Commercial & custom builders
Books and taxes for tenant improvement contractors.
Landlord allowances that pay out after the job is done, tenant-funded upgrades, tight lease-deadline schedules, and subcontractors paid across several suites at once. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February made $17,000. The landlord allowance on the Meridian Plaza suite finally paid out, so I matched it against the job instead of counting it as new income.
- Meridian Plaza TI allowanceLandlord allowance
- Brightline Tenant CorpTenant billing
- ABC Supply CoMaterials
- Union Electric SubSubcontractors
- Procore renewalSoftware
Why your books are different
Tenant improvement books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist bookkeeper treats every check the same. Your jobs run inside someone else's building, get paid partly by a landlord and partly by a tenant, and have to finish before a lease commencement date no matter what. When the books cannot separate who paid for what, you cannot tell if a suite actually made money.
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1
The landlord allowance lands late
You finish the Meridian Plaza suite in six weeks so the tenant can open on schedule, but the landlord's $45,000 improvement allowance does not pay out until 60 days after the certificate of occupancy. If that gap is not tracked, the job looks unpaid for months after it is actually done.
What we doTracks the landlord allowance as money earned the day the job finishes, so a slow-paying landlord does not make a finished job look open. -
2
Tenant billing and landlord billing blur
A buildout billed partly to the tenant directly and partly through a landlord allowance can look like one confusing deposit if both checks land the same week. Mixed together, you cannot tell which party still owes what.
What we doKeeps tenant-paid and landlord-paid amounts in separate lines on the same job, so you always know who still owes. -
3
A fast turnaround hides real job cost
A four-week retail buildout moves so quickly that materials, subs, and permit fees all hit the books before the final tenant payment clears. The job can look like a loss the whole time it is actually profitable.
What we doHolds job costs and billing together by project, so a fast job's true profit shows up once it is fully invoiced, not halfway through. -
4
After-hours work costs disappear into overhead
Some buildings only allow noisy work nights and weekends, so a crew works overtime hours that a generalist would just call payroll. That overtime premium belongs to the job it was worked for, not to the business as a whole.
What we doCodes overtime and after-hours labor to the specific job that required it, so that suite's true cost is visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a tenant improvement contractor.
Set up once for landlord and tenant billing, and an accountant checks it every month.
Money in
- Landlord TI allowancesImprovement dollars paid by the building owner, often after the certificate of occupancy.
- Tenant-billed workUpgrades beyond the allowance, billed straight to the tenant.
- Progress billingDraws on longer buildouts, billed as phases complete.
- Change order billingScope added mid-job, tracked apart from the base contract.
- RetainageThe percentage held back until final walkthrough and punch list.
Money out
- SubcontractorsElectrical, drywall, flooring, and ceiling crews on the buildout.
- Materials and finishesDrywall, ceiling tile, carpet tile, and glass from suppliers like ABC Supply.
- Permits and inspectionsBuilding permits and inspection fees for occupied-building work.
- Equipment and lift rentalScissor lifts and tools rented for ceiling and electrical work.
- Insurance and bondingGeneral liability and any bonding required by the landlord or building owner.
- Fuel and fleetFuel and maintenance for the truck and trailer.
- Office and softwareJob costing and scheduling software subscriptions.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
Profit on each suite once landlord and tenant billing both clear.
- Allowance owed
What a landlord still owes on a finished job, so slow payers get followed up on.
- Turnaround time
Days from start to finish on a suite, since speed is most of what you sell.
- Labor share
Wages and subcontractor pay against money in, including after-hours premiums.
Ask Gus
Things tenant improvement 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.
No. I booked it as earned the day you finished the job, so it already counts as income. The landlord just has not sent the check yet, and I am tracking that separately.
It does for tracking who still owes what, so I keep the two lines apart on the same job. Your total profit on the suite still adds up the same either way.
It shows up as a real cost on that job, yes. Worth asking the accountant whether weekend-work jobs need a different price, since I only track what happened, not what to charge next time.
The tax side
The tax side of a tenant improvement business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Landlord allowances that pay out months after a job finishes, and fast jobs that book costs before the final payment clears.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Landlord allowance timingA landlord's improvement allowance is usually taxable income to you when it is earned, which is often before the check itself arrives. Gus tracks the gap so the accountant can time the income correctly.
- Equipment write-offsLifts, tools, and any equipment the business owns outright can usually be written off in the year purchased, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Subcontractor 1099sAny subcontractor not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current across every suite you build out.
- Worker classificationA crew that works your schedule, uses your tools, and takes direction on every job usually looks like employees, not subcontractors, no matter what the invoice says. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it early.
Deductions tenant improvement contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Scissor lift rental
- Small tools and hand tools
- Truck and fleet fuel
- General liability insurance
- Bonding premiums
- Building permit fees
- Job costing software
- Dumpster and debris hauling
- Continuing education
- Safety gear and PPE
- Uniforms with your logo
- Phone and tablet for the jobsite
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 tenant improvement year, kept every month.
Lease dates do not wait, but the tax calendar still runs on its own 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.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the subcontractor 1099 list gets finalized, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January no matter how slow a landlord allowance paid.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand across every open suite, and whether this year's lease-turnover season brought in more work than last year's.
- October
Before year end
A look at equipment worth buying and any moves worth making before December, timed around when the year's buildouts are mostly known.
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 tenant improvement contractors. 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 tenant improvement owners ask first.
Does Gus track landlord allowances separately from tenant billing?
Yes. Each is kept in its own line on the job, so you always know how much the landlord still owes and how much came straight from the tenant.
A landlord is 90 days late paying our allowance. Does that mess up the books?
No. The income was booked as earned the day the job finished. The late payment just means the allowance still shows as owed until the check actually clears.
We worked several weekends to hit a tenant's move-in date. Does overtime get tracked?
Yes. Overtime and after-hours labor get coded to the specific job that required it, so that suite's true cost is visible instead of blending into general payroll.
Our jobs move fast, sometimes done in three or four weeks. Can the books keep up?
Yes. Costs and billing stay tied to the job as it happens, so a fast job's real profit shows up as soon as it is fully invoiced, not weeks later.
Our books are a mess from three different landlords and tenants. Can you sort it out?
Yes. Send the bank statements and job records you have. Gus sorts income and cost by job, and most owners know where each suite stands within 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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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