Specialty subcontractors
Books and taxes for welding and metal fabrication shops.
Progress billing on structural packages, retainage, scrap metal sales, and the gas and rod that a heavy welding job burns through. 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
March came in at $15,000. The crane and rigging for the erection side of the hospital job got kept separate from shop labor, so you could see the fab work actually made money.
- GC pay app #4 payoutProgress billing
- Scrap yard payoutScrap metal sales
- Steel yard orderSteel and metal stock
- Crane rental, erectionCrane and rigging
- Airgas order, rod and gasWelding consumables
Why your books are different
A welding and fab shop's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is progress billing, a shop side and a field erection side, and scrap that turns into real cash. Blend those together and you cannot see which part of the job actually pays.
-
1
Scrap metal sales disappear into cash
Selling drops and cutoffs to the scrap yard brings in real money, but if it is not logged as income, it just looks like a stray deposit, or worse, it never gets reported at all.
What we doBooks scrap sales as income the same as any other job, so nothing slips through. -
2
Shop work and field work blur together
A structural steel job includes cutting and welding in the shop, then crane and rigging costs to erect it on site. Lumped into one number, you cannot tell whether the fab side or the erection side actually made or lost money.
What we doKeeps shop labor and field erection costs visible enough to compare them separately by job. -
3
A steel stock buy skews the month
Ordering a truckload of structural steel ahead of a big job makes that month look heavy and the next one thin, when it is really one buy spread across weeks of cutting and welding.
What we doTies steel purchases to the job, so a bulk buy does not distort a normal month. -
4
Retainage on structural packages disappears
A general contractor holds back 10 percent on a structural steel package and does not release it until closeout, sometimes months after the beams are set.
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
Welding gas and rod get treated like shop supplies
A gas-heavy job like a stainless piping run can burn through consumables fast, and if that is not tied to the job, the real cost of that work stays hidden.
What we doKeeps welding consumables visible against the job when the spend is large enough to matter.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a welding and fabrication 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
- Progress billingGeneral contractor pay applications on structural and custom fab packages.
- Retainage releasesHeld-back money on install jobs, paid out at closeout.
- Field erection billingCrane and installation work billed separately from shop fabrication.
- Scrap metal salesDrops and cutoffs sold to the scrap yard.
- Direct owner workRailings, staircases, and custom pieces billed without a general contractor.
Money out
- Shop and field crew wagesWelders and fitters, including certified payroll on public jobs.
- Steel and metal stockSteel yard and distributor orders.
- Welding consumablesRod, wire, and gas.
- Shop equipmentWelders, plasma cutters, and press brakes.
- Crane and riggingRented for field erection.
- Trucks and fuelDelivery of fabricated pieces to the job site.
- Bonding and insurancePerformance bonds and liability coverage for larger jobs.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each package actually made after steel, gas, and labor.
- Scrap income
Cash from scrap sales, easy to lose track of if it is not logged consistently.
- 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 welding and fab 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.
Yes. I booked it the same as any other job income, so it does not just look like a stray deposit and it is not missed at tax time.
The crane and rigging for erection cost more than expected. I keep shop labor and field erection separate, so you can see the fab side made money even though the field side ate into it.
If they are all on your payroll, yes, same treatment. If you bring in an outside rigging crew paid $2,000 or more and not on payroll, they get a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a welding and fabrication business.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. Scrap income going unreported, shop and field costs mixed together, 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-offsWelding machines, plasma cutters, and press brakes can often be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Sub-subcontractor 1099sAny outside rigging crew or welder 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 contractorA welder or fitter who works your schedule, uses your shop, and takes direction from your foreman 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 welding and metal fabrication shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Welding machines and plasma cutters
- Welding rod, wire, and gas
- Welding certification renewal
- Continuing education
- Bonding premiums
- Liability insurance
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Crane and rigging rental
- Safety gear and PPE
- Job costing software
- Uniforms with your logo
- Shop rent
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 welding and fabrication year, kept every month.
Bid season, big steel buys, 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 structural jobs mobilize.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring structural bids fill the schedule. 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 large structural package changed the number.
- October
Before year end
As field erection work winds down ahead of winter, Gus looks at shop 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 welding and metal fabrication 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 welding and fabrication shop owners ask first.
Does scrap metal income need to be tracked separately?
Yes. Gus books scrap sales as income the same as job billing, so the cash does not look like a stray deposit and it does not get missed when the return is filed.
We do both shop fab and field erection. Can the books tell them apart?
Yes. Shop labor and field erection costs are kept visible enough to compare separately by job, so you can see which side of the work is actually carrying the margin.
Do I write off a new welding machine or plasma cutter 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 gas-heavy job burns through consumables fast. Does that get tracked?
When the spend is large enough to matter, yes. Gus keeps welding gas and rod visible against the job that used them, so a consumable-heavy job's real cost does not stay hidden.
Our books are behind after a big structural 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