Free Guide · Painting

Bookkeeping, Taxes & Payroll for Painting Businesses

Interior, exterior, and commercial painting is quote-driven work where materials markup and crew time decide whether a job actually pays.

Why Your Books Are Different

The Painting Money Challenges We See Every Week

Quote vs. actual

The gap between what you quoted and what the job cost is your real report card — most painters never see it.

Materials markup

Paint and supplies should be tracked per job so your pricing reflects reality.

Crew classification

Employees vs. 1099 painters — misclassification is heavily audited in the trades.

Deductions Checklist

What Painting Businesses Commonly Deduct

Every legitimate deduction you're entitled to — captured, documented, and defended. Here's where we look first:

  • Paint & supplies (per job)
  • Sprayers, ladders & equipment
  • Vehicle & mileage
  • Liability insurance
  • Crew wages & payroll
  • Uniforms
  • License & registration fees

How Relevate helps painting businesses

  • Monthly bookkeeping — categorized, reconciled, and job-aware
  • Tax preparation & planning — business and personal, filed right
  • Sales tax — calculated, filed, and paid on schedule
  • Payroll — your team paid correctly, every time
  • English y Español — full service in your language
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Common Questions

Painting Owners Ask Us

Is painting work taxable in NY?

Repainting is generally a taxable repair; painting as part of qualifying capital improvement may be exempt with ST-124. We classify every job.

How do I know which jobs made money?

Job costing — we tag materials and labor to each job so your monthly report shows profit per job, not just per month.

Can you handle my crew's payroll?

Yes — weekly or biweekly payroll with all withholdings, filings, and year-end forms handled.

This guide is general education, not individualized tax or legal advice — your situation is unique, which is exactly why the first call is free.

Ready for books built for painting?

Free consultation — English y Español. We already know your industry.