Security & life safety
Books and taxes for security guard companies.
Retail posts, apartment gates, warehouse contracts, and the overtime that piles up on a short-staffed weekend. 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
August came in at $13,700. Two new warehouse posts started mid-month, so I split their first partial invoices out from the standing retail contracts.
- Riverbend Plaza contractRetail post billing
- Union Yards warehouseCommercial post billing
- Payroll run, guardsGuard wages
- State guard card renewalsLicensing and bonding
- Uniform Advantage orderUniforms and gear
Why your books are different
Guard company books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees payroll and client checks. Your business is armed and unarmed posts billed at different rates, guards who pick up overtime shifts on short notice, and a card and bond that has to stay current for every person on a post. When the books do not separate that, you cannot tell which contract actually pays.
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1
Armed and unarmed pay blur together
An armed post at a jewelry store pays a higher bill rate and a higher wage than an unarmed post at a strip mall. Lumped into one payroll number, you cannot see whether the armed premium actually covers the extra cost of licensing and insurance.
What we doKeeps armed and unarmed wages on separate lines tied to the contract, so you can see which posts earn their premium. -
2
Overtime eats a contract's margin quietly
A guard who covers a no-show shift at time and a half can turn a profitable post into a losing one for the month, and it is easy to miss until the contract renews at the old price.
What we doFlags overtime against the contract it was worked for, so you see a thin post before you renew it at the same rate. -
3
Guard card and bond renewals get filed as generic fees
State guard card fees, firearm permit endorsements, and the company bond are a real recurring cost per guard, but buried in office expenses they stop telling you what a guard actually costs to keep on staff.
What we doKeeps licensing and bonding in its own line so the real cost of staffing a post is visible. -
4
A new contract's first invoice is partial and confusing
A post that starts mid-month bills for a partial period, and next month it jumps to the full rate. Read wrong, it looks like the contract got a raise.
What we doNotes when a contract started mid-cycle, so a jump in billing reads as a full month, not a price change.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a security guard company.
Set up once for how you bill and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail and commercial post billingStanding monthly contracts for stores, offices, and warehouses.
- Residential and apartment contractsGate posts, patrol rounds, and courtesy officer billing for apartment communities.
- Event and special assignment feesOne-off posts for a store opening, a holiday rush, or an incident response.
- Armed post premiumsThe higher rate billed for a licensed armed guard, kept apart from base post billing.
Money out
- Guard wages, unarmedBase pay for standard posts.
- Guard wages, armedThe higher rate paid for a licensed armed guard.
- Overtime and shift coveragePay for covering a no-show or an extended post.
- Licensing and bondingGuard card renewals, firearm permits, and the company bond.
- Uniforms and gearUniforms, duty belts, and flashlights from suppliers like Uniform Advantage.
- Liability and workers' comp insuranceCoverage that scales with headcount and armed post exposure.
- Scheduling softwareTrackTik, Silvertrac, or Deputy for post assignments and check-in verification.
What we watch for you
- Labor share
Wages and overtime against money in. When it creeps up, a contract's price needs a look.
- Overtime rate
Overtime hours against total guard hours. High and rising usually means understaffing.
- Armed premium coverage
Whether the armed post rate actually covers armed wages plus licensing. Worth checking before a renewal.
- The set-aside
What you will owe on posts staffed all year, tracked monthly so April holds no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things security guard company 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.
A no-show shift got covered at overtime twice. I flagged it against that contract so you see it before the renewal, not after.
Yes, send them when they land. I keep licensing and bonding in its own line so you always know what a guard costs to keep licensed.
Often it can be, in the year you buy it. I logged it as equipment and flagged it, and the accountant makes the final call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a security guard company.
Most of what goes wrong here is worker classification and licensing costs hiding in the wrong place. Get the guard's status right and the armed premium visible, and the rest is timing.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Guard classificationA guard who works a set schedule, wears your uniform, and follows your post orders is usually an employee, even paid per shift. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags anyone paid outside payroll.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, such as a subcontracted guard covering overflow, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Equipment and gear write-offsBody armor, vehicles, and larger gear purchases can often be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, on top of wages, licensing, and gear costs. It comes out right when post billing and payroll are kept straight all year.
Deductions security guard companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Uniforms and duty gear
- Body armor
- Guard card renewal fees
- Firearm permit endorsements
- Company bond premiums
- Liability and workers' comp insurance
- Scheduling software subscriptions
- Background check fees
- Flashlights and radios
- Vehicle fuel for patrol supervisors
- Phone plans for post check-ins
- Continuing education hours
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 guard company year, kept every month.
Posts get staffed every week of the year. 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
Guard card season starts
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for subcontracted guards is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Return filed, posts covered
Your return is filed and signed, with nothing owed as a surprise since the set-aside has been covering it since January.
- July
A midyear post check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer event posts changed the number.
- October
Before holiday staffing
Retail and event posts ramp up for the holidays. Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making 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 security guard 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 security guard company owners ask first.
Can Gus keep armed and unarmed pay separate?
Yes. He keeps armed and unarmed wages on their own lines, tied back to the contract, so you can see whether the armed premium actually covers the higher cost.
I run posts through TrackTik. Do I have to change anything?
No. Keep scheduling 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 contract that started mid-month?
He notes the partial period so the jump to a full invoice next month reads as a full month of billing, not a price increase.
Do I need to track guard card renewals separately?
Send the receipts when they land. Gus keeps licensing and bonding in its own line, so you always know what a licensed guard costs to keep on staff.
My books are behind because of a busy season. Is that a problem?
No. Send whatever statements you have, even if a few posts' billing is still catching up. Gus works through the backlog and tells you where the contracts actually stand, usually 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