Landscaping & lawn care
Books and taxes for xeriscaping and native plant landscaping companies.
A lawn-to-gravel conversion paid partly by a water utility rebate, native plants sourced from specialty growers, drip irrigation installed instead of sprinklers, and customers drawn to lower water bills. 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 $12,600. The water utility rebate for the Alvarez conversion is booked separately from the client's own payment, since it lands on its own schedule.
- Alvarez conversion, client paymentDesign and install jobs
- Water utility rebate paymentRebate program payments
- Native plant nursery orderNative plants and nursery stock
- Drip irrigation supply orderDrip irrigation materials
- Gravel and decomposed granite deliveryGravel and hardscape material
Why your books are different
Xeriscaping books go wrong around rebates and a different kind of material list.
A generalist sees a landscaping invoice and a materials bill. Your business sells water-wise design paid partly by the client and partly by a water utility rebate, using plants and gravel most landscapers never touch. When the books do not track that, it is hard to see what a job really earned.
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1
Rebate payments land on a different schedule than the job
A water utility rebate for a lawn conversion often pays out weeks or months after the job is billed and finished, so if it is not tracked against the project, it looks like unexplained income showing up out of nowhere.
What we doKeeps rebate program payments in their own line, tied back to the project they belong to, so a late rebate does not look like a mystery deposit. -
2
Native plants and gravel do not price like a normal materials list
Specialty native plants from a small grower and decomposed granite delivered by the ton cost very differently from turf and mulch, and if they are lumped into one generic materials category, job pricing on water-wise work never gets more accurate.
What we doKeeps native plant and gravel or hardscape material costs in their own categories, so pricing reflects what this kind of job actually costs. -
3
Drip irrigation gets mixed with sprinkler parts
Drip line, emitters, and controllers used on a water-wise install are different products with different costs than sprinkler heads and valves, and mixing them together hides what a drip-focused job actually spends on irrigation.
What we doKeeps drip irrigation materials in their own line, separate from any conventional sprinkler work you also do. -
4
A slow rebate approval delays how a job's profit looks
If a rebate takes months to approve, a job can look less profitable than it is for a long stretch, right up until the rebate finally lands.
What we doTracks pending rebates against the job, so you can see a project's expected total value even before every dollar has arrived.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a xeriscaping and native plant 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
- Design and install jobsClient-paid portion of a xeriscape or native plant install.
- Rebate program paymentsWater utility or municipal rebates tied to a completed job.
- Maintenance visitsOngoing care for established native plant beds.
- Consultation feesStandalone design consultations billed apart from a build.
Money out
- Native plants and nursery stockDrought-tolerant plants sourced from specialty growers.
- Gravel and hardscape materialDecomposed granite, rock, and gravel delivered by the ton.
- Drip irrigation materialsDrip line, emitters, and controllers.
- Crew wagesInstall labor, kept apart from material costs.
- EquipmentExcavation and grading tools, logged so they get written off right.
- Trucks and fuelFuel and insurance for delivery and crew vehicles.
What we watch for you
- Rebate turnaround time
How long rebates take to arrive after a job wraps, worth knowing for cash flow planning.
- Job margin
Materials and labor against total job value, including the rebate, so pricing reflects the real return.
- Native plant cost share
Specialty plant spending against job billing, useful for pricing future quotes.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things xeriscaping 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.
No, I tied it back to that project when it landed, so it counts toward that job's real value, even though it arrived months later.
I keep native plant costs in their own category, so you can see exactly what they add to a job and price accordingly, rather than guessing.
I track the pending rebate against that job, so you can see its expected total value even before the last payment lands.
The tax side
The tax side of a xeriscaping and native plant business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing: rebates that land late, specialty materials mixed with generic ones, and a set-aside nobody started until it was due.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment and vehiclesExcavation and grading tools, and trucks bought for the business, can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Rebates as taxable incomeWater utility and municipal rebates paid to your business for completed work are generally taxable income, tracked and reported like any other job revenue.
- Contractor 1099sA subcontracted crew member or specialty installer not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
- 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 xeriscaping and native plant landscaping companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Native plants and nursery stock
- Drip irrigation parts
- Gravel and decomposed granite
- Excavation equipment repairs
- Truck fuel and delivery costs
- Liability insurance
- Design software and licenses
- Job site signage
- Uniforms with your logo
- Card processing 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 xeriscaping year, kept every month.
Your jobs run on a design and build calendar, plus a rebate schedule that is not your own. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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 and you get a monthly set-aside, so pending rebates and new jobs both fit into the plan.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring conversion jobs are already underway.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand on the year's jobs and pending rebates, and what you will owe.
- October
Before the season closes
Before the last fall installs wrap, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing 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 xeriscaping and native plant landscaping companies. 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 xeriscaping owners ask first.
How does Gus handle a water utility rebate that arrives months after a job is done?
He ties the rebate back to the project it belongs to when it lands, so the job's real total value is clear even though the payment came in late.
Are rebates taxable income?
Generally yes, a rebate paid to your business for completed work counts as business income. Gus tracks it like any other job revenue and the accountant handles how it is reported.
My material costs are higher than a typical lawn install because of specialty plants. Can Gus show that?
Yes. Native plant and gravel costs get their own categories, so you can see exactly what a water-wise job spends compared to conventional landscaping.
I do a mix of xeriscape work and regular sprinkler installs. Can Gus keep those separate?
Yes, drip irrigation materials are tracked apart from any conventional sprinkler parts you also buy, so each kind of work shows its own real cost.
My books are behind by a season. 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.
More in landscaping & lawn care
We keep books for the business next door too.
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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