INDUSTRY · HVAC AND PLUMBING
Bookkeeping for HVAC and plumbing
companies, call by call.
Bookkeeping for HVAC and plumbing companies separates service calls from installs, holds maintenance agreements and install deposits as money owed until the work is done, books financed jobs at full price with the dealer fee as a cost, and tracks parts on the trucks. ZeraBooks bookkeeping services keep trade books this way from $150 a month.
Free call · from $150 a month (USD) · one van or twenty
WHAT MAKES TRADE BOOKS DIFFERENT
Why is bookkeeping for an HVAC or plumbing company different?
Most of the money comes in on the day of the job, but some comes in months early and some arrives short. The books have to say which is which.
Maintenance agreements are paid up front
A $240 yearly tune-up plan sold in October is twelve months of work you owe. On accrual books it is earned a month at a time, which keeps a busy plan-selling month from looking better than it was.
Install deposits are not sales
Half down on a furnace or a repipe is the customer’s money until the job is done. It sits in customer deposits, then becomes revenue when the install is finished and invoiced.
Financed jobs pay less than the invoice
When a homeowner finances through your lending partner, the partner pays you the job less a dealer fee. Book the full job as revenue and the fee as a cost, or every financed job looks cheaper than the price you quoted.
Parts live on the trucks
Supply house purchases either go into a job that day or sit on a van. Truck stock bought but not used is still an asset; booking it all as job cost makes some months look terrible and others too good.
Callbacks cost money
Warranty returns and callbacks use parts and labor with no new invoice. Coding them to their own account shows what they actually cost you.
Tell us about your books. We’ll scope the work and quote it before anything starts.
CHART OF ACCOUNTS
What chart of accounts does an HVAC or plumbing company need?
A starting list for a residential service company. Commercial contractors add job accounts and retainage.
| Account | Type | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| Service and repair revenue | Income | Service calls, diagnostics, repairs |
| Installation revenue | Income | Equipment replacements and new installs |
| Maintenance agreement revenue | Income | The part of each plan earned this month |
| Materials and equipment | Cost of goods sold | Parts and units used on jobs |
| Truck stock | Asset | Parts bought and still on the vans |
| Technician wages | Cost of goods sold | Field labor, from the payroll report |
| Financing fees | Expense | Dealer fees taken by lending partners |
| Customer deposits | Liability | Deposits on jobs not yet done |
| Deferred maintenance revenue | Liability | Plan money not yet earned |
WORKED EXAMPLE
What does an HVAC and plumbing company’s month look like in the books?
Northfield Heating & Plumbing is a fictional company with five technicians. Here is October 2026 on accrual books.
| Line | Amount | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Service and repair invoices paid | 41,300.00 | Service and repair revenue |
| Water heater install, financed, full price | 12,000.00 | Installation revenue |
| Dealer fee taken by the lending partner | (960.00) | Financing fees |
| 30 maintenance plans sold at $240: earned this month | 600.00 | Maintenance agreement revenue |
| Parts and equipment used on jobs | (18,450.00) | Materials and equipment |
| Technician payroll, gross | (16,900.00) | Technician wages |
| Employer payroll taxes | (1,292.85) | Payroll taxes |
| Van fuel and leases | (3,140.00) | Vehicle expense |
| October profit | 13,157.15 |
Two amounts reached the bank but are not in profit: a $6,000 deposit for a November furnace install (customer deposits) and $6,600 of the $7,200 in plan sales, which will be earned over the next eleven months (deferred maintenance revenue). Counted as sales, they would have shown October $12,600 better than it was.
WITH ZERABOOKS
How does ZeraBooks keep an HVAC or plumbing company’s books?
Our team keeps the books on our own AI-native ledger. You upload documents and watch each month in a read-only login.
- 1
A free call
Trucks and technicians, service vs install mix, maintenance plans, financing partners and how you buy parts. The price is agreed on the call.
- 2
Upload each month
Bank and card statements, the payments and invoice report from your field service software, supply house statements, financing payout reports and the payroll report. There is no bank or software feed.
- 3
Deposits and plans handled
Install deposits held until the job is done, plan money earned month by month, financed jobs grossed up with the dealer fee shown.
- 4
Proven every month
Every account and supply house statement tied to the cent, then profit by service and installs in your reports.
MORE INDUSTRIES
Books for other kinds of business
- Church accounting softwareFunds, restricted gifts and several bank accounts in a general ledger.
- Bookkeeping for nonprofitsRestricted grants, functional expenses and a worked month.
- Bookkeeping for restaurantsPrime cost, tips and sales tax, with a worked month P&L.
- Bookkeeping for law firmsTrust accounts, three-way reconciliation and a worked month.
- Bookkeeping for property managementTrust accounts, deposits and a 12-unit worked month.
- Bookkeeping for contractorsRetainage, over and under billing, and subs.
How much does bookkeeping cost for an HVAC or plumbing company?
ZeraBooks starts from $150 a month in U.S. dollars, with the price agreed after a free call. It depends on trucks, accounts and invoice volume. Months that were never done are quoted once as catch-up bookkeeping.
Cash or accrual books for a service company?
Many small shops start on cash basis. Once you sell maintenance agreements or take install deposits, accrual books show the real month, because they hold that money until it is earned. Your accountant decides what the tax return uses.
Do you handle sales tax on parts?
We record sales tax collected as a liability and show what is owed each period. Rules on taxing parts and labor differ by state and province, and you or your accountant file the return.
We also do new construction. Which guide fits?
New construction and commercial jobs bring progress billing and retainage. Our guide to bookkeeping for contractors covers those. Electricians and other service trades work much like this page.
Does ZeraBooks connect to our field service software?
No. Export the monthly invoice and payments report and upload it with your statements. Each month is proven against the bank statement, not a feed. Companies that would rather run the books themselves can use ZeraBooks AI bookkeeping.
WE DO YOUR BOOKS
Keep the vans rolling.
We’ll keep the books.
Service calls, installs, plans and deposits, proven every month from $150 (USD). Book the free call. Wondering what you should pay? See how much a bookkeeper costs.
Last updated November 4, 2026 · Written by Damin Mutti, founder of ZeraBooks