Roofing & exterior

Books and taxes for storm damage and insurance restoration roofers.

Emergency tarp calls, initial claim checks, supplements that trickle in weeks later, and depreciation holdbacks. Gus tracks every dollar back to the roof it came from, 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
MayExample month
$65,500
what you made

May cleared $65,500. Three supplements came in on jobs from March, and I matched every one back to its original roof instead of counting it as new work.

  • Allstate claim checkInsurance jobs
  • Homeowner deductibleDeductibles collected
  • Beacon Roofing Supply orderMaterials
  • CAT crew payoutSubcontracted crews
  • Emergency tarp suppliesEmergency mitigation
Money in$264,000
Money out$198,500
Set aside for taxes$14,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Storm restoration books go wrong because the money never arrives at once.

A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and bills. Your business runs on claim checks that land in pieces over months, catastrophe crews that come and go with the storm, and supplements that show up long after the original job. If the books can't hold that timeline, you can't tell which storms actually paid off.

  1. 1

    A single roof pays out in three or four pieces

    The initial actual cash value check, the homeowner's deductible, a supplement after the adjuster reinspects, and the depreciation holdback can land months apart. Booked as separate deposits, none of them show the job's real total.

    What we doTags every check to the job it belongs to as it lands, so the full contract value shows up once the last piece clears, however long that takes.
  2. 2

    Supplements get lost in the noise

    When a reinspection turns up more damage than the first estimate, the extra payment often arrives weeks or months after the crew already moved to the next storm. Recorded as a new sale, it hides how much of the original claim was actually collected.

    What we doMatches every supplement to its original job, so you can see the true total a claim paid versus what it first approved.
  3. 3

    Catastrophe crews brought in for a storm blur into payroll

    CAT crews hired to handle a surge of claims after a storm are almost always subcontracted, paid by the job or the square. Lumped in with regular labor, it hides what the storm surge actually cost against what it brought in.

    What we doKeeps storm-surge crew pay in its own line against the jobs they worked, separate from your standing crew's payroll.
  4. 4

    Emergency tarp work gets buried in the eventual roof job

    A same-day tarp to stop a leak is often billed separately from the full roof replacement that follows weeks later once the claim is approved. Combined into one job record, it's unclear what the emergency work alone brought in.

    What we doKeeps emergency mitigation work as its own line so you can see it against the full replacement that may or may not follow.
  5. 5

    A quiet month after a busy storm season looks like trouble

    Storm work is lumpy by nature. A month with no new claims right after a season of catastrophe work can look like the business fell off a cliff if the books don't connect it to work still being collected on.

    What we doKeeps outstanding supplements and holdbacks visible as money still coming, so a quiet month reads correctly against what's still owed.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a storm restoration roofer.

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

  • Insurance jobsClaim checks tracked against the job, initial payment through depreciation holdback.
  • Deductibles collectedThe homeowner's share of an insurance job.
  • SupplementsExtra money approved after a reinspection, matched back to the original job.
  • Emergency mitigationSame-day tarp and stopgap work, tracked apart from the full roof job.
  • Cash and financed jobsThe smaller share of jobs paid without an insurance claim involved.

Money out

  • MaterialsShingles, underlayment, and flashing from Beacon, ABC Supply, or SRS Distribution.
  • Subcontracted crewsStanding install crews, kept apart from storm-surge CAT crews.
  • CAT crew laborCatastrophe crews brought in for a storm surge, paid by the job or square.
  • Disposal feesDumpster rental and hauling for every tear-off.
  • Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the fleet.
  • Lead generationCanvassing costs, door-hanger printing, and storm-tracking lead lists.
  • Insurance and licensingLiability coverage, workers' comp, and contractor license renewals.

What we watch for you

  • Job margin

    What each claim actually cleared once every check, including supplements, has landed.

  • Supplement recovery

    How much of what got approved after the fact actually got collected.

  • Outstanding holdbacks

    Depreciation holdbacks and supplements still owed, so a slow month doesn't look worse than it is.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so a big storm season doesn't turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things storm restoration 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.

Got a supplement on the Harmon job from two months ago. Is that new revenue?

No, I matched it to the original job. That roof's real total is the first check plus this one, so you can see what the claim actually paid in the end.

Brought in a CAT crew for three weeks after the hailstorm. How do I see what that cost?

I kept their pay in its own line, separate from your regular crew, so you can compare what the storm surge cost against what those jobs brought in.

Does Gus help with the adjuster on a denied claim?

That's above my pay grade. I only track the money once it's approved and paid, so anything about negotiating the claim itself stays between you and the adjuster.

The tax side

The tax side of a storm restoration business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing across a claim that pays out over months, and crews that come and go with the storm season.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • CAT crew and standing crew 1099sAny crew not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026, whether they're your standing crew or brought in for one storm, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • Employee or contractorA crew that works only for you, uses your trucks, and takes daily direction usually looks like an employee, no matter the storm-season arrangement. Gus flags it before it becomes a pattern.
  • Trucks, trailers, and equipmentEquipment 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.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when claims are tracked correctly through every check.

Deductions storm damage and insurance restoration roofers miss

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

  • Emergency tarp and mitigation supplies
  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Ladders and roof jacks
  • Harnesses and fall gear
  • Dumpster and hauling fees
  • EagleView measurement reports
  • JobNimbus or AccuLynx subscription
  • Door-hanger and canvassing costs
  • Storm-tracking lead lists
  • License and bonding fees
  • CAT crew travel and lodging
  • Card and financing 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 storm restoration year, kept every month.

Storms don't run on a calendar, but the books and the return do. Gus keeps both straight through the surges and the quiet stretches. 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 crew 1099 list is finalized, and the monthly set-aside is planned even though income will be lumpy.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already accounting for last year's storm surges.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand after spring storm season, and how much is still sitting in outstanding supplements and holdbacks.

  4. October

    Before winter

    A look at what the year's storm work actually cleared and any equipment or crew decisions worth making before the season quiets down.

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 storm damage and insurance restoration roofers. 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 storm restoration roofers ask first.

How does Gus track a claim that pays out over several months?

He tags every check, from the first payment through the depreciation holdback, to the job it belongs to, so the full total shows up once the last piece finally clears.

Does Gus help chase down a slow-paying insurance carrier?

No. He tracks the money once it's approved and paid. Following up on a claim or a slow adjuster stays with you or your own claims process.

I bring in CAT crews only during storm surges. Does that complicate the books?

It doesn't complicate anything, but Gus does keep their pay separate from your standing crew so you can see what a storm surge cost against what it brought in.

A supplement came in on a job from months ago. How does that get recorded?

Gus matches it back to the original job instead of counting it as a new sale, so you can see the true total that claim paid, not just the first estimate.

My income is very lumpy, some months huge, some months quiet. Is that a problem for taxes?

It changes when the set-aside needs to be bigger, not whether the system works. Gus tracks what you owe as the money comes in, so quarterly payments stay on track even in a slow month.

My books are behind from last storm season. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them by job as best the records allow, matching claim checks to jobs where he can, 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