Industries
Cleaning Business Taxes
Books, payroll, and tax filings for cleaning businesses, in San Pablo, Concord, or remote.
Cleaning companies often have crews, supply receipts, and a mix of residential and commercial accounts. We keep the books from the statements you send and prepare the tax filings those books support.
You can meet by appointment in San Pablo or Concord, or send the work remotely. If you want to talk about workers compensation or liability, that conversation starts at the Concord office.
Services that usually fit
Documents to start
- Bank and card statements
- Payroll reports or a crew list with hours
- Supply and mileage records
- Any 1099s you received or issued
Your chart of accounts, built for cleaning services
Stanza creates and maintains a chart of accounts so the deductions you are allowed to claim are identified and documented.
We set up income, cost of goods or job costs, and expense accounts organized around this industry’s deductible categories and the tax form lines they map to (Schedule C, or Form 1065 or Form 1120-S when the business files as a partnership or an S corporation). Sub-accounts separate items with a special tax treatment, so a repair is not mixed with a capital purchase and a liability is not booked as an expense.
Supplies
Chemicals and other items you use up on jobs are generally a current expense. They are not inventory you resell.
Equipment
Vacuums, floor machines, and similar equipment are often capital assets when they are more than a small tool. Section 179 or depreciation may apply when the rules are met.
Vehicle
Fuel, repairs, and mileage for driving between jobs need a log. The drive from home to a first regular stop can be commuting, which is not a business mile.
Subcontractors
Amounts paid to other cleaners who are not employees are tracked for Form 1099 when the filing rules are met. They are not wages.
Uniforms
Required uniforms that are not suitable as everyday clothes are generally deductible. Personal clothing is not.
Workers' compensation and liability
Business premiums are generally deductible. They stay out of the owner’s personal insurance.
Crew payroll
Wages, payroll taxes, and benefits belong in payroll accounts, not in supplies.
Disposal fees
Fees to dispose of job waste are generally an ordinary expense when the waste comes from the work.
How it is managed
- Each month we categorize transactions and reconcile the accounts to the bank.
- Receipts and mileage stay with the transactions they support.
- Personal spending stays out of the business accounts.
- Capital purchases are reviewed against repairs before anything is expensed.
- Vendors are tracked so a Form 1099 can be prepared when a form is required.
- A quarterly review of profit can be used to adjust estimated tax payments when those payments apply.
- At year end we review the accounts with the preparer so deductions are captured and the records support them.
Whether a deduction is allowed depends on your facts and on IRS and FTB rules. We help you claim what you are entitled to and keep records that support it. We do not guarantee savings or a dollar amount.
Book bookkeeping and QuickBooks setup with Lucia Leiva, Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisorCommon questions
- Monthly is the usual rhythm, so payroll and sales stay current. We confirm the schedule when we see the volume.
- Yes. The offices are only in San Pablo and Concord. Everywhere else in California is the nearer office or remote.
- Josephine Leiva, licensed in California, takes those questions at the Concord office. Coverage is not guaranteed.
- Supplies, equipment, vehicle costs, and subcontractor payments are deducted or reported in different ways. Separate accounts keep a capital machine off the supplies line and keep amounts that may need a Form 1099 out of payroll. The deduction still depends on your facts and the records.
Offices in San Pablo (510-778-1579) and Concord (925-349-6924). Remote work is available in California.
Ready when you are
Ready to get organized? Book an appointment today.
Pick a time that works for you — in person at San Pablo or Concord, or fully remote.