Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for storage shed builders and dealers.
Sheds built and held on the lot, rent-to-own contracts that pay out over months, delivery by truck or trailer, and custom builds priced by the job. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $12,500. The 12x20 barn-style shed on the lot since April finally sold, so that unit's build cost came off inventory this month.
- Sale, 12x20 barn shedLot unit sales
- Rent-to-own payment, DelgadoRent-to-own payments
- Lumber and siding orderShed materials
- Delivery, flatbed trailerDelivery costs
- Facebook marketplace adsLead fees and marketing
Why your books are different
Storage shed books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and lumber bills. Your business builds sheds on spec and holds them on the lot, sells some outright and rents others to own over months, and delivers finished units by truck. When the books do not track a unit from build to sale, you cannot tell what it actually made.
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1
A shed built for the lot looks like a loss before it sells
A shed built in April might not sell until June, and if the materials and labor to build it are logged as a straight expense the month it is built, that month looks like a loss for no reason.
What we doTracks each lot unit as inventory until it sells, so the build cost lands in the same month as the sale, not months earlier. -
2
Rent-to-own contracts get counted as a full sale too early
A rent-to-own shed pays out over a year or more, and booking the full sale price the day the contract is signed overstates that month's income while understating every month after.
What we doBooks rent-to-own income as payments actually arrive, so revenue tracks the money you actually collected each month. -
3
Delivery cost gets buried in general vehicle expenses
Delivering a finished shed by flatbed trailer costs real fuel and time per unit, and if it is filed as a general vehicle expense instead of tied to the sale, the true margin on that unit is overstated.
What we doBooks delivery costs against the unit they belong to, so real margin per sale is visible. -
4
Custom builds and lot units blur into one materials line
A custom shed built to a customer's exact spec and a standard unit built for the lot use different amounts of material and labor, and lumping both into one category hides which kind of job is actually more profitable.
What we doTags material and labor to the job and build type, so custom build margin and lot unit margin show up separately.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a storage shed builder and 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
- Lot unit salesSheds built for the lot and sold outright to a customer.
- Rent-to-own paymentsMonthly payments on units financed through the business itself.
- Custom build depositsDeposits collected on custom-ordered sheds, tracked against the job.
- Delivery and site prep feesCharges billed separately for delivery and a gravel pad or leveling.
Money out
- Shed materialsLumber, siding, and roofing for units built on the lot or to order.
- Delivery costsFuel and trailer costs for delivering finished units, tracked per sale.
- Lot rent and utilitiesThe lot where finished units are displayed and stored.
- Crew wages and subsBuild crew pay, tracked apart from delivery labor.
- Equipment and toolsSaws, nail guns, and trailer maintenance.
- Lead fees and marketingFacebook marketplace ads and local advertising.
What we watch for you
- Lot inventory value
Units built but not yet sold, so a build month does not read as a loss before the sale closes it out.
- Rent-to-own collections
How much of contracted rent-to-own income has actually been collected, so cash flow expectations stay realistic.
- Custom versus lot margin
How custom builds compare to standard lot units, so you know which to promote.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things shed dealers 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.
The barn shed that had been sitting on the lot since April finally sold. Its build cost came off the books this month because that is when it sold, so the margin looks bigger than usual, and it should.
I will book the payoff as regular rent-to-own income when it lands. The contract total does not change, just how fast you collect it.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a storage shed business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing inventory to the sale and counting rent-to-own income as it is actually collected. Here is what actually matters at tax time.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory accountingSheds built for the lot are inventory, not an expense, until they sell. Keeping that timing right keeps a build-heavy month from looking worse than it is.
- Equipment write-offsA delivery trailer or shop equipment bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a delivery or build sub, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- 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 storage shed builders and dealers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Delivery trailer maintenance
- Lot rent and utilities
- Lumber and siding samples
- Truck fuel
- Facebook and local marketplace ads
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live on the truck
- Phone and tablet for scheduling
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Lot signage
- Nail gun and saw maintenance
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 storage shed year, kept every month.
Lot sales often pick up in spring while rent-to-own payments run steady all year. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. 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 before spring lot traffic picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how lot inventory compares to the season's sales pace.
- October
Before the season slows
A look at inventory levels and equipment worth buying 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 storage shed builders and dealers. 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 shed dealers ask first.
How does Gus handle a shed that sits on the lot for months?
He tracks it as inventory rather than an expense until it sells, so the build month does not look like a loss and the sale month shows the real margin.
Can Gus handle rent-to-own contracts?
Yes. He books the income as payments actually arrive, so your monthly revenue reflects money you actually collected, not the full contract value up front.
My books are behind from last season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Do I write off a delivery trailer all at once?
Often, yes. Business equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
How does Gus tell custom builds apart from lot units?
He tags material and labor to the job and build type, so custom build margin and standard lot unit margin show up as two different numbers.
Do you handle sales tax on the sheds I sell?
No. Sales tax on units and materials varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
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