Tree service companies: see what each job made — books, payroll and taxes done for you
Free tax review
Find out what we’d handle and what it costs
Thirty minutes by phone; you leave with one written price.
Every month we keep your books, show what each removal, trimming and contract job made and run the crew’s payroll; at year end we prepare the return. Bookkeeping starts at $375 a month, quoted as a flat fee in writing before we start. Based in Santa Clarita, we work with tree service companies in any state.
Typical situations
Do you work with tree service companies like mine?
Yes, we take on tree service companies that run removals, trimming and stump grinding alongside monthly or seasonal maintenance contracts — ongoing agreements with HOAs and property managers to keep a property’s trees trimmed on a schedule.
A tree company with contracts and one-off removals
Monthly HOA and property-manager contracts and one-off removals all land in a single income line, so there’s no way to tell which side pays. We split contract income from removal jobs, cost each side and show the two margins every month. Books plus the return from $475 a month — how the monthly bookkeeping runs.
A crew whose dump fees and crane days never reach the job
Dump fees, crane days — days with a rented crane on site — and fuel get paid on the owner’s card in the field. The cost never reaches the job, so the next removal gets priced off a number that left out the crane. We tie dump fees, rentals and crew hours to the job they belong to and send a monthly job report. Monthly bookkeeping from $375 a month — what the monthly service covers.
An owner paying climbers by the day on 1099s
Nobody is on payroll; climbers and ground workers are paid by the day on 1099s — the year-end form for workers who aren’t on payroll. The W-9 and license check gets skipped, and so does workers’ comp — the insurance that covers crew injuries on the job. We collect a signed W-9 and the worker’s license number before the first check, run payroll for anyone the owner puts on it, and carry the policy’s cost in the books once there’s a policy. Payroll from $95 a month — how the payroll service runs.
An owner who bought a chipper and a stump grinder
The purchase invoice and loan papers sit in a folder, and only a federal schedule gets kept — so the state return ends up carrying the wrong number for the same machine. We put each machine on an equipment list with its purchase date, the loan papers and the day it went into service, and keep a federal and a state schedule for it. The return from $650 — how the first-year write-off works for a new machine.
A newly licensed owner leaving a bigger tree company
First truck, first chipper, no separate bank account. Personal and business money mix from day one. We set up the books, the job and contract lists and quarterly estimates at the start, and look at the entity question with the owner. The return from $650, or $850 for an LLC or S-corp — how we prepare the return and how we compare entities.
A company a year behind
Dump tickets and fuel receipts in the truck, no reconciled month in a year. The climbers paid last year never got their 1099s, and the quarterly estimates were guesses. We rebuild the year from the bank statements and job invoices, file the 1099s the climbers never got, then prepare the return from it. Cleanup starts at $750 — how a cleanup project runs.
Profit by job
How do you see what each job made?
Job costing is how you see what each job made: we match every cost — green-waste dump fees (the charge to dispose of brush and logs), crane or lift rental, fuel and your crew’s hours — against what each job billed, and send you a report each month showing what every one made.
- We set up your job list and cost codes — the labels that tie every expense to a job or contract
- We code dump tickets, equipment rental bills, fuel by machine and crew hours to the job that produced them, and maintenance-contract invoices to the contract they billed
- Contracts, removals and storm calls each carry their own costs and show their own profit on the report
Read: why a busy crew can still be broke — seeing what each job made.
Equipment
How should my chipper, stump grinder and trucks show up in my books?
Each machine goes on an equipment list with its purchase date, cost and loan, so the write-off on the return and the loan balance tie back to the books.
- We split each loan payment into principal and interest
- We code repairs to the machine they fixed
- We keep fuel by machine, equipment fuel apart from truck fuel
- We code crane and lift rentals to the job that needed them
Fuel for the chipper’s own engine, the stump grinder and the saws — never truck fuel — can earn back a federal fuel-tax credit on the return when the records show gallons by machine, and we claim it when they do.
Subcontractors
What do I need from a sub before I pay them?
Before the first payment, get a signed W-9 — the form that gives you a worker’s name and taxpayer ID — and, where your state licenses tree work, the sub’s license number.
For payments made in 2026, a sub who is an individual, sole proprietor, single-member LLC or partnership and is paid $2,000 or more in the year gets a 1099-NEC — the year-end form that reports what you paid a sub; corporations generally don’t. The line was $600 for 2025, and the forms are due by February 1, 2027. We set up each climber, crane service and stump-grinding sub with a W-9 and license number before the first check, then track each one’s total through the year so the forms go out on time.
Getting paid
How should maintenance contracts, storm jobs and deposits show up in my books?
Maintenance contracts are billed and tracked by customer each month, and removals and storm jobs are invoiced to their job — a deposit on a big removal is held on that job — and listed as money still owed to you until they’re paid.
Property managers pay contract invoices on their own cycle, and a storm removal can sit unpaid for weeks while the crew’s payroll goes out on Friday. We match each contract invoice to its payment and keep an unpaid list by customer at every close, so you know whom to call before payroll runs.
