Electrical, energy & home tech

Books and taxes for whole-home rewiring specialists.

Phased rewire projects spread across years, insurance deadline jobs, plaster repair on old walls, and lead paint testing nobody quoted for. 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
MarchExample month
$9,500
what you made

March came in at $9,500. The Whitmore house's second-floor phase closed out, the third phase since their kitchen wiring back in 2024.

  • Whitmore house phase two final paymentPhased rewire projects
  • Insurance deadline job, Carrow residenceInsurance-mandated rewires
  • City Electric Supply orderWire and materials
  • Vintage Plaster Restoration subcontractPlaster and lath repair
  • Lead paint testing labLead paint testing
Money in$39,000
Money out$29,500
Set aside for taxes$2,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A whole-home rewiring specialist's books go wrong across years, not months.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business rewires one phase of an old home at a time over years, takes on rush jobs against an insurer's deadline, and opens walls that sometimes need testing nobody quoted for. When the books do not know that, you lose track of what a customer, or a job, was really worth.

  1. 1

    A single home's rewire spans years, not weeks

    A homeowner often can only afford to rewire one floor or one circuit run at a time, spread across two or three years, and if each phase is booked like a brand new customer's job, you lose sight of how much one address has actually been worth to the business over time.

    What we doKeeps every phase of a home's rewire tied to that address, so the full relationship's value stays visible even when the work is spread across years.
  2. 2

    An insurance deadline job disrupts the schedule for less than it should

    A homeowner facing a cancellation deadline from their insurer wants the rewire done fast, and if that rush work is priced and booked the same as a normal scheduled job, you cannot tell whether rush jobs are actually covering the disruption to your regular schedule.

    What we doFlags insurance-deadline jobs as their own category, so you can see whether the rush premium you charge is worth the disruption.
  3. 3

    Plaster repair after opening an old wall is easy to underprice

    Pulling wire through lath and plaster means a patch job afterward that a modern drywall rewire never needs, and if that repair cost is not tracked apart from the wiring itself, it is easy to quote the next old-home job without accounting for it.

    What we doKeeps plaster and lath repair costs in their own line, so future quotes on old homes reflect the real cost of the walls, not just the wire.
  4. 4

    Opening a pre-1978 wall can trigger a lead paint test with no warning

    Opening a wall in a home built before 1978 can call for lead paint testing partway through a job that was quoted before anyone knew testing would be needed, and an unbudgeted cost like that can look like a mistake if it is not flagged as what it is.

    What we doTracks lead paint testing and any related costs as their own line, so an unplanned but necessary cost never reads as an overrun on the original bid.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a whole-home rewiring specialist.

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

  • Phased rewire projectsEach stage of a multi-year rewire, tied back to the address it belongs to.
  • Insurance-mandated rewiresRush jobs driven by an insurer's coverage deadline.
  • Surge protector installsWhole-home surge protection add-ons, sold on their own or alongside a rewire.
  • Financed jobsThe full job amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.

Money out

  • Crew wagesKept apart from subcontracted repair costs so labor cost stays clear.
  • Wire and materialsWire, boxes, and devices from City Electric Supply or a similar house.
  • Plaster and lath repairWall patching after old walls are opened to pull wire.
  • Lead paint testingTesting costs that come up when opening walls in pre-1978 homes.
  • Permits and historic approval feesMunicipal permits and, where it applies, historic preservation board approval.
  • Truck and fuelFuel, repairs, insurance, and loan payments for the service van.
  • Liability and bonding insuranceCoverage sized for the risks of working in older structures.

What we watch for you

  • Phase value per address

    Total revenue from one home's rewire across all its phases, so a years-long relationship is not lost sight of.

  • Rush job premium

    What insurance-deadline jobs are priced at against the schedule disruption they cause.

  • Plaster repair cost

    Patch work on old walls, tracked apart from the wiring itself, so future quotes price it in.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things whole-home rewiring specialists 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.

The Whitmore job is its third phase in two years. Does Gus track that as one relationship?

Yes, every phase stays tied to that address, so you can see the full value of a years-long customer, not just this month's payment.

The Carrow job was a rush because their insurer set a deadline. Does that get priced differently in the books?

I flag it as its own category, so you can see whether what you charged for the rush actually covered the disruption to your schedule.

We had to test for lead paint mid-job on a house built in the 1960s. That wasn't in the original quote. Is that a problem?

No, I track it as its own line, so an unplanned but necessary cost like that reads as what it is, not as an overrun on your original bid.

The tax side

The tax side of a whole-home rewiring business.

Most of what goes wrong here is losing track of a job's real shape across time. A phase treated like a new job, a rush job priced like a normal one, 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.

  • Rewire equipment and testing toolsWire fishing tools, testers, and the service van can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sPlaster repair and testing subcontractors not on payroll get a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026. The form is due January 31.
  • Employee or contractorA helper who uses your tools and works your schedule is usually an employee, not a subcontractor, no matter how the pay is set up.
  • 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 whole-home rewiring specialists miss

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

  • Wire fishing tools
  • Plaster patch materials
  • Lead paint test kits
  • Truck signage and wraps
  • Liability and bonding insurance
  • Historic preservation permit fees
  • Phone for site photos
  • Home office for scheduling
  • Vehicle registration
  • Background check fees

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 whole-home rewiring specialist's year, kept every month.

Old homes get rewired one phase and one insurance deadline at a time. 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 how this year's phased projects and rush jobs added up.

  4. October

    Before winter

    Insurers often set deadlines before winter storm season. Before the rush hits, Gus looks at equipment you might buy 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 whole-home rewiring specialists. 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 whole-home rewiring specialists ask first.

A customer only rewires one section of their house at a time over a few years. Does Gus track that as one job?

Yes. Every phase stays tied to that address, so you can see the full value of a years-long customer, not just what came in this month.

Some jobs are rushed because an insurer set a coverage deadline. Does that get priced separately in the books?

Yes. Insurance-deadline jobs are flagged as their own category, so you can see whether the rush premium you charge actually covers the disruption to your schedule.

Opening an old wall sometimes means testing for lead paint we didn't plan for. How does that show up?

As its own line, so an unplanned but necessary cost reads as what it is, not as an overrun on the original bid.

Plaster repair after we pull wire is a real cost. Does Gus track that apart from the wiring?

Yes. Plaster and lath repair is tracked in its own line, so future quotes on old homes price in the real cost of the walls, not just the wire.

Do I write off my wire fishing tools 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 with your whole year in view.

My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people 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.

More in electrical, energy & home tech

We keep books for the business next door too.

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