Collision & appearance
Books and taxes for wheel and rim repair shops.
Curb rash touch-ups, bent rim straightening, powder coating sent out to a partner shop, and custom wheels sold off the shelf. 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
April came in at $9,500. Two rims went out to the powder coater this month, so I booked that as a sublet cost against the jobs they belonged to.
- Customer, curb rash repairCurb rash repairs
- Custom wheel saleWheel sales
- Powder coater invoiceCoating sublet
- Tech commission, P. VossCommission pay
- Fuel, mobile vanVehicle and travel
Why your books are different
A wheel repair shop's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and material bills. Your business fixes a scraped rim in under an hour, straightens a bent one on a machine, sends coating work to a partner shop, and sometimes sells wheels outright. When those get mixed together, it is hard to see which service actually pays.
-
1
A quick curb rash fix and a full straightening job look the same
A twenty-minute cosmetic touch-up and an hour on the wheel straightening machine both show up as one deposit if the books do not separate them, hiding which job type actually drives the shop's income.
What we doKeeps curb rash repairs and straightening jobs in separate lines, so you can see which service brings in the most for the time it takes. -
2
Powder coating sent to a partner shop gets lost in the middle
A wheel gets sent out for powder coating, then comes back and gets billed to the customer as part of the repair. If the coating cost is not tracked against that job, the shop cannot tell what it actually kept from the sale.
What we doBooks the coating payment as a sublet cost against the job it belongs to, so the shop's real margin on that repair is visible. -
3
Custom wheel inventory gets treated like a repair expense
A shop that stocks and sells custom wheels alongside repair work often buys a set upfront and sells it weeks later. Expensed the day it is bought, it looks like a normal cost instead of inventory waiting to sell.
What we doKeeps wheel inventory purchases separate from repair supplies, so a slow sales week is not mistaken for an expensive one. -
4
A straightening machine is not a supply purchase
A hydraulic wheel straightening machine or a CNC lathe for cosmetic repair can cost as much as a used truck. Filed as supplies, it wrecks the month and can be missed when it is time to write it off.
What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a wheel repair shop.
Set up once for how jobs get billed and what a job costs to complete. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Curb rash repairsQuick cosmetic touch-ups paid outright by the customer.
- Straightening and structural workBent rim repairs, tracked apart from cosmetic jobs.
- Wheel salesCustom wheels sold off the shelf or by special order.
- Tire shop and dealer referralsRecurring repair work sent over by a tire shop or dealership.
Money out
- Coating subletPowder coating and refinishing sent out to a partner shop, billed against the job.
- Repair suppliesFiller, primer, and clear coat used for cosmetic fixes.
- Wheel inventoryCustom wheels bought to stock and resell, tracked apart from repair costs.
- Commission payWhat techs are paid per job, apart from hourly wages.
- EquipmentStraightening machines and lathes, logged so they get written off right.
- Vehicle and travelFuel and maintenance for a mobile wheel repair van.
What we watch for you
- Job type mix
How much comes from cosmetic repairs versus straightening, so pricing reflects the time each takes.
- Sublet cost ratio
What gets paid to the powder coater against what the job billed for, so outsourced work still pays.
- Wheel inventory turn
How fast stocked wheels sell, so cash is not tied up in wheels sitting on a shelf.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things wheel repair 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.
I book what you pay the coater against the job it belongs to, so you can see your real margin on a coated wheel, not just what the customer paid.
Not yet, it is inventory. I keep it separate from repair costs so it does not look like a bad expense while it is still waiting to sell.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a wheel repair shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Coating sublet costs buried in one job, wheel inventory expensed too early, and a tech paid like a contractor who works like an employee.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsA straightening machine, lathe, or paint booth for cosmetic work can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA tech or coating sub 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.
- Employee or contractorA tech who works your schedule, uses your equipment, and takes direction on every job usually looks like an employee, even if paid by commission.
- Inventory timingWheels bought to resell are usually treated differently from repair supplies for tax purposes, since inventory cost is generally matched to when it sells, not when it is bought.
Deductions wheel and rim repair shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Filler and primer
- Clear coat and paint
- Straightening machine maintenance
- Lathe tooling and bits
- Powder coating sublet costs
- Mobile van fuel and repairs
- Uniforms and shop coats
- Card processing fees
- Trade certification courses
- Shop rent and utilities
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 wheel repair shop's year, kept every month.
Curbs and potholes do not follow a calendar. Your taxes do. 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 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 pothole season changed the number.
- October
Before winter potholes
Cold weather brings more curb strikes and bent rims. Before the rush, Gus looks at equipment worth buying 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 wheel and rim repair 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 wheel repair shop owners ask first.
Can Gus track what I pay a powder coater against what the job billed for?
Yes. He books the coating payment as a cost tied to that specific job, so you can see your real margin on any wheel that goes out for coating.
I stock custom wheels to sell alongside repairs. Does that complicate the books?
No. Gus keeps wheel inventory separate from repair costs, so a slow sales stretch does not read as an expensive month.
My tech gets paid commission per repair. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Commission stays its own line, so you can see labor against what each job type brought in.
Do I write off a new straightening machine 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.
I run both a shop bay and a mobile repair van. Does Gus separate those?
Yes. Vehicle and travel costs for the mobile side stay in their own line, so you can see what mobile service costs apart from shop-based jobs.
My books are 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