Trucking owner-operators: books, per diem 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.
Each month we keep the books, match every settlement statement to its loads and deductions, count the per diem days, and 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 trucking owner-operators in any state.
Typical situations
Do you work with trucking owner-operators like me?
Yes — N&T Tax & Advisory Group works with trucking owner-operators who are leased on to a carrier, running under their own authority, adding a driver, buying their first truck or catching the books up.
Leased on to a carrier, paid by weekly settlement
The truck runs under the carrier’s authority and the owner is paid by weekly settlement statement — the carrier’s breakdown of what the loads paid minus what it held back. The deposit is what’s left after fuel advances, escrow, insurance and plates come off, and the books record only that net number, so the year never shows what the truck earned or what it cost. We rebuild each settlement into what the loads paid and every deduction the carrier took. Monthly bookkeeping from $375 a month — what the monthly books include.
Own authority, running loads off a load board
The owner holds their own federal operating authority and books freight through brokers. Brokers pay on different schedules, some send no 1099-NEC (the year-end form a payer files to report nonemployee pay), and nobody ties each load to its payment. We match every load’s invoice to the payment and the bank, so no load is missed on the return. Books plus the return from $475 a month — how the monthly close runs.
Out most nights of the month with no record of which days
The driver runs long-haul and has never pulled a count of nights away, so the per diem — the daily meal allowance for nights away from home — gets guessed at tax time. We rebuild the day count from the logbook or ELD (the electronic logging device) exports and the settlements, full days and partial days.
Adding a second truck and a hired driver
The driver gets paid by the load with nothing withheld, and the second truck’s fuel and repairs land in one pile with the first. (California’s rules on hired drivers are in the California section below.) If the driver goes on payroll, we run it; if the driver stays a contractor, we collect the signed W-9 and keep the pay records. The second truck gets its own fuel, repair and depreciation lines (the yearly write-off of the truck’s cost). Payroll from $95 a month — how our payroll service runs.
A company driver leasing on for the first time
The tractor is financed, the loan papers sit in a folder, and with no business account and no quarterly estimates the first year’s tax lands all at once in April. We set up the books, the truck’s depreciation schedule and quarterly estimates from the first settlement, and look at the entity question with the owner. The return from $650, or from $850 for an LLC or S-corp — how we prepare the return and how we compare entities.
Two years behind, settlements and fuel receipts in the cab
No return has been filed for those two years, and the carrier’s year-end summary doesn’t show the fuel, tires and repairs the truck paid for. We rebuild those years from the settlement statements, fuel-card statements, escrow and loan statements, and the bank records — cleanup first, then the returns prepared from the rebuilt numbers. Cleanup from $750 — how a cleanup project runs.
Settlements
How should my settlement statements show up in my books?
Each settlement statement is recorded at what the loads paid, with every deduction the carrier took — fuel advances, escrow, insurance, plates, chargebacks — as its own line, so the books show what the truck earned and what it cost.
We book every load from the settlement statement whether or not a 1099 arrives.
We rebuild each settlement line by line and tie it to the deposit. We code fuel-card and repair bills to the truck they belong to. We track escrow and maintenance-reserve money as a balance the carrier holds for you until it’s spent on the truck or paid back. And each truck and trailer gets its own schedule, so a second truck never blurs into the first.
Per diem
Can an owner-operator use per diem instead of meal receipts?
Yes — an owner-operator whose work is hauling goods by truck and who is regularly away overnight can use the IRS’s transportation meal rate, $80 a day in the continental United States for 2026 ($86 outside it), instead of keeping meal receipts.
A day away means away from your tax home (where your business is based) long enough to need sleep or rest; the day you leave and the day you get back count at three-quarters, and once you use the rate on one trip you use it all year. We check where your tax home is before counting a single day, then count every day away from the logbook or ELD exports and the settlements.
Drivers under the DOT’s hours-of-service rules deduct a larger share of the meal rate than the usual meal deduction, so we confirm you’re under those rules before applying it; lodging goes in at actual cost. The details: how the per diem rules work for truck drivers.
