Commercial & custom builders
Books and taxes for tiny home builders.
Deposits collected before a trailer chassis is even ordered, RV industry certification costs, custom builds priced by the square foot, and buyers financing through personal loans instead of a mortgage. 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
May made $9,000. The Bennett build's trailer chassis order went out, so I logged it against that specific home instead of general materials.
- Bennett build depositBuild deposits
- Chariot Trailers orderTrailer chassis
- RV industry inspection feeCertification
- Home Depot Pro orderMaterials
- Tiny home expo booth feeMarketing
Why your books are different
Tiny home builder books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees a deposit and a materials bill. Your builds are one at a time, priced by the square foot, financed by the buyer through a personal loan instead of a mortgage, and start with a trailer chassis that can cost as much as the framing lumber. When the books do not track that, one home's costs bleed into the next.
-
1
A deposit is not a sale yet
A customer puts down $12,000 to start the Bennett build, three months before the trailer chassis even arrives. Book that as income the day it clears and a slow month later, once you are actually building, looks like it earned nothing.
What we doHolds the deposit against that build until the home is actually underway, so the timing of the check does not distort either month. -
2
One build at a time means one bad month wrecks everything
With only one or two homes going at once, a single slow-paying customer or a delayed chassis order can make the whole business look like it stalled, when really it is one job's timing.
What we doKeeps costs and payments tied to the specific build, so a delay on one home does not read as trouble across the whole business. -
3
The trailer chassis looks like a materials expense
A custom trailer chassis built to your specs can run $6,000 to $10,000, close to what the framing lumber costs. Lumped into general supplies, it hides how much of a build's budget goes to the frame before a single wall goes up.
What we doTracks the trailer chassis as its own line on the build, so you can see the real cost split between the frame and everything built on top of it. -
4
RV industry certification fees get missed
Getting a unit certified so it can be insured and financed like an RV comes with inspection and certification fees that a generalist would just call miscellaneous. Missed or mislabeled, they distort what a build actually cost to bring to sale.
What we doCodes certification fees to the specific build, so the full cost of getting a home sale-ready is visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a tiny home builder.
Set up once for deposits, chassis costs, and certification, and an accountant checks it every month.
Money in
- Build depositsMoney collected upfront to start a custom build and order the chassis.
- Progress paymentsDraws collected as framing, systems, and finish work complete.
- Final paymentThe balance collected once the home is finished and delivered.
- Model home salesA showroom unit sold off the lot rather than custom built.
- Design and consultation feesFees for custom floor plan work before a build contract is signed.
Money out
- Trailer chassisCustom-built trailers from suppliers like Chariot or a local fabricator.
- Lumber and framing materialsFraming, sheathing, and insulation bought from Home Depot Pro or a lumberyard.
- Appliances and fixturesCompact appliances and fixtures sized for a small footprint.
- RV industry certification and inspectionFees to get a unit certified for RV financing and insurance.
- Shop rent and utilitiesRent, power, and heat for the build shop.
- Marketing and showsTiny home expo booth fees and website leads.
- Fuel and deliveryFuel and towing costs to deliver a finished home to the buyer.
What we watch for you
- Build margin
Profit on each home after chassis, materials, and labor are all in.
- Deposits outstanding
Homes paid for but not yet delivered, so a quiet month is not really behind.
- Build time
Weeks from deposit to delivery, since only one or two builds run at once.
- Chassis cost share
How much of each build's budget goes to the trailer before the walls go up.
Ask Gus
Things tiny home builders 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.
I am holding it against that build until the home is actually underway, so it will not make this month look better than it is or next month look worse.
It happens often on a build this size. I tracked the chassis as its own cost so you can see exactly how much of the budget went to the frame versus everything built on top of it.
Not necessarily. I keep this build's costs and payments separate from the business as a whole, so a slow one does not read as trouble everywhere. Worth a look with the accountant if it happens on back to back builds.
The tax side
The tax side of a tiny home building business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Deposits collected months before delivery, and a trailer chassis that costs as much as a chunk of the framing.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Deposits are not income yetA customer deposit to start a build is usually not fully earned income until the home is actually delivered or the contract terms say otherwise. Gus flags deposits so the accountant times the income correctly.
- Equipment and shop tool write-offsShop equipment and tools 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 electrician, plumber, or finish carpenter 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 build.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income, with limits starting above $201,750 for a single filer and $403,500 for joint filers.
Deductions tiny home builders miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Shop rent and utilities
- Small tools and hand tools
- RV industry certification fees
- Trailer hitch and towing gear
- Safety gear and PPE
- General liability insurance
- Design software
- Tiny home expo booth fees
- Website and lead generation
- Continuing education
- Phone and tablet for the shop
- Delivery fuel and towing
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 tiny home builder's year, kept every month.
One build at a time makes the calendar personal, but the tax calendar still runs on its own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of it. 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 long a build took.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand on this year's builds so far, and whether expo season brought in the deposits you expected.
- October
Before year end
A look at shop equipment worth buying and any moves worth making before December closes the books on the year.
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 tiny home builders. 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 tiny home builders ask first.
Do you track build deposits separately from finished sales?
Yes. A deposit collected to start a build stays tied to that home but is not counted as fully earned until the build is delivered, so it does not distort either month's numbers.
The trailer chassis costs almost as much as the framing. Does that get tracked separately?
Yes. The chassis is kept as its own line on the build, so you can see exactly how much of the budget went to the frame versus everything built on top of it.
I only have one or two builds going at a time. Can the books still show me what each one earns?
Yes. Every cost and payment stays tied to the specific build, so you can see that home's real profit on its own, separate from how the rest of the business is doing.
Buyers usually finance through a personal loan instead of a mortgage. Does that change anything?
Not on the books. However the buyer pays, the sale is tracked the same way, split between the deposit, progress payments, and the final balance.
My books are behind after a busy expo season brought in several deposits. Can you catch them up?
Yes. Send the bank statements and build records you have. Gus sorts income and cost by build, and most owners know where each home 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.
More in commercial & custom builders
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Drafting & CAD services
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