Plumbing & water

Books and taxes for sump pump companies.

A calm month, then a storm week that triples your call volume, a battery backup upsell, and a French drain job financed over two years. 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
AprilExample month
$15,700
what you made

April came in at $15,700. A storm system hit the second week and call volume nearly tripled for four days, so this month's numbers run well above your usual pace, not a new normal.

  • Housecall Pro payout, storm weekEmergency pump service
  • Battery backup installsBackup system sales
  • Service Finance Company payoutFinanced drainage jobs
  • Ferguson invoice, pumps and check valvesPumps and parts
  • Gravel and drain pipe supplierFrench drain materials
Money in$58,900
Money out$43,200
Set aside for taxes$4,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Sump pump books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a busy month and a slow one and cannot say why. Your business runs calm for weeks, then spikes hard the day it rains, on top of backup system upsells and financed drainage jobs. When the books do not know that, a storm week gets mistaken for the new normal, or a calm month gets mistaken for trouble.

  1. 1

    A single storm week can double a month's income

    Heavy rain turns a quiet month into a flood of emergency calls almost overnight, and if the books do not flag it, an owner can misread one storm-driven month as steady growth and overspend expecting it to repeat.

    What we doFlags storm-driven spikes in the monthly number so you know a big month came from weather, not a new baseline you can count on.
  2. 2

    Battery backup sales hide inside pump repairs

    A battery backup system upsell on a service call is a bigger ticket item than the repair itself, but booked as one repair line, you cannot tell how much of your income comes from that upsell versus the base pump swap.

    What we doKeeps backup system sales in their own category, separate from basic pump repair, so you can see how well that upsell is actually working.
  3. 3

    Financed drainage jobs land short

    A French drain or full basement drainage system financed over two years pays out less than the invoice because the lender keeps a fee, and on a $6,000 job that fee is real money.

    What we doBooks the full invoice as money in and the lender's cut as its own fee, so your prices and your financing cost both show up honest.
  4. 4

    Warranty callbacks on a failed pump eat into margin unnoticed

    A sump pump that fails again within its warranty period means a free callback visit, and if that labor cost is not tracked, you cannot tell which pump brands or install methods are actually costing you in comebacks.

    What we doFlags warranty callback visits so you can see if a particular pump or install approach is generating more comebacks than it should.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a sump pump 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

  • Emergency pump serviceStorm-driven repair and replacement calls.
  • Routine pump replacementScheduled, non-emergency pump swaps.
  • Backup system salesBattery and water-powered backup upsells.
  • Drainage system installsFrench drains and full interior basement drainage systems.
  • Financed drainage jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.

Money out

  • Pumps and partsSump pumps, check valves, and backup batteries from the supply house.
  • French drain materialsGravel, drain pipe, and sump basins.
  • Crew wagesKept apart so you can see labor against the jobs it ran.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan interest for the fleet.
  • Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and Angi leads, which spike along with storms.
  • Financing and card feesWhat the lender, Square, or Stripe kept before you got paid.
  • Disposal feesExcavated material and old equipment removal.

What we watch for you

  • Storm-driven revenue share

    How much of a big month came from a weather spike, so you do not overspend expecting it to repeat.

  • Backup attach rate

    How often a pump repair turns into a backup system sale.

  • Warranty callback rate

    How often a pump fails again within warranty, which points to a brand or install issue worth a look.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things sump pump 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.

This month looks great. Should I hire another crew based on this?

Most of this month came from that one storm week. I flagged it so you can see your steady baseline separately before you commit to a new hire.

Are the battery backups actually worth pushing on every call?

I keep those sales in their own line. They are running a solid share of your repair calls, so the numbers say it is worth keeping up.

I keep getting callbacks on one brand of pump. Is that in my head?

I flag warranty callback visits, so I can pull that pattern for you. That is worth a real look before your next order.

The tax side

The tax side of a sump pump business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and mixing: a storm month that skews the year, an upsell buried in a repair line, and financing fees folded into the sale.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Vehicles and toolsA service van and excavation 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 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Estimated taxes on lumpy incomeA business with storm-driven spikes still owes quarterly estimated taxes on the same schedule as anyone else. Gus keeps the set-aside running steady even when the income is not.
  • 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 sump pump and basement drainage companies miss

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

  • Truck fuel and repairs
  • Sump pumps and check valves
  • Backup batteries
  • French drain materials
  • Excavation tools
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Google local services ads
  • Phone and tablet for dispatch
  • License and bonding renewal
  • Financing and card fees
  • Disposal fees
  • Small tools under the expensing threshold

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 sump pump year, kept every month.

Storms do not check a calendar, but 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 storm season changed the number.

  4. October

    Before winter thaw risk

    Snowmelt and winter thaw can bring another wave of calls. Before that, 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 sump pump and basement drainage 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 sump pump owners ask first.

How does Gus handle a huge storm-driven month?

He flags the spike so you can see it came from weather, not a new steady pace, which keeps you from overspending on the strength of one good stretch.

Can Gus track battery backup sales separately from repairs?

Yes. Backup system sales get their own category so you can see how that upsell is performing against your base repair calls.

Drainage jobs I finance through Service Finance Company, can Gus sort those?

Yes. He books the full job amount as income and the lender's fee separately, so a financed drainage system does not quietly understate what the job actually billed.

Does the set-aside still work if my income swings a lot by month?

Yes. Gus tracks what you actually made each month, so the set-aside adjusts with storm-driven spikes and calm stretches instead of assuming a flat year.

Can Gus flag pumps that keep failing under warranty?

Yes. Warranty callback visits get flagged so you can see if a brand or install method is generating more comebacks than it should.

After a storm rush I never catch up on the books. Can Gus handle that?

Yes. Send whatever statements piled up during the busy stretch. Gus sorts the storm-driven spike along with everything else, and most owners know where they stand within about 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 plumbing & water

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