Electrical, energy & home tech

Books and taxes for smart home integrators.

Design retainers, staged project draws, programming labor that runs long, mid-project change orders, and manufacturer service fees passed through. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
FebruaryExample month
$19,000
what you made

February brought in $19,000. The Delacroix estate project's trim draw posted, and the commissioning hours ran long, so I flagged the labor for a look before the final invoice goes out.

  • Delacroix estate trim drawDesign-build project draws
  • Control4 4Sight fees collectedManufacturer pass-through fees
  • Control4 authorized distributor orderSmart home hardware
  • Programmer wages, J. AlvarezProgramming and commissioning labor
  • Control4 4Sight remittanceManufacturer pass-through fees
Money in$78,000
Money out$59,000
Set aside for taxes$4,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A smart home integrator's books go wrong across the life of one project.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is design retainers billed before hardware ships, programmer hours worth more than install labor, and change orders that creep in mid-project. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you.

  1. 1

    A design retainer gets spent before hardware ships

    A whole-home smart system project often starts with a paid design retainer, weeks before a single unit is ordered. Counted the same as a completed job, it makes early months look like real profit before the real costs of the project show up.

    What we doTracks the design retainer as its own draw against the project, so it is not confused with a finished job's revenue.
  2. 2

    Programming hours blend into install labor

    A programmer commissioning a whole-house system can spend more billable hours than the crew that ran the wire, and if that skilled time is paid and booked the same as install labor, a project's real cost is hidden.

    What we doKeeps programming and commissioning labor in its own line, so you can see what the technical work actually costs against install labor.
  3. 3

    A mid-project change order gets absorbed instead of billed

    A homeowner adds shades to two more rooms halfway through a project, and if that scope change is not billed and tracked separately, the extra materials and hours quietly eat into the original contract's margin.

    What we doFlags change orders as their own line item, so added scope shows its own revenue and cost instead of hiding inside the original job.
  4. 4

    The manufacturer's service fee passes through at almost no margin

    An annual service fee collected from the customer and passed to a manufacturer like Control4 or Savant looks like real revenue if it lands in the same bucket as project income, when most of it is a pass-through with little left for the business.

    What we doKeeps manufacturer pass-through fees in their own category, so real service revenue is not confused with money that mostly goes right back out.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a smart home integrator.

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

  • Design-build project drawsDesign retainer, pre-wire, trim, and commissioning payments on a whole-home project.
  • Change order billingsAdded scope billed apart from the original contract.
  • Annual service contractsSupport hours drawn down as troubleshooting calls come in.
  • Manufacturer pass-through feesAnnual service fees collected from the customer and remitted to the manufacturer.
  • Builder and architect referral feesProject fees earned through a builder or architect relationship.

Money out

  • Programming and commissioning laborKept apart from install wages so technical labor cost stays visible.
  • Install crew wagesPre-wire and trim labor, tracked separate from programming time.
  • Smart home hardwareControl4, Savant, or Lutron equipment from an authorized distributor.
  • Subcontracted pre-wire crewsLow-voltage rough-in billed apart from the project's own crew.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for service vehicles.
  • Certification and training feesManufacturer dealer certification program costs.
  • Manufacturer pass-through remittancesWhat gets sent back to the manufacturer for annual service fees collected.

What we watch for you

  • Programming hours

    Skilled commissioning time against install labor, since it often costs more than expected.

  • Change order revenue

    Added scope billed apart from the original contract, so scope creep does not eat the margin quietly.

  • Pass-through margin

    What is left after remitting manufacturer service fees, so real service revenue stays visible.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things smart home integrators 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.

We collected a design retainer for the Delacroix project before we ordered anything. Does that count as profit?

Not yet. I track it as a draw against the project, so it is not confused with a finished job until the real costs show up.

Commissioning on that job ran twice as long as we quoted. Where does that show up?

In programming and commissioning labor, its own line apart from install wages, so you can see exactly what the technical work cost against the plan.

The homeowner added shades to two more rooms halfway through. Did we bill that right?

I flagged it as a change order, its own line, so the added materials and hours show up as their own revenue instead of quietly eating the original contract's margin.

The tax side

The tax side of a smart home integration business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing across a long project. A retainer counted too soon, labor blended together, 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.

  • Smart home and testing equipmentProgramming laptops, calibration tools, and service vehicles can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sSubcontracted pre-wire crews not on payroll get a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026. The form is due January 31.
  • Employee or contractorA programmer or installer who uses your tools and works your schedule is usually an employee, not a subcontractor, no matter how the pay is set up.
  • 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 smart home integrators miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Calibration and test equipment
  • Programming laptops and licenses
  • Showroom demo equipment
  • Truck signage and wraps
  • Liability and bonding insurance
  • Manufacturer certification fees
  • Phone for site photos
  • Dump fees for old equipment
  • Home office for design work
  • Vehicle registration
  • Background check fees
  • Builder referral costs

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 smart home integrator's year, kept every month.

Projects run months from design to commissioning. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring's design retainers turned into finished projects on schedule.

  4. October

    Before the holiday rush

    Homeowners often want systems finished before holiday guests arrive. Before it hits, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 smart home integrators. 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 smart home integrators ask first.

We collect a design retainer before ordering any hardware. Does Gus book that as profit right away?

No. It is tracked as a draw against the project, so it is not confused with a finished job until the real costs of the build show up.

Commissioning sometimes takes far longer than quoted. Does that show up in the numbers?

Yes. Programming and commissioning labor is kept in its own line, so you can see exactly what the technical work cost against install wages.

A homeowner added scope halfway through a project. How do we track that?

As a change order, its own line, so the added materials and hours show up as their own revenue instead of hiding inside the original contract.

We collect an annual service fee from customers and pass most of it to the manufacturer. Does that inflate our revenue?

No. Pass-through fees are kept apart from real service revenue, so what is actually left for the business stays clear.

Do I write off my calibration tools 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 with your whole year in view.

My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know 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.

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