Accounting for San Diego HVAC Contractors.
Bookkeeping and tax filing for heating and air conditioning companies, handled by an IRS Enrolled Agent. 100% virtual, so you never leave a job site for a meeting.
Two Busy Seasons, Two Dead Ones, One Tax Bill.
Are you paying tax on money you still owe your customers?
Most bookkeepers see a good June and assume you are having a good year. Then August ends, the phone stops, and the numbers say something different.
An HVAC company does not earn money evenly. You have two peaks and two valleys. You sell service plans that get paid up front and delivered over the next twelve months. You keep real equipment sitting in a warehouse. You take money from manufacturers that never touches a customer invoice.
Every one of those is a place where standard bookkeeping gives you the wrong number. We do bookkeeping and tax filing together, because the entries made in June decide what you owe next April.
Six Places HVAC Companies Get the Number Wrong.
None of these are loopholes. They are ordinary rules that get missed when nobody is looking at your business specifically.
Your Maintenance Agreements
A customer pays $240 in March for a year of service. You have the cash now. You have not done the work yet.
So March looks great and next February looks like you worked for free. Your books stop telling you if the plan makes money.
We track what you collected against what you delivered. That is the only way to know.
Your Two Seasons
You pay tax in four payments during the year instead of one bill in April.
The usual math assumes your money comes in evenly. Yours does not. It shows up in July and again in December, and nearly stops in between.
Pay flat and you either hand the IRS a free loan or take a penalty. We size the payments to your season.
Your Warehouse
A condenser on your shelf is not an expense yet. It is stock you bought to sell and have not sold.
Book six units as supplies the day they land and your profit is wrong twice. Too low the month you bought them. Too high the month you install them.
This is the most common place we find HVAC books wrong. It matters most in December, when it hits your return.
Your Rebates
Money from manufacturers is income. Dealer incentives and volume rebates are taxable, even though no customer ever paid you for them.
Why does it get missed? It does not come in the same way as everything else. It shows up as a check or a credit on your next order.
We book it as income. Skip it and your return will not match what the manufacturer already reported.
Your Helper
This is the expensive one.
California has a rule most owners never hear about. Labor Code 2750.5 says that to be a real subcontractor on licensed work, the person has to hold the license himself.
Your install helper does not have a C-20. So he is not a sub. He is an employee, whatever the two of you agreed.
Why does that matter? If you paid him on a 1099, the back taxes and penalties land on you.
We tell you which one he is, and we file the 1099s for your licensed subs. We do not run payroll.
When to Become an S Corp
An S corp is a tax status, not a new business. It can cut the 15.3% self-employment tax you pay on your own earnings.
It is not free. It adds a return, payroll, and paperwork. Under a certain profit, it costs more than it saves.
HVAC shops hit that line sooner than most trades, because one install is a big ticket. We tell you yours.
Key Takeaway: Your busiest month and your most profitable month are not the same month. Books built for a seasonal business are the only way to tell them apart.
One Person, Both Jobs.
Monthly Bookkeeping
Cash basis, in QuickBooks Online. Reconciled every month, built for a seasonal business with inventory.
See bookkeeping plans →Tax Filing
Your return, priced per return. No monthly plan required. Multi-state if you work outside California.
See tax prep pricing →The Part In Between
Entity setup, 1099 filing for your subs, and a straight answer before you stock up for the season.
Priced Up Front.
Monthly bookkeeping for an HVAC company starts at $650. Tax returns are priced per return and start at $700 for a sole proprietor.
You can see the full bookkeeping plans, or get a tax prep estimate in under two minutes. No call required for either.
Frequently Asked Questions
My income is all over the place. Can you still plan for it?
That is most of the reason to have us. We look at your season, not a flat monthly average, and size your estimated tax payments to when the money actually shows up.
Do I need to track inventory if I only stock a few units?
It depends on how much sits on the shelf at year end and how you have been handling it. We will look at what you actually carry and tell you straight whether it is worth the extra tracking.
Do you run payroll?
No. We tell you whether an install helper should be W-2 or 1099, and we file the 1099s for your subs. Payroll processing itself is not something we do.
Can you fix a prior year?
Every return we prepare includes a review of your prior year for missed deductions or errors. If we find something worth amending, we will tell you what it is worth before you decide.
Can we start in the slow season?
That is the best time. Cleaning up books in November is calmer and cheaper than doing it in July while your techs are booked solid.
Do I need to come to an office?
There is no office. Everything happens by phone, video call, email, and a secure portal. You will not lose a billable morning to a meeting.
Running an HVAC company year round? Monthly bookkeeping keeps your books tax ready and your numbers current, starting at $650 a month.
See Bookkeeping Pricing →Let's Talk.
At Civita Tax Solutions, we help home service business owners save money on taxes with all-in-one accounting. We handle your bookkeeping, advisory, and tax filing. You focus on the business. We handle the finances.
Every HVAC company's books are different. A quick conversation tells us if we are the right fit.
Book a Free Consultation