If your lawn care business is really leveling up, it might be time to answer the question: how to hire a lawn care accountant.
As your lawn care business scales up, so does the complexity of your finances. From managing payroll and expenses to tracking job costs and handling tax obligations, having a reliable accountant can free up your time, prevent costly mistakes, and help you make smarter financial decisions. But how do you find the right accountant for your lawn care business?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to hiring a lawn care accountant who understands the seasonal ups and downs of your industry—and can help you grow profitably.
Discover how to hire a lawn care account by finding out:
The biggest mistake most lawn care business owners make is waiting too long before asking when and how to hire a lawn care account. You don’t need to be a seven-figure company before you bring in a pro to help you with the books.
Here are a few signs that you need a professional accountant.
Whether you’re out in the field or taking care of tasks in the office, your schedule is already full. Having to put in extra time to run the numbers (especially after a long day) can feel like a nightmare.
Most business owners aren’t tax experts. But if you can’t quite master all of the deductions and forms, you need to know how to hire a lawn care account that will take care of that for you.
More clients usually mean more profits, but that also comes with more work. We’re talking about invoices, expenses, and everything else. An accountant can help you stay organized and make sure you are compliant.
A good accountant is more than just someone who manages your books and taxes. They are also your partner in growing for the future and helping you better understand your business.
While there are lots of accountants out there, you need to find one that understands your business. Having a seasonal business comes with some unique challenges, and you want to find an accountant who gets that.
Ideally, you’ll want to find someone who has worked with a lawn care business when you answer the question of how to hire a lawn care accountant. That said, even if they’ve had experience with any service business (landscaping, snow removal, field services, etc.), it can be a huge plus.
Accountants with these types of clients will understand things like equipment depreciation, seasonal cash flow, and the unique tax situations that come with your industry.
Check out lawn care accountants on niche websites (e.g., Turf Books) to find an accountant with the level of industry experience you need.
As you search for how to hire a lawn care accountant, you need to have a good idea of what services you’ll actually need for your business.
Here are some of the most common services:
Basic bookkeeping: Recording income and expenses, reconciling bank statements, and potentially managing invoices with vendors.
Payroll services: Taking care of employee paychecks, tax withholdings, and quarterly reports.
Tax prep: Filing your business taxes and making sure you're getting the right and best deductions.
Financial planning: Analyzing your numbers, helping with budgets, and advising on business decisions.
There are different types of financial professionals you might consider:
If you’re growing or want to stay tax-efficient, a CPA with small business experience might be your best bet. If you’re still small, a bookkeeper might be all you need, for now.
When figuring out how to hire a lawn care accountant, you need to understand what the costs will be.
Monthly bookkeeping: Expect to pay several hundred to several thousand per month, depending on your business size and location, for basic bookkeeping.
Tax preparation: Business tax returns typically run $500 - $2,000, depending on how complicated your situation is.
Payroll services: Usually $30 - $100 per month plus a few dollars per employee.
Full-service accounting: For complete accounting services (e.g., financial analysis, guidance, forecasting, etc), you can expect to pay $1,000 - $3,000+ per month if you have a bigger business.
Like any service, you probably don’t want to go with the cheapest or most expensive option. Do some research, read reviews, and remember that a good account can actually save you money in the long run.
So, how do you know a good accountant from a bad one? Here are a few things to keep an eye out for.
Once you've decided how to hire a lawn care accountant and found the right person, you do need to take a few more steps to get started.
Start by organizing your records. A good accountant will likely have a list for you in advance that relates to the specific services they’ll be providing for you.
Next, make sure you set up some regular check-ins. Put these on the calendar in advance so they stay a priority. Depending on your business, these meetings should be monthly or quarterly.
After all that, your accountant will likely give you some action steps. Follow their advice and make sure everything you need to do gets done so that they can successfully manage your books.
Now that you’ve got a great accountant, you should be talking to your accountant about a few important subjects.
Be sure to have your accountant put together insights about your profit margins. You want to better understand where your cash is coming from, and always look for ways to improve the process.
You also want to ask about the future. This might mean finding out when the right time is to buy new equipment, cut services, or make other strategic moves that will position you for success in the next season.
Lastly, be sure to ask about tax strategies. Have your accountant help you minimize taxes (legally, of course), so that you can keep more of your earnings.
Exploring how to hire a lawn care accountant is just one key piece of building a successful business. The right accountant can help you understand your numbers, save on taxes, and make smarter decisions about growth.
Remember, a good accountant pays for themselves via tax savings, better financial decisions, and giving you time to focus on growing your business.
Don't wait until tax season to make this move; find a lawn care accountant today!
Related: Lawn Care Business Budgeting
Published on June 23, 2025 at 10:45AM
Tags: Business Operation
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