The Poof Blog
Practical guides on AI bookkeeping, automating your finances, and keeping your books clean and tax-ready.
Cleaning Company Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for a residential or commercial cleaning company: recurring work apart from one-time cleans, drive time as its own labor line, tips held for cleaners instead of counted as revenue, and prepaid packages as a liability. Free 62-account template.
Solar Installer Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for a residential solar installer: sales split by who pays you, dealer fees and commissions in COGS, milestone and holdback receivables, panel inventory, and the workmanship warranty reserve most installers never book. Free 68-account template.
General Contractor Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for a general contractor or remodeler: contract revenue apart from change orders, subs and labor burden in COGS, and the retainage, over/under billing, and accrued job cost accounts a WIP schedule needs. Free 64-account template.
Restoration Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for a water, fire, and mold restoration company: mitigation apart from rebuild, carrier reductions you can see, receivables split by who owes you, and the unbilled work account most restoration shops are missing. Free 60-account template.
How to Close Your Books in Five Business Days (and Why Most Small Businesses Take Three Weeks)
A month-end close that lands by day five is not about working faster. It is about a checklist with due dates, evidence for each task, and a reconciliation that ties to one figure. Here is the schedule, task by task, and where the three weeks usually go.
Garage Door Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for a garage door company: install revenue split from service, openers, and new construction; doors and openers as inventory until installed; install labor apart from service labor; and the deposit and lead-cost accounts most operators are missing. Free 54-account template.
Landscaping Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for a landscaping company: maintenance revenue split from softscape, hardscape, irrigation, and snow; crew labor separated by route versus project; equipment fuel and repairs apart from trucks; and the prepaid-season and deposit accounts most operators are missing. Free 61-account template.
Mercury Books vs QuickBooks (and Poof): An Honest Comparison
Mercury launched Books on September 16, 2026: free for Mercury customers through year end, then $35/mo. How it compares with QuickBooks Online at $38 to $140/mo, where Poof fits, and which one fits your business.
Pest Control Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for a pest control company: recurring revenue split from one-time and termite work, prepaid plans and termite warranties held as deferred revenue, chemicals and tech labor in COGS by the route, and the retreatment reserve most operators are missing. Free 54-account template.
Pool Service Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for a pool service company: route revenue split from repairs, equipment installs, and renovations; routine chemicals apart from billed treatments; route labor apart from repair labor; and the prepaid-service and deposit accounts most operators are missing. Free 53-account template.
QuickBooks Bank Rules Post Without Asking. Here Is What That Costs You.
A QuickBooks bank rule that is wrong stays wrong until somebody notices, and it posts every matching transaction in the meantime. Here is how the damage compounds, how to audit your rules this week, and what a rule that stops itself looks like.
Roofing Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template for Contractors
A working chart of accounts for a roofing company: income split by replacement, repair, insurance, and supplements; COGS built around materials by the square, sub crews, and haul-off; and the deposit and retainage accounts most roofers are missing. Free 57-account template.
Should AI Post to Your Books Without Asking? Four Gates Before You Say Yes
Every bookkeeping tool now offers to categorize and post on its own. Whether you should let it depends on four things the software has to check by code, not by the model's own confidence. Here they are, and what a rule that stops itself looks like.
The Calls You Miss After 5pm Are Costing You More Than You Think
Missed after-hours calls don't show up anywhere in your books — which is exactly why they're easy to ignore. Here's how to size the loss, and an honest comparison of voicemail, answering services, and AI receptionists.
Dealer Financing Is Hiding Your Real Install Margin
When a customer finances an install, the dealer fee comes out of your money — but most shops never cost it to the job. Here's how to record it so financed work stops looking more profitable than it is.
Electrical Contractor Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template
A working chart of accounts for an electrical contractor — every income, COGS, expense, and asset account, why each exists, and the mistakes to avoid. Free template.
Electrical Contractor Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Shop Owners
How electrical contractor bookkeeping actually works — the chart of accounts a shop needs, job costing across service and construction, prevailing wage, subcontractor 1099s, and what each option costs.
QuickBooks Raised Prices Again in August 2026: What Your Bill Looks Like Now
Intuit raised QuickBooks Online prices on August 1, 2026 — Plus jumped 22% and Advanced 24%, with no new features attached. Here's the new pricing, what it costs you annually, and the four options worth considering.
Plumbing Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template for Shops
A working chart of accounts for a plumbing shop — every income, COGS, expense, and asset account, why each exists, and the mistakes to avoid. Free template.
HVAC Chart of Accounts: Free CSV Template for Shops
A working chart of accounts for an HVAC shop — every income, COGS, expense, and asset account, why each exists, and the setup mistakes to avoid. Free template.
Plumbing Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Shop Owners
How plumbing bookkeeping actually works — job costing when your average ticket is $340, tracking callbacks and warranty work, and what each option costs.
HVAC Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Shop Owners
How HVAC bookkeeping actually works — the chart of accounts a shop needs, job costing that shows which installs made money, and what each option costs.
How HVAC Shops Should Track Per-Job Profitability
Most HVAC owners know last month's revenue but not which jobs made money. How to set up per-job costing: what to capture, how to allocate overhead.
Ecommerce Bookkeeping: How to Handle Stripe, Shopify, and Marketplace Fees
Payment processor and marketplace fees quietly distort your ecommerce books if you record them wrong. Here is how to track gross revenue, fees, refunds, and payouts cleanly — so your profit numbers actually reflect reality.
Bookkeeping Cleanup Checklist: Fix Messy Books Before Tax Season
A step-by-step bookkeeping cleanup checklist to catch up messy books before you file: reconcile accounts, fix categorization, issue 1099s under the new $2,000 threshold, and get tax-ready reports.
Best QuickBooks Alternatives for Small Business in 2026
QuickBooks isn't the only option for small business bookkeeping. Here's an honest comparison of Wave, Xero, FreshBooks, and Poof — with pricing, features, and who each one is best for.
Do I Need a Bookkeeper, an Accountant, or Can AI Do It?
Compare the real costs and capabilities of DIY spreadsheets, AI bookkeeping, hiring a bookkeeper, and working with an accountant. A practical framework for deciding what your business actually needs.
How to Automate Your Small Business Bookkeeping (Step by Step)
A practical guide to automating bank feeds, transaction categorization, receipt scanning, invoicing, reconciliation, and reporting — so your books stay current without the manual work.
How to Set Up Bookkeeping for a New LLC: A Complete Guide
Starting a new LLC? Here's everything you need to set up your bookkeeping correctly from day one — from opening a business bank account to preparing for your first quarterly taxes.
Why Is QuickBooks So Expensive? 5 Ways to Pay Less in 2026
QuickBooks too expensive? Intuit raised prices on August 1, 2026 — Plus is now $140/mo, up 22%. Why your bill keeps climbing, and five ways to cut it, from downgrading your plan to switching.
AI Bookkeeping for Small Business: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters
AI bookkeeping automates transaction categorization, receipt scanning, and financial reporting — saving small business owners hours every week. Learn how it works and what to look for.