(720) 333-7274 • Mon–Thu 8–4, Fri 8–12 MT · Castle Rock, CO
TBA & Associates Accounting & Bookkeeping
Locksmiths specialty

Locksmith accounting — mobile, retail, automotive.

Mobile service routing, parts inventory, after-hours and emergency premium tracking, and the books that separate residential from automotive from commercial revenue.

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Locksmithing has three distinct revenue streams (residential, commercial, automotive) with different margins, different software workflows, and different tax-credit eligibility on transponder programming equipment. A generic chart of accounts mixes them and you cannot price each correctly.

We work with mobile-only locksmiths, retail-plus-mobile shops, and automotive transponder specialists.

What we handle

  • Revenue separation — residential, commercial, automotive each as separate revenue lines.
  • Parts inventory — locks, deadbolts, transponders, blanks.
  • Job costing on installs and master-key systems.
  • After-hours premium tracking.
  • Equipment depreciation on transponder programmers, code cutters, key-cutting machines.
Field note: emergency call pricing

A mobile locksmith was charging the same trip-and-labor for 11 PM lockouts as for noon house calls. Margin on after-hours was actually 14 points lower because of overtime burden and reduced productivity. They added a documented after-hours premium and the following quarter ran the highest margin in their history.

If / Then

If you are mobile-only and one truck, simple monthly bookkeeping works.
If you mix retail and mobile, separate the two.
If you do automotive transponders, parts inventory + equipment depreciation matters.

The Bottom Line

Three revenue streams, three margins, real after-hours math.

From $350/month for solo mobile locksmiths.

Frequently asked questions

Software?

Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan all work. Choice depends on shop size.

Sales tax on rekey?

Parts taxable; labor generally not in CO. Cities can differ.

Workers comp class code?

Locksmithing is typically a low-risk class code — usually 5470 or similar. Verify with insurer.

Section 179 on transponder programmers?

Yes — qualifying business equipment expensed in year 1.

Reviewed by

Kali Gilliland · Founder & Lead Accountant

Kali Gilliland is the founder of TBA & Associates and has spent more than a decade serving small businesses across the Denver metro and Colorado Springs corridor. She handles everything from monthly bookkeeping to multi-state tax planning, with a long-term client roster that goes back 10+ years.

Also serving

Industries we work with across the Denver metro

Plumbers Electricians HVAC Contractors Roofers General Contractors Painters Landscapers Concrete Contractors Flooring Contractors Window & Door Installers

Ready for an accountant who picks up the phone?

Get a quote in under 24 hours. No long contracts, no jargon — just clean books and honest tax planning from a Denver-area firm trusted by small businesses for more than a decade.

Get a Free Quote Call (720) 333-7274