Plumbing & water
Books and taxes for septic system companies.
A new system that needs a perc test and a county permit, routine pumping paid by the homeowner, and real estate closings where a title company cuts the check. 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 $11,700. Three of the pumping jobs got paid by title companies at closing instead of the homeowner, so I kept those separate to track how long that money takes to land.
- FieldEdge payoutPumping and service calls
- Title company payout, escrowClosing-related pumping
- New install drawSystem installs
- County health department permitPermits and perc tests
- Treatment facility dump feeDisposal fees
Why your books are different
Septic books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is perc tests, county permits, a vacuum truck, and payments that sometimes come from a title company instead of the homeowner. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which side of the business, install or pumping, is actually carrying the year.
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1
Title company payments arrive on a different schedule
A home sale often requires a septic inspection or pumping before closing, and the payment comes from an escrow account weeks after the work is done, not from the homeowner at the truck.
What we doKeeps closing-related work in its own line so you can see how long that money takes to land and plan cash flow around it. -
2
Perc tests and permit fees get lumped into the install price
A percolation test and a county health department permit can add real cost to a new system before you dig at all. Buried in one job total, you cannot tell if permit-heavy counties are still profitable at your quoted price.
What we doKeeps perc test and permit costs in their own line, tied to the job, so you can see the real cost of getting a system approved. -
3
Dump fees at the treatment facility eat into pumping margin
Every truckload of septic waste costs a real disposal fee at the treatment facility. Rolled into the pumping job price, you cannot tell if a full day of pumping calls actually paid for itself once disposal is counted.
What we doKeeps disposal fees in their own line against pumping income, so the real margin on a pumping route is visible. -
4
The vacuum truck and excavator are not supply purchases
A vacuum truck or a mini excavator for tank installs can cost as much as your whole fleet combined. Filed as supplies, it wrecks the month it is bought in and misses the write-off it usually qualifies for.
What we doFlags large equipment purchases the day they post, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a septic 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
- Pumping and service callsRoutine tank pumping billed directly to the homeowner.
- Closing-related pumpingInspections and pumping paid by a title company at a home sale.
- System installsNew septic systems, billed in deposit and completion draws.
- Repair and riser workBaffle repairs, riser installs, and lid replacements.
Money out
- Crew wagesKept apart so you can see labor against the jobs it ran.
- Tanks and drain field materialsTanks, distribution boxes, and gravel or chambers for the leach field.
- Permits and perc testsCounty health department fees paid before a new install.
- Disposal feesTreatment facility fees per truckload of septic waste.
- Truck and equipmentVacuum trucks and excavators, logged so they get written off right.
- Fuel and repairsFuel, maintenance, and insurance for the truck fleet.
- Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and referrals from real estate agents.
What we watch for you
- Closing payment lag
How long title company payments take to land, so you know what cash is actually available.
- Permit cost per install
What perc tests and county permits run on average, so bids account for it.
- Pumping margin after disposal
What a pumping route nets once treatment facility fees are counted.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things septic 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.
Title company payments usually run behind the work itself. I keep those in their own line so you can see it is coming, not lost.
I have permit costs by job sitting in one line for you. Worth a look before your next bid in that county.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a septic business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: equipment filed as supplies, permit costs buried in a job total, and closing payments booked whenever they happen to land.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Vacuum trucks and excavatorsBusiness equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Whether to take it all now depends on the year you are having.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Permits and perc testsCounty health department fees for perc tests and system approval are a real cost of doing an install and are usually deductible in the year paid.
- 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 septic system installation and pumping companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Truck and equipment fuel
- Tanks and drain field materials
- Perc test and permit fees
- Treatment facility disposal fees
- Riser and lid parts
- Uniforms with your logo
- Google local services ads
- Referral fees to real estate agents
- Phone and tablet for dispatch
- License and bonding renewal
- Small tools under the expensing threshold
- Continuing education courses
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 septic year, kept every month.
Ground freezes stop new installs before pumping calls slow down. 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 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. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the summer install season changed the number.
- October
Before frozen ground
New installs slow once the ground freezes in colder climates. Before that, Gus looks at equipment you might buy 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 septic system installation and pumping 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 septic company owners ask first.
How does Gus handle payments from a title company at closing?
He keeps closing-related pumping and inspection work in its own line, since the payment often takes longer to land than a direct homeowner payment.
Do I write off a new vacuum truck all at once?
Usually you can, though it depends on the rest of your year. Gus logs the purchase as equipment right away, separate from ordinary supplies, and the accountant decides the best way to write it off once your full picture is in.
Can Gus track perc test and permit costs separately?
Yes. Those get their own line so you can see what county permitting actually costs you before your next bid.
I schedule pumping calls through FieldEdge. Does Gus need to see that?
No. Gus only needs your bank statement. He can tell a routine pumping payment from a title company closing payment just by how and when it lands, and confirms with you if it is ever unclear.
How does Gus handle install deposits?
He tracks the deposit against the job and moves it into income as the work is completed, so the month you collect it and the month you finish don't distort each other.
Some of my pumping jobs from title companies are months old and never got logged. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the statements you have, even with old closing payments mixed in. Gus sorts them into the right category and gets you current within about 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