Roofing & exterior
Books and taxes for skylight installation and repair companies.
Small emergency leak calls next to full structural install jobs, VELUX dealer orders, roofing permits for a new opening, and work that often comes through a roofer's referral. Gus sorts it all, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March cleared $15,400. Two of the four jobs came through roofer referrals, so I tracked the referral fees against those specific jobs instead of folding them into overhead.
- Homeowner leak repairRepair calls
- New skylight install, referredReferral jobs
- VELUX dealer orderSkylight units
- Framing crew payoutSubcontracted crews
- City permit feePermits and inspections
Why your books are different
Skylight books go wrong because a leak call and a full install are worlds apart.
A generalist bookkeeper treats every job the same size. Your business runs on small emergency leak repairs next to full structural installs that cut a new opening in the roof, plus a steady stream of work that comes through a roofer's referral. The books need to keep those apart.
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1
A leak repair and a full install get lumped together
A $250 emergency leak fix and a $6,000 structural install with a new framed opening look nothing alike in scope, but if both are booked as one general skylight category, you can't tell which type of work is actually driving revenue.
What we doKeeps repair calls and full installs in separate lines, so you can see how much of the business is emergency work versus new installs. -
2
Roofer referral jobs hide their real cost
A lot of skylight work comes through a roofing contractor sending a customer your way, sometimes with a referral fee paid back, and if that fee isn't tracked against the job, the job looks more profitable than it was.
What we doBooks the referral fee against the specific job it came from, so the job's real margin is visible. -
3
A new structural opening's permit gets folded into the install
Cutting a new opening for a skylight where there wasn't one usually needs a permit and inspection, unlike a straightforward unit replacement, and if that cost disappears into the general install price, it's easy to underbid the next one.
What we doTracks permit and inspection costs in their own line so you can see what a structural job adds beyond a simple replacement. -
4
A dealer order for one job looks like a slow week
A skylight unit ordered through a dealer network like VELUX for a single job can be a bigger cost than several repair calls combined, making a normal week look like a loss.
What we doBooks the unit cost against the specific job it's for, so a single order doesn't distort the week it lands in.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a skylight 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
- Repair callsLeak fixes, reseals, and small emergency work.
- New installsFull skylight installs, including new structural openings.
- Referral jobsWork that comes through a roofer or builder referral.
- Replacement unitsSwapping an existing skylight for a new unit in the same opening.
Money out
- Skylight unitsUnits and flashing kits from a dealer network like VELUX or a local distributor.
- Framing materialsLumber and flashing for structural openings.
- Subcontracted crewsFraming and install crews paid by the job, kept apart from payroll.
- Permits and inspectionsFees tied to structural openings that need code approval.
- Referral feesWhat gets paid back to a roofer for a referred job.
- Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the fleet.
- Insurance and licensingLiability coverage and contractor license renewals.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each job actually cleared once the unit, framing, and referral fees are counted.
- Referral job share
How much of your business depends on roofers sending you customers versus direct calls.
- Repair-to-install ratio
How much of the business is small emergency work versus full installs.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so a big job doesn't turn into a surprise bill.
Ask Gus
Things skylight 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.
I book it against those specific jobs, so you can still see what each one cleared after paying him.
Yes, I keep permit and inspection costs in their own line, so you can see what a structural job adds beyond a simple unit swap.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. I'm tracking that as it adds up.
The tax side
The tax side of a skylight installation business.
Most of what goes wrong here is separating repair calls from full installs, and tracking referral fees and permits against the right job.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Trucks and toolsEquipment and trucks bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- 1099s for referral fees and crewsAnyone not on payroll, including a referral source, who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Employee or contractorA framing helper who works only for you on your schedule usually looks like an employee. Gus flags it 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 jobs are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions skylight installation and repair companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Flashing kits and sealants
- Framing lumber
- Ladders and roof jacks
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Permit and inspection fees
- Referral fees paid out
- Manufacturer certification classes
- Google local services ads
- License and bonding fees
- Uniforms with your logo
- Phone for scheduling calls
- Card processing fees
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 skylight year, kept every month.
Leak calls spike after storms, but taxes come on their own 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, any referral fee 1099s are finalized, and the monthly set-aside is planned before spring installs pick up.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with no surprise bill because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the peak of install season, and whether referral jobs are pulling their weight this year.
- October
Before the slowdown
A look at units or equipment bought during the busy months and any moves worth making before winter.
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 skylight installation and repair 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 skylight owners ask first.
How does Gus tell a small repair call apart from a full install?
He keeps them in separate categories, so you can see how much of the business is emergency leak work versus full structural installs.
I pay a finder's fee to roofers who send me jobs. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus books the fee against that specific job, so you can still see what the job cleared after paying it out.
Does a new structural opening need different tracking than a unit swap?
Yes, Gus keeps permit and framing costs in their own line for structural work, so you can see what it adds beyond a simple replacement.
I order units through a VELUX dealer network. Does that change anything?
No. Gus works from your bank statement and books the unit cost against the job it's for, regardless of which dealer network you use.
Most of my jobs are one or two a week. Can Gus still track them individually?
Yes, every deposit gets sorted into the right category, whether you have two jobs a week or ten.
My books are behind and don't separate repairs from installs. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus starts sorting them by job type going forward, and the accountant checks the result.
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