Catch-up work
What does a catch-up look like when a tree service company’s books are behind?
A catch-up rebuilds the missing months from your bank, dump tickets, fuel receipts and job invoices, then prepares the return and quarterly estimates from the reconciled numbers — cleanup for a tree service company starts at $750.
What we ask for
Bank and card statements; job invoices for removals and trimming; the maintenance-contract billing history; equipment rental bills and fuel receipts; payroll reports; the equipment list with purchase and loan records; the subs list with W-9s; last year’s return; your license number.
How the cleanup runs
Bank deposits are traced to their jobs and sources; dump tickets, equipment rental bills and fuel receipts are coded to jobs; maintenance-contract invoices are matched to their contracts. We rebuild the equipment list and loan balances and get the missed 1099s filed.
What you get
Reconciled books, a profit and loss statement (the P&L) and balance sheet for every month, and a clean starting point for the monthly service.
Cleanup is billed half to start and the balance on delivery. Read how the cleanup project runs.
The monthly close
What do you check every month?
Each month we reconcile the bank and card accounts, trace deposits to their jobs and contracts, and code the month’s costs before the books close.
- Dump tickets and crane rentals from the owner’s card coded to their jobs
- Every finished removal, trim and storm call invoiced
- Crew hours from payroll tied to the jobs they worked
- Subs’ W-9s and license numbers on file before payment
- Each sub’s running total watched against the year’s 1099 line
- New machines added to the equipment list with their purchase records
Each month you get the P&L, the balance sheet, the job report and a short note on what needs attention. When profit and the bank balance disagree, the note shows where the cash went that the profit line doesn’t: loan principal on the chipper and trucks, and customer invoices not yet paid. The monthly bookkeeping page has the full service list.
California
What’s different for a tree service company in California?
In California, four things change for a tree service company: who can be paid as a sub, workers’ comp, sales tax on firewood and planted trees, and a state report on subs.
- Tree removal, pruning, stump removal and cabling are contractor work under California’s license law, so an unlicensed climber or ground worker you pay to do it is presumed your employee. When you move that worker onto payroll, we run it. Read: how to weigh employee versus sub for a crew member.
- Workers’ comp is required once anyone is on payroll, and proof of coverage stays on file with CSLB (the Contractors State License Board). If you hold the older D-49 tree service license — new licenses are issued as C-49 Tree and Palm, and have been since January 1, 2024 — you must carry it even with no employees. We sell no insurance; we code the premium to the crews it covers so it lands in what each job costs.
- CDTFA (California’s sales tax agency) treats firewood sales as taxable, and a company that sells firewood regularly needs a seller’s permit; a tree the company furnishes and plants counts as a fixture — it becomes part of the property — so it’s taxed as a sale by the company. The sales tax you pay on saws, chains, rope and fuel when you buy them is carried as job cost. We keep firewood and planted-tree sales on their own lines so the tax on them is visible. Read: how sales tax treats the supplies you buy.
- California has its own sub report, the DE 542. Once you’ve paid or signed a contract for $600 or more with a sub who is an individual, sole proprietor or single-member LLC, it goes to the EDD (the Employment Development Department) within 20 days. We file it when the sub is set up.
Pricing
What does accounting for a tree service company cost in 2026?
In 2026, bookkeeping for a tree service company starts at $375 a month, books plus the return at $475 a month, payroll at $95 a month, the return alone at $650 for a Schedule C or $850 for an LLC or S-corp with the owner’s personal return included, and a cleanup at $750. Schedule C is the business page of your personal return. W-2 and 1099 filing on their own, without monthly books, from $95. Each is a flat fee quoted in writing before we start.
Tracking what each job made, 1099 filing and license checks sit inside the quote; there’s no separate charge for them. What moves a quote: how many jobs or calls you run a month, crew size and how often payroll runs, the number of subs, bank and card accounts, how far behind the books are, and how much equipment is owned versus rented.
Books
from $375/mo
- Reconciliations for every account
- Dump tickets, rentals and fuel coded to jobs
- Subs’ W-9s, license checks and 1099s
- Monthly P&L, job report and a short note
Books plus the return
from $475/mo
- Everything in the books
- The year-end return prepared from your own books
- Quarterly estimates from real numbers
- Year-round question access
Payroll
from $95/mo
- Pay runs on your schedule
- Direct deposit and pay stubs
- New-hire reporting
- Year-end W-2s and 1099s
The return alone
from $650
- Schedule C from your records
- Equipment write-offs figured for both returns
- From $850 for an LLC or S-corp, owner’s personal return included
- What the return-only service covers
The quote is the price.
How it works
What happens after you book?
During the free 30-minute call we send the engagement letter; after it you get a short checklist of what to send.
The 30-minute call
About six questions: the mix of removals, trimming, stump grinding, storm work and contracts; crew size; how jobs are billed; owned versus rented equipment; how far behind the books are. It ends with one flat price for the work we’d take on, quoted in writing before we start.
