Frequently Asked Questions
What six year‑end numbers should I pull?
Pull: 1) Revenue — billed vs. collected; 2) Unpaid invoices (age them); 3) Cost to deliver service (chemicals, parts, tech pay, fuel); 4) Overhead (truck payments, insurance, software, phones, rent); 5) Net profit (revenue minus deliverable costs and overhead); 6) Year‑end bank balances vs. books (reconcile any differences).
Where do I find billed vs. collected revenue and unpaid invoices?
Use Skimmer invoice and payment records for billed vs. collected. For unpaid invoices, pull your open invoices report in Skimmer and age them. Cross‑check with bank and card statements to confirm payments actually hit the account.
How do I calculate net profit and profit per customer?
Net profit = collected revenue − cost to deliver service (chemicals, parts, payroll, fuel) − overhead (truck payments, insurance, software, rent). Profit per customer = net profit ÷ number of active customers. If books aren’t current, build net profit from numbers 1, 3, and 4.
What documents should I hand my CPA?
Provide: full‑year profit & loss (P&L), balance sheet as of Dec 31, 12 months of bank and credit card statements, loan/lease statements, receipts for purchases (vehicles/equipment), payroll reports, contractor/subcontractor records (1099s), and vehicle mileage logs if tracked.
When should I do this each month to be tax‑ready?
Timeline: November — find the six numbers and note gaps; December — clean up unpaid invoices, gather receipts, fix miscategorized transactions; January — close the year, pull final P&L and balance sheet, assemble CPA packet; Feb–Mar — deliver the packet to your CPA before peak season.
Key takeaways
- Get six year‑end numbers: billed vs collected revenue, unpaid invoices, cost to deliver service (chemicals, parts, tech pay, fuel), overhead, net profit, and year‑end bank balances vs your books — together they show true profitability and cash issues.
- Do this in the off‑season: November — find the numbers; December — clean up unpaid invoices and miscategorized transactions; January — pull your final P&L and balance sheet; Feb–Mar — hand the packet to your CPA.
- If bank balances don’t tie to your books or a number is hard to find, fix the books first — unreliable books make every other metric and tax prep risky (and more expensive).
- Prep a clean CPA packet (P&L, balance sheet, 12 months of bank/cc statements, loan/lease docs, receipts, payroll/contractor records, mileage) — or use Skimmer Bookkeeping to keep books current and get tax‑ready reports without the weekend scramble.
##Key takeaways##
You know how many pools you service. You probably know what you billed this year, or close to it. But if someone asked what you actually kept, could you answer?
Most pool pros can't—at least not with confidence. That's not because they aren't paying attention. It's because the numbers are spread out: some in your invoices, some in bank and card statements, some in supplier receipts, and some in your head. During the season, there's no time to pull them together.
The off-season is different. Routes are lighter, the year is almost over, and you have a few weeks before January to get a clear picture. Here are the six numbers worth finding, where to find each one, and how to turn them into a clean handoff for your CPA.
1. Revenue: billed vs. collected
Start with what you billed for the year, then compare it to what you actually collected. The gap between the two matters. Billed revenue shows how much work you did. Collected revenue shows how much of that work turned into money you can use.
If the gap is bigger than you expected, that's worth knowing before you plan next season.
Where to find it: your invoice and payment records in Skimmer.
2. Unpaid invoices
This is the other side of number one: what your customers still owe you, and who owes it. Look at how old each unpaid invoice is. A handful of slow payers can tie up more cash than you'd guess.
Year end is a natural time to follow up. Customers expect it, and it's easier to collect now than in March.
Where to find it: your open invoices in Skimmer.
3. What it costs to deliver your service
These are the costs that rise and fall with the work: chemicals, parts, tech pay, and fuel. They're the price of keeping pools clean.
If you only track one cost number, make it this one. When chemical prices or fuel costs climb and your rates stay put, this is where it shows up first.
Where to find it: bank and card statements, supplier invoices, and payroll reports.
4. Overhead
Overhead is what it costs to keep the business running, even in a slow month: truck payments, insurance, software, phones, and rent if you have a shop. These costs don't go away in winter, which is why they matter so much for a seasonal business.
Where to find it: bank and card statements, plus loan and lease statements.
5. Net profit
This is the number that matters most. Take your revenue, subtract what it costs to deliver your service, then subtract overhead. What's left is what the business actually earned.
It's common to find this number is smaller than it felt during the season. A busy year and a profitable year aren't always the same thing.
Where to find it: the bottom line of your P&L, if your books are current. If they're not, work it out from numbers 1, 3, and 4.
6. Cash in the bank vs. what your books say
Compare your year-end bank balances to your accounting records. They should match. If they don't, something is missing, duplicated, or in the wrong category.
This is the quickest way to tell whether your books can be trusted. If they don't tie out, every other number on this list is a little less reliable.
Where to find it: your year-end bank statements, side by side with your accounting records.
Two more worth checking
Once you have the six, two more are worth a look:
- Your slowest months. Look at revenue and costs month by month. Knowing when cash gets tight helps you plan for next winter.
- Profit per customer. Divide net profit by your number of active customers. It's a simple way to see whether your pricing is keeping up with your costs.
If you can't find a number
That's useful information too. If one of these numbers is hard to find, or two of them don't agree, it usually means your books need attention before your CPA sees them. Better to learn that in November than in April.
What to hand your CPA
Once you have your numbers, the next step is getting them to your CPA. Every CPA works a little differently, so ask yours what they need. Most will ask for some version of this list:
- A profit and loss statement (P&L) for the full year
- A balance sheet as of December 31
- Bank and credit card statements for all 12 months
- Loan and lease statements for trucks and equipment
- Receipts for equipment or vehicles you bought this year
- Payroll reports, if you have employees
- Records of what you paid contractors and subcontractors
- Vehicle mileage records, if you track them
The cleaner this packet is, the less time your CPA spends sorting it out, and the less you pay for that time.
Your year-end wrap-up, month by month
- November: find your numbers. Work through the six numbers above. Note anything you can't find or that doesn't match.
- December: clean up. Follow up on unpaid invoices. Gather missing receipts. Fix transactions that are miscategorized or duplicated.
- January: close the year. Pull your final P&L and balance sheet once December's statements arrive. Build your CPA packet.
- February to March: hand it off. Get your packet to your CPA early, before their busy season peaks.
And if finding these numbers took you a weekend, you don't have to do it that way next year. With Skimmer Bookkeeping you can see where you stand in real time for make more informed business decisions: a dedicated bookkeeper keeps your books current, sends you these numbers every month, and delivers a tax-ready packet to hand to your CPA at tax time.