Catch-up work
What does a catch-up look like when an owner-operator’s books are behind?
A catch-up rebuilds the missing months from your bank, settlement statements, fuel-card statements and the truck loan papers, then sets a clean starting point so monthly bookkeeping can begin — cleanup work starts at $750.
What we ask for
Every settlement statement you still have (or the carrier’s year-end summary), fuel-card statements, bank and card statements, the truck and trailer purchase or loan papers, any 1099s that arrived, and last year’s return if there is one.
How the cleanup runs
Settlements are broken out the same way as the monthly books. Fuel-card and repair bills are coded to the truck, nights away are counted from the logs, and the truck and trailer go on a depreciation schedule.
What you get
The rebuilt year, quarterly estimates set from your own numbers, and the return prepared from those same books — quoted alongside the cleanup, from $650.
Cleanup is billed half to start and the balance on delivery — see how a cleanup project runs.
The monthly close
What do you check every month for an owner-operator?
Each month we close the books against the records a trucking business produces: the settlements, the fuel card, the repair bills, the truck loan, the escrow balance and the nights away.
- Each week’s settlement statement tied to its deposit
- Fuel-card statements coded to the right truck
- Repair and tire invoices coded to the truck
- The truck loan payment split between principal and interest
- Escrow and maintenance-reserve balances tracked
- Nights away logged against the ELD exports
- The Form 2290 (the federal heavy vehicle use tax return) date on the calendar
Each month you get the P&L (the profit and loss statement), the balance sheet and a short note on what needs attention — what the monthly report covers.
California
What’s different for an owner-operator in California?
In California, a driver you hire is presumed an employee under the ABC test, a leased-on owner-operator’s status turns on a business-to-business test the carrier has to be able to show, contractors you pay go on the state’s DE 542 report, and the first-year write-off for equipment (Section 179) is capped at $25,000, with no bonus depreciation.
- A driver you hire is presumed your employee under the ABC test unless all three of its conditions can be shown. If the driver goes on payroll, we run it and handle the EDD (California’s Employment Development Department) registration, due within 15 days once wages pass $100 in a quarter; an unclear case goes to an employment attorney.
- For your own status with a carrier, California uses a business-to-business test the carrier has to be able to show; if it can’t, the ABC test decides, and California can treat a driver as an employee even when federal rules don’t. We keep your books and prepare your return to match your status with the carrier; whether your lease passes the test is a legal question.
- California has its own report for contractors you pay, the DE 542, due to the EDD within 20 days of the first payment or contract, whichever comes first; we track that for each contract driver or mechanic.
- California doesn’t follow the federal first-year write-off for the truck: it caps Section 179 at $25,000 and allows no bonus depreciation (the extra first-year deduction), so the California schedule usually spreads the truck’s cost over more years. We keep a federal and a California schedule for each truck.
Pricing
What do bookkeeping and taxes cost an owner-operator in 2026?
In 2026, bookkeeping for an owner-operator 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 (the business page of your personal return) or $850 for an LLC or S-corp with the owner’s personal return included, and a cleanup at $750. W-2 and 1099 filing on their own, without monthly books, starts at $95. Each is a flat fee quoted in writing before we start.
Settlement reconciliation, the per diem day count, the depreciation schedules and the Form 2290 date on the calendar sit inside the quote; there’s no separate charge for them. What moves a quote: how many trucks and trailers, leased on or your own authority, how many settlements a week, a driver on payroll, how many accounts and cards, and how far behind the books are. The quote is the price.
Books
from $375/mo
- The truck loan split into principal and interest
- Fuel, repairs and tires coded to the truck
- Escrow tracked as a balance the carrier holds for you
- Monthly P&L 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 your own numbers
Payroll
from $95/mo
- For a driver on payroll
- Pay runs on your schedule, direct deposit and pay stubs
- Year-end W-2s included
The return alone
from $650
- Schedule C from your records, every settlement reconciled
- From $850 for an LLC or S-corp, the owner’s personal return included
- How we prepare the return
How it works
What happens after you book?
