HVAC, insulation & chimney
Books and taxes for attic ventilation installers.
Whole-house fans, ridge vents, solar attic fans, and a spring booking rush before the heat hits. 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
May came in at $10,400. Solar attic fan installs outpaced whole-house fans this month, so I kept those two job types apart to show what is actually driving the season.
- Square payouts, fan installsWhole-house fan installs
- Stripe payouts, solar fansSolar attic fan installs
- QuietCool distributorEquipment
- Google local servicesLead fees
- Home DepotVent and mounting supplies
Why your books are different
Attic ventilation books go wrong around fast jobs and a short season.
Most of your jobs finish in a single visit, you sell a few different kinds of ventilation that cost very differently to install, and almost the whole year books in the weeks before summer heat hits. When the books cannot tell one job type from another, the season looks flatter than it is.
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1
Whole-house fans and solar attic fans are priced worlds apart
A whole-house fan install and a small solar-powered attic fan can both take an afternoon, but one costs far more in equipment than the other. Booked as one category, you cannot tell which product line is actually earning more per job.
What we doKeeps whole-house fans, solar attic fans, and ridge vent jobs in separate categories, so each product line is visible. -
2
A short spring season looks unstable against a quiet fall
Nearly every booking happens in the weeks before summer heat arrives, and a slow October compared side by side with a packed May can look alarming instead of expected.
What we doTracks the calendar with your spring booking season in view, so a slow month is read against the right month, not your busiest one. -
3
A same-day job's small parts get lost in the shuffle
Vent covers, mounting brackets, and wiring for a same-day install are small individually, but bought constantly across a lot of quick jobs, they can quietly eat more margin than expected.
What we doKeeps vent and mounting supplies in one steady line, so a creeping cost per job gets noticed. -
4
Ridge vent work gets mistaken for roofing income
Ridge vent installs sometimes involve cutting into roof decking, and if that work is not clearly tracked as your ventilation business, it can get confused with a roofing job or subcontracted out without a clear cost trail.
What we doKeeps ridge vent jobs and any subcontracted roofing work in their own lines, tied to the job they belong to.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an attic ventilation company.
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
- Whole-house fan installsFull attic fan systems, kept apart from smaller ventilation work.
- Solar attic fan installsSolar-powered units, kept apart from whole-house fans.
- Ridge vent installsPassive roof venting jobs.
- Repair and replacement callsFixing or swapping existing fans, kept apart from new installs.
Money out
- EquipmentWhole-house and solar attic fans, logged so they get written off right.
- Vent and mounting suppliesCovers, brackets, and wiring for each install.
- Subcontracted roofing workAny decking or shingle work tied to a ridge vent job.
- Trucks and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the install vehicle.
- Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and spring season ad campaigns.
- Card and processing feesWhat Square or Stripe keep before you get paid.
What we watch for you
- Job type margin
What each product line, whole-house, solar, or ridge vent, actually clears after equipment.
- Season concentration
How much of the year lands in the spring booking rush, so cash gets planned for the quiet months.
- Cost per job
How small parts and supplies are adding up across a high volume of fast jobs.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things attic ventilation installers 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 keep them in separate categories, so I can pull that comparison for you. This spring, solar fans are running a bit ahead.
No. That is the season, not a problem. Almost everyone in this trade books before summer heat arrives, and I track the calendar with that in view.
I kept it as subcontracted roofing work tied to that job, separate from your regular ventilation costs, so the job's real cost is visible.
The tax side
The tax side of an attic ventilation business.
Most of what goes wrong here is mixing product lines together and a short season making the numbers hard to read.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Trucks and equipmentThe install vehicle and larger equipment bought for the business 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 1099sA subcontracted roofer or helper you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, outside of payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Employee or contractorA helper who drives your truck, works your schedule, and installs on your jobs is usually an employee, not a contractor, whatever he is called on paper.
- 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-house fan and attic ventilation installers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Whole-house and solar attic fans
- Vent covers and mounting brackets
- Subcontracted roofing repair
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Google local services ads
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools that live in the truck
- Phone and tablet for scheduling
- Contractor license renewal
- Liability insurance
- Card processing fees
- Ladder and safety gear
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
An attic ventilation year, kept every month.
Almost every booking happens before the heat hits. Your team keeps you ahead of that rush and the return. 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, right as spring bookings start climbing.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring's booking pace changed the number.
- October
Plan for next spring
The season is quiet now. Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December while things are slow.
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 whole-house fan and attic ventilation installers. 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 attic ventilation installers ask first.
Can Gus tell me whether whole-house fans or solar fans are more profitable?
Yes. They stay in separate categories, so you can see what each product line actually clears after equipment costs.
Is it normal for my year to be so lopsided toward spring?
Yes, for this trade. Gus tracks the calendar with your booking season in view, so a quiet fall month is read against your other quiet months, not against May.
A ridge vent job needed roof repair. Does that count as my ventilation income?
The repair cost is tracked as subcontracted roofing work tied to that job, separate from your regular ventilation costs, so the job's real margin is visible.
Do I write off a new fan install vehicle all at once?
Often you can. Equipment and vehicles bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy them, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
My books have never separated my different fan types. Can Gus fix that going forward?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them into the right categories, 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.
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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