Small manufacturers & fabricators
Books and taxes for truss and wall panel manufacturers.
A builder's lot order, dimensional lumber bought by the load, an outside engineering stamp fee, and a boom truck delivery to the job site. Your own bookkeeper stays on it all year, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $26,400. Lumber for the Ashworth subdivision order posted before delivery, so it is tracked as work still in progress on that lot package.
- Ashworth Homes, lot packageBuilder lot orders
- Dimensional lumber loadLumber and engineered wood
- Truss plates, connector supplierConnector plates and hardware
- Outside engineering stamp feeEngineering and design
- Boom truck delivery, subdivision runDelivery and crane service
Why your books are different
Truss and wall panel books go wrong between the lumber yard and the job site.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your plant buys dimensional lumber whose price swings with the market, presses connector plates onto a design an outside engineer has to stamp, and delivers finished trusses to a job site with a boom truck rather than a regular delivery. When the books do not track lot orders and lumber pricing, one subdivision contract can make every month look like a different business.
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1
Lumber price swings never reach an old builder contract
Dimensional lumber and engineered wood prices can move a lot over the life of a builder contract, and a lot package quoted early in a subdivision can cost noticeably more to build by the time later lots are framed.
What we doTracks lumber cost as a share of what came in, so a price move gets caught before a whole subdivision's pricing falls behind it. -
2
Engineering stamp fees get lost in general costs
An outside engineer's review and stamp on a truss or panel design is a real per-job cost that varies by design complexity, and lumped into general expenses you cannot see which jobs actually need the most engineering time.
What we doTags engineering fees to the job they were paid for, so the real cost of design review stays visible. -
3
A subdivision contract looks like one big invoice
A builder ordering trusses and panels for thirty lots pays on its own schedule, often lot by lot, and if all thirty land in one lump, you lose track of which lots are done and which are still owed.
What we doKeeps builder lot orders tracked by lot, so you can see what has shipped and what is still owed across the whole contract. -
4
Boom truck delivery cost hides in general freight
Delivering trusses to a job site with a boom truck and a crew takes real equipment and labor that a regular freight line does not, and if that cost is not tracked against the order it served, a hard delivery can quietly eat a lot's margin.
What we doKeeps boom truck and delivery cost tagged to the order it served, so a difficult delivery's real cost is visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a truss and wall panel manufacturer.
Set up once for how builder lot orders get paid and what a truss package costs to build and deliver. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Builder lot ordersTruss and panel packages tracked by lot within a subdivision contract.
- Custom truss ordersNon-standard roof shapes billed apart from stock designs.
- Repair and replacement workSmaller jobs fixing damaged or miscut trusses.
- Design and layout feesCharges for engineering a custom roof or floor system.
Money out
- Lumber and engineered woodDimensional lumber, LVL, and I-joists, tracked as prices move.
- Connector plates and hardwareMetal truss plates and fasteners.
- Engineering and designOutside engineer stamp and review fees, tagged by job.
- Equipment loan or leasePayments on the plate press and boom truck.
- Plant rent and utilitiesBuilding costs for the production floor and yard.
- Delivery and crane serviceBoom truck operation and fuel for job site delivery.
- PayrollPress operators, layout crew, and delivery drivers.
What we watch for you
- Lumber cost share
Material as a percent of sales. A jump means a subdivision's later lots need a fresh quote.
- Lot completion
How many lots in a builder contract have shipped, delivered, and been paid.
- Engineering cost per job
Design and stamp fees against a job's price, so complex designs are priced to cover it.
- Delivery cost per job
Boom truck and crew cost against a job's price, so a hard delivery's real cost is visible.
Ask Gus
Things truss and wall panel 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.
I track lumber cost as a share of what each lot brings in, so a price jump shows up fast instead of quietly eating margin across the whole contract.
I track billing by lot on builder contracts, so you can see what has shipped, what has delivered, and what is still owed at a glance.
If they are not on payroll and you pay them $2,000 or more this year, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a truss and wall panel manufacturing business.
Most of what goes wrong here is keeping lumber and engineering costs tied to the right lot and knowing what plant equipment can be written off.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Plate presses and boom trucksProduction line equipment and delivery trucks can usually be written off, often in the year they are bought. Section 179 covers up to $2,560,000 and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Heavy vehicle depreciation capA boom truck or flatbed over 6,000 pounds still gets Section 179, but the deduction is capped at $32,000 rather than the full purchase price.
- Lumber and hardware on handDimensional lumber, engineered wood, and connector plates bought ahead and sitting at the plant at year end get valued and matched against what actually sold, rather than expensed the day they were bought.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when lumber pricing and lot billing are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions truss and wall panel manufacturers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Dimensional lumber and engineered wood
- Truss connector plates
- Outside engineering fees
- Plate press maintenance
- Boom truck fuel and repairs
- Safety gear and hard hats
- Forklift maintenance
- Freight on incoming lumber
- Shop uniforms
- Small hand tools
- Plant insurance
- Waste and scrap wood hauling
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 truss and wall panel manufacturing year, kept every month.
Orders follow builder timelines, with building season lifting demand. Your taxes still run on their own schedule. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Lots planned
Year end lumber and hardware stock get valued, last year's return gets started, and your monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Lot year filed
The accountant files and signs your return. Since the set-aside has been running since January, a subdivision contract heavy on lumber does not turn into an April surprise.
- July
Midyear lot check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring building season contracts changed the number.
- October
Before the year ends
Gus looks at any press or boom truck buy worth making before December and flags it for the accountant's call on depreciation.
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 truss and wall panel manufacturers. 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 truss and wall panel manufacturers ask first.
How does Gus track a large subdivision order with many lots?
He tracks billing by lot so you can see what has shipped, delivered, and been paid across the whole contract at any point.
Do lumber price swings during a long builder contract get caught?
Yes. Gus tracks material cost as a share of sales, so a price jump partway through a subdivision gets caught before later lots get quoted the same as the first.
Do we have to change how we quote a lot package?
No. Keep quoting lot packages however you already do. Gus reads it off your bank statement, and if a payment is unclear he asks once and remembers your answer.
Does engineering stamp cost count toward a job's cost?
Yes, and Gus tags it to the specific job so you can see the real cost of design review on a complex truss or panel layout.
Our books fell behind chasing a big subdivision order. Can that be fixed?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts builder lot orders and engineering fees apart, the accountant checks the result, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Do I write off a new boom truck all at once?
Often you can, up to a cap for heavier trucks. Press or truck equipment bought for the plant can usually be deducted the year it is bought. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides how it is written off with your whole year in view.
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