Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for waterproofing and caulking contractors.
Progress billing on membrane and sealant packages, retainage, a leak you cover under warranty years later, and damage found once excavation starts. 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 came in at $13,000. The crew's time fixing a two-year-old leak got logged as a warranty cost, so it did not make your paying jobs look less profitable than they are.
- GC pay app #5 payoutProgress billing
- Sika membrane orderMembrane and sealant materials
- Applicator certification renewalSpecialty applicator certification
- Warranty leak repair laborWarranty callback labor
- Fleet fuel, crew trucksTrucks and fuel
Why your books are different
A waterproofing and caulking contractor's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business carries long warranty periods, digs into conditions nobody can see until the job starts, and requires manufacturer certification to keep those warranties valid. Blend those together and a job's real margin disappears.
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1
Warranty callbacks quietly eat into margin
A leak that shows up two years after a below-grade waterproofing job means sending a crew back with no additional pay, since your warranty covers it. Buried into regular installation costs, it makes your current paying jobs look less profitable than they are.
What we doFlags warranty labor separately, so it does not distort how a paying job's margin actually looks. -
2
Uncovered conditions go unbilled
Excavation for a below-grade waterproofing job sometimes reveals more damaged foundation than the original scope covered, and the extra membrane and labor to fix it rarely gets a change order before the crew has already done the work.
What we doFlags jobs where material and labor costs climb without a matching change order on file. -
3
Certification renewal looks like a random expense
Manufacturers often require certified applicators to keep a job's warranty valid, and that renewal fee is easy to write off as a stray cost instead of recognizing it as what keeps you eligible to bid warranty-backed work at all.
What we doKeeps certification renewal visible as its own cost, tied to what it protects. -
4
Retainage on waterproofing packages disappears
A general contractor holds back 10 percent on a plaza deck or below-grade package and does not release it until closeout, sometimes months after the membrane is in and tested.
What we doKeeps retainage on its own line by job, so you can see what is still owed and roughly when it should land. -
5
A mixed sealant that goes unused looks like a mystery loss
Some specialty sealants and primers have a short working time once mixed, and a batch that goes unused before it sets is a real cost, not just an unexplained drop in material efficiency.
What we doKeeps mixed material waste visible so it shows up as what it is.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a waterproofing and caulking 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
- Progress billingGeneral contractor pay applications on waterproofing and caulking packages.
- Retainage releasesHeld-back money on install jobs, paid out at closeout.
- Change order billingUncovered conditions found during excavation or demolition.
- Warranty inspection contractsMaintenance visits bundled with the original install to keep a manufacturer warranty valid.
- Leak investigation and repairBilled direct to building owners, often years after the original install.
Money out
- Field crew wagesApplicators, including certified payroll on public jobs.
- Membrane and sealant materialsSika, Master Builders, and Tremco orders.
- Specialty applicator certificationManufacturer-required renewal to keep warranties valid.
- Application equipmentSprayers and heat welders for membrane seams.
- Trucks and fuelCrew trucks moving between job sites.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage for larger jobs.
- Warranty callback laborCrew time on covered repairs with no matching job revenue.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each package actually made after membrane, sealant, and labor.
- Warranty labor cost
How much crew time goes to covered callbacks against paying work.
- Retainage owed
Money general contractors are holding on install jobs right now.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things waterproofing and caulking 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 logged that labor as a warranty cost, not a regular install cost, so it does not make your paying jobs look less profitable than they are.
I flagged it. Material and labor on that job went up without a matching change order, so it is worth checking with the owner before it closes out.
That depends on the manufacturer's program, which is above what I track directly, so it is worth confirming with them. I do keep the renewal cost visible once you pay it.
The tax side
The tax side of a waterproofing and caulking business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Warranty labor written off as free, uncovered conditions never billed, 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.
- Equipment write-offsSprayers, heat welders, and crew trucks can often be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Heavier trucks carry a separate cap.
- Sub-subcontractor 1099sAny outside applicator not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorAn applicator who works your schedule, uses your equipment, and takes direction from you is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- 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 waterproofing and caulking contractors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Sprayers and heat welders
- Applicator certification renewal
- Safety gear and PPE
- Continuing education
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Permit and inspection fees
- Job costing software
- Uniforms with your logo
- Mixed material waste
- Sample boards and product testing
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 waterproofing and caulking year, kept every month.
Bid season, warranty callbacks, and tax season each run on their own clock. Your team keeps you ahead of all three. 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 and the 1099 list for outside crews is ready. Bidding is picking up, so your monthly set-aside gets planned before spring waterproofing season mobilizes.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring waterproofing and caulking work gets underway. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a run of warranty callbacks or a large package changed the number.
- October
Before year end
As cooler, wetter weather narrows the window for exterior sealant work, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything else worth doing before the year ends.
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 waterproofing and caulking 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 waterproofing and caulking contractors ask first.
We handle warranty callbacks for years after a job. Does that hurt our numbers?
It gets logged as a warranty cost, not a regular install cost, so a job you already got paid for does not quietly make your current paying work look less profitable.
Excavation revealed more damage than we bid. Does Gus catch unbilled change orders?
He flags jobs where material and labor costs are climbing without a matching change order on file, so you notice the uncovered condition before the job closes out.
Do I write off a new heat welder all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
A mixed batch of sealant went unused before it set. Does that get tracked?
Yes. Gus keeps mixed material waste visible, so it shows up as a real cost rather than an unexplained dip in how far your material budget stretched.
Our books are behind after a big foundation job. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know exactly 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