Bookkeeping for landscaping companies
Seasonal cash flow planning, equipment and trailer depreciation, crew payroll with correct workers' comp, subcontractor 1099s, and a live dashboard — so you know which routes, crews, and customers are actually profitable.
We work with landscaping companies on seasonal cash management, equipment cost tracking, subcontractor compliance, and job-level books that show you which customers and service types are worth keeping. We coordinate with your CPA on tax filings.
QuickBooks Online · Gusto · Ramp — professional liability insured — month-to-month, 30-day notice
Pick a time right here — no prep required.
Landscaping margin lives in route density, crew efficiency, and equipment cost control. Without job-level tracking and seasonal cash planning, a full schedule can still produce a thin year — especially when equipment costs and slow-season gaps aren't planned for.
What changes with TurnkeyCFO
Accurate categorization of labor, materials, equipment costs, fuel, and revenue. Full monthly close with P&L and balance sheet — split by service type so you see the real margin of your maintenance routes vs your install work.
Maintenance routes, design-build projects, irrigation installs, and hardscape tracked separately with labor hours, materials, and subcontract costs per job. Know which service types and customers are profitable before you bid the next contract renewal.
Weekly or bi-weekly payroll for crew leaders, ground crew, irrigation techs, and office staff — correct workers' comp classification per role, overtime tracking, Gusto integration, quarterly 941 reconciliation.
Irrigation, hardscape, and specialty subs tracked from first payment. W-9 before first job, 1099-NEC filed by January 31 — even for single-project subs hired for one install.
Zero-turns, trailers, skid steers, and major tools tracked as fixed assets with correct depreciation schedules — Section 179 and bonus depreciation documented and reconciled to your CPA's return categories.
Supplier invoices, plant nursery orders, and material purchases tracked and paid on schedule so your AP is current and your cost of goods is accurate for margin analysis.
Revenue by service type, margin per crew, seasonal cash forecast, equipment costs vs budget, and customer-level profitability — updated monthly.
Tax filings and legal matters — coordinated with your CPA or attorney. TurnkeyCFO is a bookkeeping firm; we don't provide tax or legal advice.
Not all maintenance customers are worth keeping.
Maintenance route profitability depends on drive time, density, and crew efficiency. Customers too far from the route center erode margin. Without tracking labor hours and fuel per route, it's impossible to know which customers to keep, which to reprice, and which to drop at renewal.
Full schedules in summer don't prevent January cash crunches.
Landscaping revenue peaks in spring and summer. Fixed costs — payroll, insurance, equipment loans — continue through slow months. We map your seasonal revenue and cost patterns to build a slow-season cash reserve target and flag the months that require a line of credit or adjusted payroll.
Mowers and trailers are assets. Fuel and repairs are expenses.
Zero-turns, trailers, and skid steers are fixed assets depreciated over 5–7 years. Repair and maintenance costs are separate operating expenses. Without the distinction, your income statement overstates costs in purchase years and understates asset values on your balance sheet — which matters if you ever need a line of credit or equipment loan.
Irrigation and hardscape subs need 1099s too.
Landscaping contractors frequently sub out irrigation installs, hardscape, and tree work. Each sub paid $600+ in the year needs a W-9 at first payment and a 1099-NEC by January 31. Single-project subs are the most common source of missed 1099s.
Plant material is often taxable. Mowing labor usually isn't.
Most states tax the sale of tangible property (plants, mulch, pavers) but exempt separately-stated labor on landscaping services. Lump-sum contracts can trigger tax on the full amount. We separate your materials and labor from day one so you're collecting and remitting the right amount.
Lawn crew, irrigation tech, driver — all carry different rates.
Workers' comp premiums are calculated by classification code per role. Coding all field workers under one class overpays premiums — sometimes significantly. Correct classification from first payroll, reconciled at policy renewal, means you're not subsidizing your insurance company's margins.
We learn your business — crew count, service mix, equipment fleet, current software, and where the books are a problem.
We connect to QuickBooks, clean historical data, and set up job costing and asset tracking around your services.
Monthly close, seasonal cash forecast, job profitability dashboard, and subcontractor compliance — running clean every month.
No — we work alongside your CPA. We keep books clean and filing-ready year-round. If you need a CPA who understands service businesses, we can refer one.
Yes. We set up QuickBooks job costing around your service types and customer groups so you can see margin by maintenance route, design-build project, or individual client. Knowing which customers to keep vs reprice at renewal is one of the highest-value outputs we provide.
We map your historical revenue curve against fixed costs — payroll, insurance, equipment loans — to identify the slow-season cash gap. Then we build a reserve target and cash plan so slow months don't catch you off-guard.
Yes. We integrate your landscaping software with QuickBooks so revenue, job costs, and customer data sync correctly — no double entry.
Every sub tracked from first payment. W-9 before first job, 1099-NEC filed by January 31. Specialty subs used on single projects are the most common source of missed 1099s — we track from day one.
Month-to-month, 30-day notice. No multi-year contracts.
Our instant estimate takes about 60 seconds and gives you a real price range. Tap any "Instant Estimate" button on the page.
Get your instant estimate, then book a 15-minute call. No pressure, no sales pitch.