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Business Tax Services

Sales Tax Compliance Services in Clovis, CA

Parts versus labor billing reviewed line by line, resale certificates kept current, and every filing tracked across every location, so you stop guessing what to charge sales tax on.

Built for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical contractors running trucks, techs, and service agreements out of QuickBooks Online, ServiceTitan, and Housecall Pro.

What sends contractors looking for this

We are charging sales tax on the parts but not sure about the labor, and it changes by invoice type

In California, tax generally applies to the parts and materials on a job but not to the labor to install or repair something, but that split depends on exactly what kind of job it is. A repair invoice for fixing an existing furnace is treated differently than an invoice for installing a new one that becomes part of the building, and ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro invoice templates do not automatically know the difference unless someone sets them up that way.

Most shops set up one tax rule in their invoicing system years ago and apply it to every job type since, whether it is a repair call, a full install, or a maintenance agreement, without checking whether each one is actually taxed the same way under California rules.

A California sales tax audit typically pulls three years of invoices, and if labor was taxed on jobs where it should not have been, or materials were left untaxed on jobs where they should have been, the state assesses the difference across every invoice in that window, which for a shop billing a few thousand jobs a year commonly runs from ten thousand to well over fifty thousand dollars in back tax, penalties, and interest.

We are not sure our resale certificates for parts are actually good

When a contractor buys parts from a supplier specifically to install them on a customer's job, a resale certificate lets the shop buy those parts without paying sales tax to the supplier, since the tax gets collected from the customer instead when the job is billed. If that certificate is missing, expired, or filled out for the wrong purpose, the supplier is supposed to charge tax on the purchase, and if they did not, the shop can end up owing it later.

Shops that have been buying from the same supply house for years often have a certificate on file that was never updated when the business changed its name, added a location, or switched entity types, which can make it invalid without anyone realizing it.

If the state disallows a resale certificate during an audit, the shop owes use tax on every purchase made under that certificate, going back up to three years, which turns a paperwork gap into a tax bill on parts the shop thought it had already handled correctly.

We opened a second location and missed a filing after that

Adding a second shop location, even a small satellite office or a storage yard where a crew stages trucks, can require registering that address separately with California's tax agency and can change how often returns are due if combined sales push the business into a new filing frequency. Nobody at the shop usually thinks to check this when they sign the lease on the new spot.

Because the original location keeps filing on its old schedule out of habit, a missed registration for the new location or an unnoticed change in filing frequency can go unaddressed for a full filing cycle or more before anyone notices.

A missed filing after adding a location carries a failure-to-file penalty on top of the tax due, and once the state notices one missed period tied to an unregistered location it typically checks every period since the location opened, which can turn one overlooked filing into a full year or more of penalties and interest.

How we fix each of those

  1. 01

    A parts-versus-labor review of your actual invoice templates

    We go through your ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro invoice templates job type by job type, repair, install, and maintenance agreement, and set the tax rules to match how California actually taxes each one, so the split is built into the invoice instead of decided invoice by invoice.

  2. 02

    A resale certificate check with every major supplier on file

    We pull the resale certificates you have on file with your parts suppliers, confirm each one is current and correctly filled out for your entity, and reissue any that are missing or outdated, so the shop is not paying tax twice on parts it is already collecting tax on from the customer.

  3. 03

    Registration and a filing calendar update whenever you add a location

    As soon as a new location or yard is added, we register it with the state, check whether combined sales push the business into a new filing frequency, and update the filing calendar so returns for both locations go out on time from the first period the new address is open.

Everything included

  • Parts versus labor taxability review by job type
  • ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro invoice template tax setup
  • Resale certificate collection and renewal with suppliers
  • State and local sales tax registration for new locations
  • Voluntary disclosure agreement filings for prior exposure
  • Rate and product taxability verification
  • Monthly, quarterly, or annual return preparation and filing
  • Notice and audit response support

Contractors who have already done this

Real Google reviews from owners we work with, next to the engagements behind the numbers.

  • Google review

    As a home services company, I feel that High Velocity Accounting has elevated our business to the next level. We are able to dig deeper into our numbers, report accurately and make adjustments where needed. They are very responsive, detail oriented and an extension of our team.

    Cathleen Helin

    Owner, Home Services

    Clovis, CA

  • Case study

    How a Construction Company Cleaned Up Two Years of Books and Financed New Equipment

    Construction · $2.8M - $4.1M annual revenue

    Books brought current
    22 months
    Equipment loan approved
    $680,000
    Read the full breakdown
  • Google review

    I have been so genuinely pleased with High Velocity Accounting's services. I feel I have an extension of our team in Brett and his team. They always make time for my questions and look for strategic ways to build our businesses mutually. I rest easy knowing our books are kept in good order and our taxes are prepared professionally. I never hesitate to recommend this firm to any service business owners looking for professional book keeping and tax services.

    Texas Medley

    Owner, Service Contracting

    Clovis, CA

  • Google review

    We have been using High Velocity Accounting for a couple years now and are so thankful for their service! They are meticulous, thorough, dependable and always ready to deal with a curveball. Kind, patient, gracious. Thank you for your service and the relationship we've developed together.

    Grant Schoenberger

    Client, Trades

    Clovis, CA

  • Google review

    Brett Neal has been our family's accountant for over six years now, because he is the most dependable professional in this business. We started with Brett as two separate single-filers with simple W-2's and quickly graduated to a married couple having multiple types of complicated business/tax filings. Brett took every shift in stride; every transition has been carried out smoothly and without any hiccups. Trust that this is the guy for all your filing, bookkeeping, and financial consulting needs.

    Alyssa Cotrina

    Business Owner, Trades

    Clovis, CA

Talk to a CPA who will actually pick up the phone

Start with a 30-minute consultation at no cost. You will leave it knowing what the work involves, what it costs, and what happens next.