Lawn maintenance · $620K rev · 12 crew
+$13,500 / yr
Late S-corp election filed, reasonable comp set at $115K, tax-reserve account built on Relay with seasonal-pattern modeling. First April with zero surprise tax bill in 5 years of operating.
Who we help · Landscaping · Lawn care + design + irrigation + tree
Heavy season, lean season. One tax bill that doesn't surprise you.
Landscaping is one of the hardest small-business segments to plan tax for — because the cash flow doesn't match the calendar year. Big revenue March–November, lean December–February, equipment purchases that should happen in the right month, payroll that scales up and down. We've built the operational + tax playbook that fits how landscapers actually run.
$8K–$25KYear-one savings · typical
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This is you if
Your landscaping operation looks like one of these. The tax work has been improvised.
- Lawn maintenance company with route-based recurring revenue and 5–25 crew members
- Landscape design + build operator with project-based revenue and uneven cash flow
- Irrigation + hardscape specialist with significant equipment depreciation never modeled
- Tree service / arborist with high-value equipment (bucket trucks, chippers) and liability exposure
- Seasonal operator running heavy March–November + lean December–February — cash flow is the bottleneck
- Family-owned landscaping business handing off to next gen with entity + payroll restructure needed
- Multi-truck owner with vehicle deductions on 2–6 trucks never coordinated across the fleet
- Crew of 1099 vs. W-2 confusion with seasonal workers, day laborers, and contract specialists mixed together
What you're done with
Three real landscapers. Same three patterns.
Landscaping owners always have the same three things going on: cash flow that swings hard between busy + lean months, big equipment purchases that should be timed but aren't, and a crew that mixes W-2 + 1099 + day labor without a clear policy.
"My books look great November to February when nothing's happening. Then March hits, money flies in and out, and by September I have no idea where I stand. Year-end is a guess."
Lawn maintenance · $620K rev · Apr 2026
"I bought a $42K bucket truck last year. My CPA put it on a 5-year schedule. Nobody mentioned Section 179. I think I left $12K on the table."
Tree service · $380K rev · Mar 2026
"Half my crew is W-2, half is 1099, half is whatever the day laborers are. I genuinely don't know which is correct. Insurance is a separate problem."
Landscape design · $890K rev · Feb 2026
The hard part of landscaping tax work isn't the rules. It's the timing. Equipment purchase in March vs. October changes the year-end tax bill by thousands. Crew classification fix done in Q2 vs. after an audit changes everything. We sequence it.
What we'd actually do for you
Six moves. Sequenced for the season.
- 01
Seasonal cash-flow + tax-reserve planning
Landscaping cash flow swings hard between busy + lean months. The tax-reserve account on Relay solves the surprise April bill — we model your quarterly estimates against the real seasonal pattern, not the IRS safe-harbor default (which is usually wrong for seasonal businesses).
- 02
Equipment depreciation done right (Section 179 + bonus)
Bucket trucks, chippers, mowers, trailers, irrigation equipment. Section 179 + bonus depreciation can deduct most of a high-value purchase in year one — but the timing matters. We map your equipment-purchase calendar against your income calendar so deductions land where they offset the most income.
- 03
Vehicle election + accountable plan for the truck fleet
Most landscaping ops run 2–6 trucks. Standard mileage vs. actual expense, business-use percentage, accountable plan for fuel + maintenance — all of these are decisions that compound. We model the fleet, lock in the election year-one, and document business-use.
- 04
1099 / W-2 / day-laborer classification
Landscaping is high-risk for misclassification (heavy use of seasonal + day workers). We map your crew structure against IRS rules, fix misclassifications, and set up the right mix going forward. Section 530 safe-harbor where applicable.
- 05
S-corp election for owner-operator
Owner clearing $120K+ net on the business typically saves $10K–$18K/yr on S-corp election. Reasonable comp benchmarked against landscape-industry wage data + local market. Officer payroll set up through Gusto.
- 06
Texas franchise tax + sales tax on materials
TX-domiciled landscapers under the no-tax-due threshold owe nothing — but most file wrong. Sales tax on materials vs. labor is also nuanced (some services taxable, some not). We handle both correctly.
Recent landscaping outcomes
Three real operators. Three real outcomes.
Tree service · $380K rev · bucket truck
+$8,900 + $12K depreciation recovery
Section 179 election applied retroactively (amended prior-year return), saving $12K of front-loaded depreciation. S-corp election + reasonable comp + accountable plan added $8.9K/yr recurring.
Landscape design · $890K rev · mixed crew
$0 misclassification exposure
Crew classification audit done. 4 day-laborers properly W-2'd, 6 contract specialists kept 1099. Section 530 safe-harbor preserved for prior years. Going-forward policy documented + workers' comp restructured to match.
Which tier fits
For most landscaping operators, Comprehensive is the right tier.
Recommended for this segment
Tax Analysis · Comprehensive tier
$5,000 flat
3-year scope · equipment + Section 179 review · S-corp + reasonable comp · crew classification audit · seasonal cash-flow + tax-reserve modeling · Texas compliance · accountable plan.
Solo operator with no payroll: Standard ($2.5K). Multi-location or franchise landscapers: Strategic ($10K).
Common questions
What landscapers ask before engaging.
Do you handle workers' comp + insurance coordination?
We coordinate with insurance brokers who specialize in green-industry coverage. We handle the tax + bookkeeping side of premium deductions, workers' comp accruals, and audit-period reconciliations.
What about route-based recurring revenue?
We help map your customer-base churn, recognize revenue correctly (mid-month adds, mid-month cancels), and surface unit economics per route. Most landscapers don't know their per-route margin — that's the bookkeeping cleanup we deliver.
Can you work with Spanish-speaking crew leaders for payroll setup?
Yes. Gusto has Spanish-language onboarding for crew. We coordinate the rollout so crew members can self-onboard in their preferred language.
What about equipment we lease vs. buy?
Leased equipment has different tax treatment than purchased (operating lease vs. capital lease, Section 179 only applies to purchased). We model the lease-vs-buy decision before major purchases and surface the after-tax cost of each path.
Next step
One 15-minute call. We scope your fleet, crew, and season together.
Bring your truck + equipment list, crew + sub count, and last year's revenue + April tax bill. We'll quote the right tier and timeline before any work begins.
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