After you book, there’s a free 30-minute call, then the engagement letter, the portal invite and your documents, any catch-up work, the first monthly close, and the return you see before it’s filed.
The 30-minute call
About six questions — leased on or your own authority, how many trucks and trailers, what the carrier deducts, a driver on payroll or not, a truck bought this year, and how far behind the books are — ending with one flat price for the work we’d take on.
The engagement letter
Sent during the call and signed when you’re ready; it doesn’t expire. Signing books the onboarding call.
Access and documents
The portal invite, read-only bank feeds or the QuickBooks file, the carrier settlement statements, and the truck’s purchase or loan papers. A short checklist covers the rest so nothing is missed.
Behind first
If the books are behind, the cleanup comes first, then the first monthly close.
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 is on the same team that keeps your books and prepares your return.
The same-day rule
Call or email during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day — all twelve months.
What the monthly note flags
A settlement that didn’t tie to its deposit, an escrow balance that moved, the Form 2290 date coming up — the monthly note calls out what needs your attention.
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 — one asking about income that doesn’t match a 1099, for example — forward it: how we handle IRS letters.
The N&T Tax & Advisory Group team
For an owner-operator, we keep the books, run the driver’s payroll and prepare the return from the same numbers.
Bookkeeping · 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 trucking owner-operators outside California?
Yes — based in Santa Clarita, we work with trucking owner-operators remotely in any state. Documents move through the secure portal, and the monthly report goes over by phone or screen share, so nothing depends on being near us. If you’re based in another state, we work to that state’s payroll and filing rules and price it into your quote.
What we don’t do
We handle the money and tax side: the books, settlement reconciliation, payroll, quarterly estimates and the returns. We don’t prepare IFTA, IRP or UCR filings, handle DOT or FMCSA compliance, advise on insurance, rates, loads or equipment purchases, review lease agreements or give legal advice, and we don’t prepare reviewed, compiled or audited financial statements.
Worth reading
What can you read before you call?
Short articles from our blog on quarterly payments, hiring a driver and writing off equipment.
FAQ
What should an owner-operator ask before booking?
Will I get a 1099 for every load I haul?
Not necessarily. Freight is on the IRS’s list of payments that generally don’t require a 1099-NEC, and a carrier’s 1099 may not match your settlement statements. Every load still goes on the return whether or not a form arrives. We book each load from the settlement statement or the payment record and the bank deposit, so the return reflects the year the truck had.
Can I pay my driver as a 1099 contractor?
Not always; it depends on how the driver works, and California has its own, stricter test for drivers. We collect a signed W-9 from any contractor you pay, run payroll for any driver you put on payroll, and tell you when a case needs an employment attorney.
Do I have to file Form 2290 for my truck?
Yes, if the truck weighs 55,000 pounds or more. A truck expected to run 5,000 highway miles or less from July to June is still reported on the 2290, marked suspended. If it goes over, the tax is due with an amended return by the end of the following month. For a truck over 75,000 pounds the tax is $550 for the full period, and it’s deducted as a business tax. We put the date on the calendar and book the tax; you file the 2290 yourself.
Can I write off the truck I bought this year?
Generally, yes: a tractor or trailer bought and put in service after January 19, 2025 can be written off in full in its first year. The IRS classes an over-the-road tractor as three-year property and a trailer as five-year. Your California return is figured separately, and we keep the schedules.
My books are a year behind. Can you catch them up?
Yes. A cleanup project from $750 rebuilds the missing months first, and the return is prepared from the rebuilt books. The price is set once we know how many months are missing.
Should an owner-operator be an LLC or an S-corp?
Either can work. An S-corp is a tax election an LLC can also make, so the choice is about how the business is taxed on your own figures. A California LLC owes the $800 annual tax. We model both on your numbers before you form or elect anything — our entity-selection page shows how we compare the options.
Ready to see what the truck actually 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.