Performance, custom & powersports
Books and taxes for truck accessory and upfitting shops.
Bed liners, tonneau covers, fleet accounts billed on terms, and utility body upfits that run for weeks. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June made $17,000. Three fleet invoices are still open on terms, so I kept them out of this month's income until the accounts actually pay.
- Square counter salesRetail installs
- Riverside Fleet ServicesFleet account payment
- Rhino Linings orderParts and materials
- Knapheide body invoiceUpfit materials
- Mobile electrician, wiringSubcontracted labor
Why your books are different
A truck upfit shop's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is retail installs paid at the counter, fleet accounts billed on terms, and utility body upfits that run for weeks. When the books do not separate them, you cannot tell which side of the shop actually pays.
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1
Fleet accounts pay net 30, not at the counter
A landscaping or plumbing company sends five trucks in for ladder racks and toolboxes, then pays the invoice weeks later. Booked as income the day the work is done, your books say you have cash you do not have yet.
What we doTracks fleet invoices as receivables until the account actually pays, so your cash picture matches your bank balance. -
2
A utility body upfit spans weeks, not a day
A full utility body and shelving upfit can run two or three weeks with a deposit up front and a balance on delivery. Booked as one sale on day one, the labor and materials that follow make later weeks look like a loss.
What we doHolds the deposit until the upfit is delivered, so income and the job's real cost land in the same period. -
3
Subcontracted wiring gets mixed into parts
Backup cameras, work lights, and shelving often need a mobile electrician the shop does not employ. Paid out of the same account as parts, that labor cost disappears into materials instead of showing up as its own line.
What we doSplits the electrician's invoice into its own line, separate from parts, and keeps a running tally toward the 1099 threshold. -
4
A comeback on a liner or mount is not free
A bed liner that shifts or a rack that needs re-torquing brings the truck back in with no new invoice, but it still uses bay time and sometimes a warranty part.
What we doLogs the re-torque or liner fix against the original ticket, so that job's real margin reflects the redo, not just the first invoice. -
5
A bulk toolbox and rack order wrecks a month
Stocking up on toolboxes, ladder racks, and tonneau covers ahead of a busy season makes that month look terrible and the months you sell through the stock look artificially good.
What we doKeeps accessory inventory in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up is the reason a month looks thin.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a truck accessory shop.
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
- Retail installsBed liners, tonneau covers, and running boards paid at the counter.
- Fleet account paymentsBusiness accounts billed on terms, tracked until they actually pay.
- Utility body and shelving upfitsLarger commercial jobs, deposit and balance tracked as one job.
- Ladder rack and toolbox installsStandalone accessory jobs, usually same-day.
Money out
- Tech wagesKept apart so you can see labor against the work it paid for.
- Parts and materialsLiners, covers, and racks from Rhino Linings, BAK, and UnderCover.
- Upfit materialsUtility bodies and shelving from Knapheide and similar builders.
- Subcontracted laborMobile electricians and installers not on payroll.
- Shop rent and utilitiesThe bay, the lift, and the spray liner booth.
- Marketing and lead feesGoogle ads, fleet account outreach, and local shows.
- Card and financing feesWhat the processor kept before you got paid.
- Freight on parts ordersShipping on covers, racks, and bodies.
What we watch for you
- Fleet receivables outstanding
What business accounts owe you but have not paid yet. Growing too far ahead of cash is a warning sign.
- Retail versus fleet margin
Counter jobs and fleet accounts often carry different pricing. Worth knowing which one actually pays better.
- Comeback rate
How often a liner or rack needs a redo. Rising numbers point to an install issue.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things truck upfit shop 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.
Not yet. I track it as a receivable so your books show what you actually collected, and it moves to income once the payment clears.
That utility body order and the shelving materials landed this month. They are sitting in upfit materials, not lost, and the invoice will balance it out once it is paid.
Yes, once he crosses $2,000 for the year and he is not on your payroll. I keep a running total so the form is ready to go by January 31.
The tax side
The tax side of a truck accessory and upfit shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Fleet invoices counted before they are paid, upfit materials counted the day they are bought instead of the day they sell, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Shop equipmentA liner spray booth, lift, or alignment rack can usually be written off the year you buy it, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Accessory and upfit inventoryLiners, covers, and utility bodies held for sale are inventory, not an expense the day they are bought. What actually sold during the month is what counts.
- Subcontracted upfit laborA mobile electrician or installer paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- 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 truck accessory and upfitting shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Spray liner booth maintenance
- Lift and alignment rack service
- Diagnostic and wiring tools
- Freight on utility bodies
- Fleet account outreach costs
- Google local ads
- Shop rags and cleaners
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tool financing and interest
- Liability insurance
- Waste liner material disposal
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 truck upfit shop's year, kept every month.
Fleet orders and retail installs come at different paces all year. 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.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for subcontracted labor is ready, 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.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring fleet orders changed the number more than expected.
- October
Before the slow season
Before the year winds down, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything worth doing 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 truck accessory and upfitting shops. 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 truck upfit shop owners ask first.
How does Gus handle fleet accounts that pay on terms?
He tracks what a fleet account owes as a receivable, not as income, until the payment actually lands. That keeps your books matched to your real cash.
Can Gus split a utility body upfit's deposit from the final payment?
Yes. He holds the deposit until the upfit is delivered, so the income and the materials and labor it took land in the same period.
I hire a mobile electrician for wiring on upfits. Does that change anything?
Gus splits what he's paid into its own line, separate from parts and materials, and tracks the total toward the 1099 threshold so nothing gets missed.
Do I write off my accessory inventory when I buy it?
No. Liners, covers, and bodies held for sale are inventory. What actually sold during the month is what shows up on the return, not what you ordered.
My books mix retail and fleet income together. Can that be fixed?
Yes. Gus keeps retail installs and fleet account payments in separate categories so you can see which side of the shop is actually carrying the business.
My books are a few months behind. 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.
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