Electrical, energy & home tech

Books and taxes for standby generator installers.

Storm deposits, Generac warranty reimbursements, financed installs, and maintenance contracts paid a year in advance. 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
SeptemberExample month
$12,500
what you made

September brought in $12,500. The warranty reimbursement from Generac for the Reyes call finally posted, so that job's true cost is now on the books.

  • Generac dealer portal payoutGenerator installs
  • GreenSky payoutFinanced jobs
  • Generac warranty reimbursementWarranty pay
  • ABC Propane invoiceGas and propane subs
  • Sunoco fuel, crew trucksTrucks and fuel
Money in$52,000
Money out$39,500
Set aside for taxes$2,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A generator dealer's books go wrong around timing, not totals.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is storm-driven backlogs, warranty calls that get paid back weeks later, and maintenance contracts sold a year at a time. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you.

  1. 1

    A storm deposit sits before the job starts

    After a big storm, homeowners pay deposits for installs booked months out because of backlog. Counting deposits as income right away makes a busy month look enormous, while the jobs and their real costs land the next quarter.

    What we doTracks each deposit as a job draw until the install happens, so a busy month does not overstate what was actually earned.
  2. 2

    Warranty labor reimbursement lands weeks later

    Generac reimburses a warranty repair's labor cost weeks or months after the visit. If that reimbursement is not tracked, warranty calls look like they lose money every time you run one.

    What we doKeeps warranty reimbursements owed in view as a receivable, so a warranty call's true cost is only what never gets paid back.
  3. 3

    Maintenance contracts paid up front, delivered twice

    A customer pays for a year of spring and fall generator service in one check, but only one visit has happened by June. Booked as income the day it is paid, an early month looks better than it is.

    What we doSplits prepaid maintenance revenue across the visits it covers, so each month reflects the service actually delivered.
  4. 4

    Propane hookups blend into the generator's cost

    The gas line subcontractor's invoice for running propane to the pad gets lumped in with the generator unit's cost, hiding how much of the job's margin came from install labor versus the hardware.

    What we doKeeps subcontracted gas and electrical work in its own line, so you can see what the install work earns apart from the unit itself.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a generator dealer.

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

  • Generator installsDeposit and completion draws on whole-home standby generator installs.
  • Maintenance contractsPrepaid spring and fall service plans, split to the visit that earns them.
  • Warranty payLabor reimbursements from Generac or Kohler for covered repairs.
  • Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
  • Propane and gas conversionsAdd-on jobs to run or convert a fuel line for a new unit.

Money out

  • Install crew wagesKept apart from job bonuses so labor cost by install stays clear.
  • Generator units and transfer switchesDealer stock purchased from Generac or Kohler.
  • Gas and propane subcontractorsFuel line work billed apart from the generator's own cost.
  • Concrete pad subcontractorsPad pours for new installs, tracked separate from the unit.
  • Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for crew trucks.
  • Permits and inspectionsMunicipal fees on new standby generator installs.
  • Lead fees and marketingStorm-season ads, Google local services, and Generac referral leads.

What we watch for you

  • Warranty owed

    What Generac still owes on completed warranty calls, so a slow month is not confused with a loss.

  • Deposit backlog

    Deposits collected for installs not yet done, so a big month does not read as bigger than it is.

  • Contract coverage

    How much of prepaid maintenance revenue has actually been delivered so far this year.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things standby generator installers 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 storm just hit and we booked deposits for twenty installs. Why doesn't this month look huge?

Those deposits are booked as job draws, not sales, until the install happens. When the crews get to them next month, the income lands with the work.

Generac finally paid us back for a warranty call from two months ago. Where did that go?

Into warranty pay, matched to the job it covers. That call's true cost is now just whatever never gets reimbursed.

Do maintenance contracts count as income when the customer pays for the whole year?

Above my pay grade on the exact split, so I flagged it for the accountant. What I do know is I only book the piece that matches a completed visit, spring or fall.

The tax side

The tax side of a standby generator business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing. A warranty call booked as a loss, a contract counted all at once, 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.

  • Install equipment and trucksService vans, trenching gear, and shop tools 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 1099sGas line and concrete subcontractors paid $2,000 or more in 2026 get a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Employee or contractorAn install helper who drives your truck 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 standby generator installers miss

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

  • Transfer switch testers
  • Trenching tool rental
  • Dealer training fees
  • Truck signage and wraps
  • Liability and bonding insurance
  • Storm season ad spend
  • Phone for site photos
  • Dump fees for old units
  • Home office for scheduling
  • Vehicle registration
  • Background check fees
  • Load bank tester rental

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 standby generator year, kept every month.

Storms do not wait for a schedule. Your taxes do. 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 storm season's install rush changed the number.

  4. October

    Before winter storms

    Winter outages drive the next wave of calls. 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 standby generator installers. 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 standby generator installers ask first.

Can Gus handle jobs paid through financing companies?

Yes. He books the full job as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.

How does Gus handle Generac warranty reimbursements?

He tracks what Generac still owes on a completed warranty call as a receivable, so the job's true cost only shows up if the reimbursement never comes.

We collect deposits during storm season for installs booked months out. Does that skew the books?

No. Deposits are tracked as job draws until the install happens, so a busy storm month does not read as bigger than the work actually completed.

Do maintenance contracts count as income the day they are paid?

Only the part that matches a completed visit. A contract paid for spring and fall service gets split so each month reflects what was actually delivered.

My crew gets a bonus per install. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Bonuses paid through payroll stay payroll. Gus keeps them visible so you can see labor against what each month brought in.

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.

More in electrical, energy & home tech

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