Home maintenance & specialty services

Books and taxes for TV mounting services.

Retailer referral installs, same-day app bookings, drywall patch materials, and the occasional damage claim. 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
NovemberExample month
$5,200
what you made

November came in at $5,200. The Best Buy referral installs paid on their own schedule, so I kept those separate from your same-day app bookings.

  • Best Buy referral payoutRetailer referral installs
  • Angi payoutApp bookings
  • SecureMount wholesaleMounting hardware
  • Drywall patch suppliesPatch and repair materials
  • Shell fuelVehicle and fuel
Money in$14,800
Money out$9,600
Set aside for taxes$1,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

TV mounting books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and a hardware bill. Your business runs on retailer referral installs paid on their own schedule, patch work after every mount, and the rare damage claim. When the books do not track those apart, a slow-looking week is not what it seems.

  1. 1

    Retailer referral installs pay on their own schedule

    A big-box electronics retailer that refers you installs after a TV sale pays a set rate it decides, usually settled through its own vendor payment system days or weeks after the install, not the same day like an app booking.

    What we doKeeps retailer referral payments in their own line, so a payment lag does not make a busy week look slow.
  2. 2

    Drywall patch materials hide inside mounting hardware

    Every mount that replaces an old bracket or runs cable through the wall needs some patch compound and paint touch-up. Bundled in with brackets and mounts, you cannot see whether patch work is actually costing you time and material you are not charging for.

    What we doKeeps patch and repair materials in their own category, separate from mounting hardware.
  3. 3

    A damage claim is a cost, not a refund of the job

    When a TV is dropped or a wall gets damaged and your liability insurance pays out on a claim, some owners just subtract it from that job's revenue. That understates your sales and hides how often claims actually happen.

    What we doBooks the original install as income and any claim payout as its own cost, so both numbers stay honest.
  4. 4

    Bulk apartment rollouts pay in one lump for weeks of work

    A new apartment building ordering TV mounts for every model unit or move-in often pays one contract total, even though the installs happen over several weeks. Booked all at once, the month you got paid looks huge and the months you actually worked look empty.

    What we doSpreads bulk contract income against the weeks the installs actually happened.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a TV mounting business.

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

  • Retailer referral installsJobs sent by a big-box electronics retailer after a TV sale.
  • App bookingsAngi, Amazon Home Services, or Thumbtack, net of their commission.
  • Apartment and builder contractsBulk mounting rollouts for new units or model homes.
  • Soundbar and add-on installsSurround sound and streaming device setup, kept apart from the mount fee.

Money out

  • Mounting hardwareBrackets, arms, and stud anchors bought wholesale.
  • Patch and repair materialsDrywall compound, paint, and cable concealment kits.
  • Vehicle and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the truck.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for property damage and dropped equipment.
  • App and lead feesCommissions kept by Angi, Amazon Home Services, or Thumbtack.
  • Background check feesVetting required by some apps and property management contracts.
  • Uniforms and phoneBranded shirts and the phone used for scheduling.

What we watch for you

  • Referral pay gap

    How a retailer referral rate compares to your direct-booked price.

  • Patch cost per job

    What drywall repair actually costs against the mount fee you charge.

  • Claims rate

    How often damage claims happen, tracked apart from completed jobs.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things TV mounting 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.

Best Buy referral jobs pay less than what I'd charge someone direct. Worth it?

I keep those payments in their own line so you can compare the referral rate against your direct bookings whenever you want.

My insurance paid out after I dropped a TV on a job. Does that count against my income for that job?

No, I keep the original job as income and the claim payout as its own cost, so your sales still show what you actually billed.

An apartment building paid me one lump sum for mounting TVs in twenty units over a month. How does that get booked?

I spread that income against the weeks the installs actually happened, so no single week looks bigger than it really was.

The tax side

The tax side of a TV mounting business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: a referral payment on its own clock, patch materials hiding in hardware costs, and a bulk contract booked all at once.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Vehicle and toolsYour truck and any significant tool or equipment purchase can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to the Section 179 limit, with 100 percent bonus depreciation on property bought after January 19, 2025.
  • App and referral fees are a costCommissions kept by Angi, Amazon Home Services, or a retailer's vendor program count as a business expense, not a reduction to reported sales.
  • 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.
  • 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 TV mounting services miss

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

  • Vehicle fuel and repairs
  • Mounting brackets and hardware
  • Drywall patch compound and paint
  • Cable concealment kits
  • Stud finders and hand tools
  • Liability insurance
  • App and retailer commission fees
  • Background check fees
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Phone and tablet for scheduling
  • Card processing 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 TV mounting year, kept every month.

TV sales spike around the holidays and big game season, and 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 the summer move-in season changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the holiday rush

    Before Black Friday TV sales bring a wave of install requests, Gus looks at equipment worth buying 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 TV mounting services. 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 TV mounting owners ask first.

Can Gus separate my retailer referral jobs from my direct bookings?

Yes. Retailer referral installs get their own category, paid at the rate the retailer sets, kept apart from what you book directly or through an app.

My insurance paid out after damaging a wall on a job. How does that affect my books?

The original job still counts as income, and the claim payout is booked as its own cost. That way your sales stay accurate and you can see how often claims happen.

I got one big check for mounting TVs in a whole apartment building. Is that all one month's income?

Gus can spread it against the weeks the installs actually happened, so the month you got paid does not look inflated compared to the weeks you did the work.

Does drywall patch material count differently than my mounting hardware?

Yes, Gus keeps them separate so you can see whether the patch work you do on most jobs is actually covered by what you charge.

My books are just a shoebox of receipts right now. Can Gus start from there?

Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most people know where they stand inside a week.

Do app commissions count as a write-off?

Yes. What an app or retailer keeps before paying you out is a business expense, and Gus tracks it as its own cost rather than just lowering your reported income.

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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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