Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for sheet metal contractors.
Progress billing on ductwork packages, retainage, a duct run rerouted around another trade, and coil stock bought by the truckload. 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
February came in at $14,000. The truckload of galvanized coil for the tower job got tied to that job, so it did not make a normal month look heavier than it was.
- GC pay app #3 payoutProgress billing
- Coil stock orderCoil stock
- Flatbed delivery, duct sectionsDelivery and trucking
- Crane rental, duct hangCrane and lift rental
- Fitting stock orderFittings and fabrication materials
Why your books are different
A sheet metal contractor's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is progress billing, a shop side and a field install side, and ceiling space that other trades keep fighting you for. Blend those together and a job's real margin disappears.
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1
Ceiling clash change orders go unbilled
When electrical conduit and plumbing lines force a duct run to be rerouted mid-installation, the extra fittings and labor rarely get a change order before the crew has already redone the work.
What we doFlags jobs where fabrication and labor costs climb without a matching change order on file. -
2
Shop-only sales and full install jobs blur together
Selling fabricated duct to a mechanical contractor who installs it themselves is a different business than fabricating and installing it yourself, but lumped into one revenue line, you cannot see which one actually pays better.
What we doKeeps shop-only fabrication billing separate from full install jobs. -
3
A coil stock buy skews the month
Ordering a truckload of galvanized coil stock ahead of a big office tower job makes that month look heavy and the next one thin, when it is really one buy spread across weeks of fabrication.
What we doTies coil stock purchases to the job, so a bulk buy does not distort a normal month. -
4
Retainage on ductwork packages disappears
A general contractor holds back 10 percent on a large ductwork package and does not release it until closeout, sometimes months after the duct is hung and balanced.
What we doKeeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see what is still owed and roughly when it should land. -
5
Oversized duct delivery costs blend into fuel
Hauling long duct sections sometimes needs a flatbed or an escort, a real delivery cost specific to that load, not your everyday fuel spending.
What we doKeeps special delivery costs visible against the job that needed them.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a sheet metal business.
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
- Progress billingGeneral contractor pay applications on ductwork packages.
- Retainage releasesHeld-back money on install jobs, paid out at closeout.
- Change order billingRerouting from ceiling space conflicts with other trades.
- Shop-only fabrication billingDuct sold to mechanical contractors who install it themselves.
- Field installation billingOn-site hanging, balancing, and connection work.
Money out
- Shop and field crew wagesSheet metal workers, including certified payroll on public jobs.
- Coil stockGalvanized sheet metal ordered by the coil.
- Fittings and fabrication materialsElbows, transitions, and hangers.
- Shop equipmentPlasma tables, brakes, and spiral duct machines.
- Delivery and truckingFlatbeds and escorts for oversized duct sections.
- Crane and lift rentalHanging large duct runs overhead.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage for larger jobs.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each package actually made after coil stock, fittings, and labor.
- Fab-only margin
How shop-only sales compare to full install jobs, worth tracking separately.
- Retainage owed
Money general contractors are holding on install jobs right now.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things sheet metal 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.
I flagged it. Fabrication and labor on that job went up without a matching change order, so it is worth checking with the general contractor before it closes out.
Yes. Shop-only fabrication sales are kept separate from your full install jobs, so you can see which kind of work actually pays better over time.
That depends on rules above what I handle directly, so I flag it and the accountant looks at how it should be set up.
The tax side
The tax side of a sheet metal business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Reroutes never billed, coil stock buys treated like a bad month, 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-offsPlasma tables, brakes, and spiral duct machines can often be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Sub-subcontractor 1099sAny outside crew not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA sheet metal worker who works your schedule, uses your shop, and takes direction from your foreman is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- 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 sheet metal contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Plasma tables and brakes
- Spiral duct machine upkeep
- Hand tools and shears
- Continuing education
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Crane and lift rental
- Safety gear and PPE
- Job costing software
- Uniforms with your logo
- Shop rent
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 sheet metal year, kept every month.
Bid season, big coil stock buys, and tax season each run on their own clock. Your team keeps you ahead of all three. 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 and the 1099 list for outside crews is ready. Bidding is picking up, so your monthly set-aside gets planned before spring HVAC installs mobilize.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring HVAC install season gets underway. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a large ductwork package changed the number.
- October
Before heating season
As buildings push to have systems running before winter heating demand hits, Gus looks at shop equipment worth buying and anything else worth doing before the year ends.
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 sheet metal 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 sheet metal contractors ask first.
Ceiling space conflicts force reroutes all the time. Does Gus catch unbilled change orders?
He flags jobs where fabrication and labor costs are climbing without a matching change order on file, so you notice the reroute before the job closes out, not after.
We both fabricate and install. Can the books separate those?
Yes. Shop-only fabrication sales are kept separate from full install jobs, so you can see over time which kind of work actually pays better for your shop.
Do I write off a new plasma table all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
A coil stock buy is huge some months. Won't that throw off the numbers?
No. Gus ties large coil stock orders to the specific job they belong to, so one big buy does not make an otherwise normal month look off.
Our books are behind after a big tower job. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know exactly where they stand inside 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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We keep books for the business next door too.
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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