods and anchors that hold a seawall in place against soil pressure are a distinct cost from the piling itself, and if they are bundled together, the owner cannot see how much of the wall's structural cost is piling versus the anchoring system.
What we doKeeps tieback and anchor systems on their own line against the job, so both structural costs are visible. -
3
Marine permit timelines get treated like a land permit
A seawall or bulkhead permit often needs state or federal waterway review, which can run longer and cost more than a typical building permit, and if it is filed the same way, the owner cannot see how much approval really adds to the job.
What we doBooks marine permit costs against the job and flags when a job is waiting on a longer review, so the timeline and the cost both stay visible. -
4
A deposit looks like profit while the job waits on permits
A deposit on a seawall that will not break ground for months due to permitting shows up as income the day it lands, so the month looks strong before a single sheet is driven.
What we doTracks the deposit against its job and recognizes the income as the work gets done, so a long permit wait does not distort the month.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a seawall and bulkhead contractor.
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, tracked against the job it belongs to.
- Progress drawsPayments collected at piling and tieback installation milestones.
- Final paymentsWalkthrough payment once the wall is complete.
- Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Change ordersAdded wall length or a cap and drainage upgrade billed separately.
Money out
- Sheet piling materialVinyl or steel piling, priced and tracked by type and driven length.
- Tieback and anchor systemsRods, anchors, and hardware that hold the wall in place.
- Marine permitsState or federal waterway permit fees and review costs.
- Equipment rentalBarges, cranes, and pile-driving equipment.
- Crew wages and subsPile-driving and finish crew pay.
- Lead fees and marketingHouzz and Google local services ads.
What we watch for you
- Piling cost per foot
Material and driving cost against wall length, so pricing keeps pace with piling type and site conditions.
- Permit timeline
How long marine permitting takes on average, so bids and schedules account for the wait.
- Jobs in progress
Deposits collected for walls stuck in permitting, so a wait 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 seawall contractors 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.
Yes, and that is correct. I am holding it against the job until the work happens, so it does not count as income before the piling goes in.
Both the Garner bulkhead and another wall closed out this month. Seawall jobs run large, so a couple finishing in the same month carries hard.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a seawall and bulkhead business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing around permits. A deposit counted before a permit clears, tieback systems bundled with piling, 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 barge, crane, or pile-driving attachment bought for the business 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 a pile-driving crew, 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 seawall and bulkhead contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Barge and crane rental
- Pile-driving attachments
- Fuel for boats and equipment
- Houzz and Google local services ads
- Marine permit and review fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the barge or truck
- Phone and tablet for job sites
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Job photo software
- Truck and trailer signage
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 seawall and bulkhead year, kept every month.
Permitting can take months before a sheet is ever driven, so a season's income often lands well after the job that earned it. 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 deposits start coming in for the season ahead.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how permit timelines have affected the season's schedule.
- October
Before water levels change
A look at any equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December, timed to when weather starts limiting waterfront work.
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 seawall and bulkhead contractors. 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 seawall contractors 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 scheduling in Buildertrend. 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 a barge or crane purchase all at once?
Often, yes. Business equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though 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 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 handle a job stuck waiting on a waterway permit?
He tracks the deposit against its job and only counts the income as the work gets done, so a long permit wait does not make an early month look stronger than it is.
Do you handle sales tax on the piling and hardware 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