Home & Property Services
Landscapers, roofers, pest control, and pool service companies running crews and trucks need books that show what's actually profitable.
The Industry
Florida home and property service businesses run year-round. That sounds like a good thing until you realize the expenses never stop either. Trucks, equipment, fuel, crew wages, insurance. A landscaper running five crews across the South Shore has payroll going out every Friday whether or not customers have paid their invoices. A pool service company with 120 accounts might look busy, but if chemical costs went up 15% and the monthly rate stayed the same, the route that felt profitable six months ago might not be anymore.
These businesses often start with one truck and one person doing all the work. Growth happens because the work is good and referrals keep coming. But growth brings complexity. More trucks mean more fuel, more maintenance, more insurance premiums. More crews mean payroll, workers comp, and managing people instead of doing the work yourself. The financial side of the business gets more complicated at exactly the moment the owner has less time to deal with it.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
Landscaping companies, lawn maintenance operations, roofers, pest control operators, pool service and repair, tree services, irrigation companies, pressure washing, gutter installation, fence companies. Any property service business in the Tampa Bay area managing crews, trucks, and recurring or project-based work.
What Makes It Complex
What Makes It Complex
A mix of recurring service contracts and one-time project work. Route-based businesses with per-stop profitability that shifts when material costs change. Equipment and vehicle fleets that need proper depreciation. Crew payroll with varying hours and overtime. Subcontractors who need 1099s. Sales tax that applies to some services but not others. Storm season that can spike demand and expenses at the same time.
What We Handle
Home and property service businesses need their books set up in a way that reflects how the business actually operates. A pool service company running routes needs to see profitability by route or by account. A roofer bidding jobs needs to track actual costs against estimates. A landscaper with maintenance contracts and one-off hardscape projects needs both tracked differently. We configure QuickBooks to match your business model so the reports actually tell you something useful instead of just showing a lump sum of revenue and a lump sum of expenses.
Beyond the monthly bookkeeping, we handle crew payroll, tax preparation that captures equipment depreciation and vehicle expenses, quarterly estimated taxes that account for your actual income patterns, and 1099 preparation for your subcontractors. We also take care of sales tax filings for businesses that collect it, making sure the right services are being taxed and the right ones aren’t. These are the things that keep the business compliant and the owner informed without eating up evenings and weekends.
Financial Tracking and Job Profitability
Financial Tracking and Job Profitability
Revenue and expenses organized by service type, route, or project. Equipment and vehicle costs tracked properly. QuickBooks set up for your specific business with reports that show where you’re making money and where you’re not. Monthly reconciliation so your books are always current and accurate. Historical data that makes next year’s pricing decisions easier.
Payroll, Tax, and Compliance
Payroll, Tax, and Compliance
Crew payroll processed on schedule with correct withholdings and overtime calculations. 1099 preparation for subcontractors with W-9 tracking so nothing gets missed. Business and personal tax returns prepared by someone who understands equipment-heavy service businesses. Quarterly estimates calculated based on your actual income patterns. Sales tax filed correctly and on time.
What Goes Wrong
A pest control company adds two technicians and a truck. Revenue goes up. The owner assumes things are going well. But nobody tracked the cost of the new truck payment, the added insurance, the fuel, or the fact that the new routes those technicians are running have lower density and higher drive time between stops. Revenue went up $8,000 a month but expenses went up $9,500. The business is actually losing money on the expansion and the owner won’t realize it for months because the overall bank balance still looks okay thanks to the profitable routes subsidizing the bad ones.
Tax problems build quietly in these businesses. Equipment gets purchased and nobody records the depreciation properly. Subcontractors get paid without W-9s on file so 1099s don’t get issued at year end. The owner uses a personal credit card for business expenses or the business account for personal purchases. Mileage never gets tracked even though the truck is going to job sites all day. By tax time, there’s a mess to untangle and deductions that could have saved thousands are gone because there’s no documentation to support them.
Growing Blind
Growing Blind
Adding crews, trucks, and routes without knowing which ones are profitable. Revenue increases that mask rising costs. You’re busier than ever but the bank account doesn’t reflect it. Without tracking at the route or job level, you can’t tell what’s working and what’s draining cash. You keep taking on more work thinking volume will fix the problem.
Tax Surprises and Missed Deductions
Tax Surprises and Missed Deductions
Equipment purchases not depreciated correctly or at all. Subcontractor payments without proper documentation. Personal and business expenses mixed together in ways that make the books unreliable. No quarterly estimates set up, leading to a large tax bill in April with no cash saved to pay it. Vehicle expenses and mileage that go untracked all year and can’t be claimed at tax time.
What Changes
You see where the money goes. Route profitability, job margins, cost per crew, equipment expenses by vehicle. The numbers tell you which parts of the business are working and which ones need attention. When you’re thinking about adding another crew or buying another truck, you make that decision with actual data instead of a gut feeling. Bidding on project work gets more accurate because you know what similar jobs actually cost the last time around, not just what you think they cost.
Tax season stops being a crisis. Books are current every month. Equipment depreciation is handled properly throughout the year. Subcontractors have W-9s on file and 1099s go out on time. Quarterly estimates are calculated on real numbers so April doesn’t bring a surprise bill. Your tax return captures every deduction you’re entitled to, from vehicles to equipment to supplies to the home office if you run the business from there. You get your time back because the financial side of the business is handled by someone who does this every day.
Visibility That Drives Better Decisions
Visibility That Drives Better Decisions
Profitability by route, job, or service type. A clear picture of what each crew and vehicle actually costs to operate. Historical data that makes pricing and bidding more accurate over time. Monthly financials that show the real health of the business, not just what the bank account looks like on a given Friday.
Clean Books and Fewer Tax Problems
Clean Books and Fewer Tax Problems
Monthly bookkeeping that keeps everything current and organized. Tax preparation that maximizes deductions for equipment, vehicles, and operating expenses. Quarterly estimates that prevent surprise bills. 1099s filed correctly for every subcontractor. Payroll handled on schedule so you’re not spending your off-hours calculating hours and withholdings for your crew.
Tampa Bay's Small Business CPA Firm
First Step:
A Short Conversation
Tell us about your business and where you need support. We'll walk through your situation, answer your questions, and give you a clear quote.