The engagement letter
Sent during the call and signed when you’re ready. Signing books a short onboarding call.
Access and documents
The portal invite, read-only bank feeds or the QuickBooks file, the open-jobs list and your license number — plus a short checklist so nothing is missed.
Behind first, then monthly
If the books are behind, the cleanup comes first, then the first monthly close and job report.
You see the return before it’s filed
Half the return fee starts the work and the balance is due before e-file; an extension is free if April gets tight.
Communication
You’ll know where the books and the return stand.
The person who answers the phone works on the same file as the person who closes your month.
The same-day rule
Call or email during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day — twelve months a year.
Tree service companies are welcome
One truck or three crews, removals only or contracts too — the free call ends with a straight answer on whether we’re the right fit.
Admitted to practice before the IRS
Our team of IRS representation specialists is admitted to practice before the IRS. If an IRS letter shows up, forward it: how we handle IRS letters.
The N&T Tax & Advisory Group team
For a tree service company, we keep the books, run payroll and prepare the returns — the numbers on your monthly job report are the numbers your return is built from.
Bookkeeping · Profit by job · Payroll · Tax preparation · Tax planning · IRS representation · Direct line: (661) 554-4495
Reviews
Rated 5.0 on Google
★★★★★ Twelve reviews, every one five stars, every one verifiable. Read all of them on Google →
"Alex helped me resolve a complicated tax situation that had been causing me a lot of stress. He was extremely knowledgeable, responsive, and efficient throughout the entire process."
Kevin B. — via Google
"Working with Alex was straightforward. I hadn't looked at my books all year, but he made my life easy and handled the whole profit and loss at the end of the year so I could get my taxes done."
Levon B. — via Google
"I came to this company with previous tax years and bookkeeping that were done incorrectly. They're very knowledgeable about what they do and help me get everything in order at a very reasonable price."
Sayra A. — via Google
Where we work
Do you work with tree service companies outside California?
Yes — we work with tree service companies remotely in any state.
Job paperwork — invoices, rental bills and receipts — moves through the secure portal, and the monthly job report is walked through by phone or screen share. If you work in another state, we work to that state’s payroll and filing rules and price it into your quote.
What we don’t do
Everything above is the money side. We don’t prepare bids or job quotes, pull permits, or draw up change orders or lien waivers; we don’t sell or place insurance, handle safety or arborist certification, or give legal advice on contracts or worker status — and we don’t produce compiled, reviewed or audited statements for bonding or banks.
Worth reading
What can you read before you call?
Short articles from our blog on workers’ comp, equipment write-offs, crew pay and the entity question.
What workers’ comp costs a contractor
Write-offsTax Write Off for Tools and Equipment: Should You Expense or Depreciate That Purchase?
EntityLLC vs S-Corp for Contractors: Where the 2026 Tax Savings Actually Come From
Crew payPaying Workers Cash: The Tax Risk and How to Do It Right in 2026
FAQ
What should a tree service company ask before booking?
Do I have to send 1099s to the climbers and subs I pay?
If you paid a worker who isn’t on payroll $2,000 or more during 2026, a 1099-NEC is due — that covers individuals, sole proprietors, single-member LLCs and partnerships; corporations generally don’t get one. The worker’s copy and the IRS copy are due February 1, 2027. We total each sub’s payments during the year and get the forms out.
Can my ground crew be paid as 1099 subs?
Not always: in California an unlicensed worker doing tree removal or pruning is presumed your employee. We check each person’s license and W-9 when they’re set up and send gray cases to an employment attorney; we don’t give legal advice on worker status.
Do maintenance contracts or removals make more money?
Either side can be the profitable one, and the only way to know is to keep contracts and removals as separate lines and cost each. Storm calls get their own job numbers, so a rush of emergency work doesn’t distort either side. The monthly report shows what each side made after its own costs, so the answer comes from your own numbers.
Can I write off the chipper I bought this year?
Federally, equipment bought and placed in service after January 19, 2025 can generally be written off in full in the first year. California doesn’t follow: it caps its own expensing deduction at $25,000 a year and allows no bonus — the extra first-year deduction federal law gives — so the rest is written off over several years on the state return. We keep a federal and a California schedule for each machine and figure it both ways on your numbers.
My books are a year behind. Can you catch them up?
Yes. A cleanup project rebuilds the year, files the 1099s that were missed and prepares the return from the rebuilt books; it starts at $750, and you pay half to start and the rest on delivery.
Should a tree service company be an LLC or an S-corp?
Either can work. An S-corp is a tax choice an LLC can also make, and a California LLC owes the $800 annual tax. We compare the running costs and taxes of both on your figures before you decide — our entity-selection page shows how the comparison runs.
Ready to see what each job made?
One free 30-minute call. You’ll leave knowing what we’d handle and what it costs — whether or not you hire us.
Rather talk now? Call (661) 554-4495 — reach us during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day.
Our team of IRS representation specialists is admitted to practice before the IRS. This page is general information, not tax advice for your specific situation.