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Starting a landscaping business

A landscaping business sells regular yard care and one-off projects, and most of the early work is planning costs, prices and the season.

What you need. Equipment such as a mower, trimmer and blower, a vehicle and trailer, general liability insurance, and any licence your city or state asks for.

Pricing a job. Add up your time, crew, fuel and equipment wear, then a share of overhead and your profit. Price per visit, per season, or per project.

Break-even. Work out how many jobs a week cover your costs before you buy anything. Model’s Business estimator has a Landscaping template that does the sums.

Paperwork. Choose a business structure, get an EIN if you need one, and keep receipts. As a sole proprietor, profit goes on Schedule C. Plan for your own health coverage too.

Atlas has a PDF for this: Form SS-4 explained, how to apply for an EIN.

Open the PDF
Updated 25 days ago from ModelReviewed by the Atlas teamGeneral information, not advice for your situation

Where to go next

Price your business

Startup cost, what each job earns, and when you break even.

Model · model.snowai.app/estimator Try Model free for 3 days

Pricing is being set.

Snow AI · snowai.app/try/model Send quotes and invoices

Clients pay by card or Zelle.

Invoice · invoice.snowai.app Coverage for the self-employed

Plans for people who work for themselves.

Get Covered · getcovered.cloud

Related in Atlas 14 entries

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Pricing a service jobTime, crew, fuel, wear and overhead, then profit: a simple way to set a price.Article · PlaybookChoosing a business structureSole proprietor, LLC or corporation: what changes for tax and paperwork.Article · PlaybookHealth coverage when you work for yourselfYour options without an employer plan, and the deduction that can lower your tax.Article · PlaybookTaxes when you work for yourselfIncome tax, self-employment tax, and paying during the year.Article · Playbook

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Form SS-4 explained (PDF)How a business applies for an employer identification number (EIN).PDF · PlaybookForm W-9 (PDF)The form a contractor fills in so the payer has their legal name and taxpayer ID.PDF · DocumentsSchedule C explained (PDF)Where a sole proprietor works out business profit or loss.PDF · Tax

Terms4

Break-evenThe point where what a business brings in covers what it costs.Term · ModelEINEmployer identification number: the business’s taxpayer ID from the IRS.Term · PlaybookSelf-employed health insurance deductionSelf-employed people can often deduct what they pay for their own health insurance.Term · PlaybookEstimated tax paymentsPayments made during the year on income that has no tax withheld, usually each quarter.Term · Tax

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ModelIncome, expenses and filing, with the levers that change the outcome side by side.App · ModelInvoiceCreate, send and keep invoices; clients pay by card or Zelle.App · InvoicePlaybookBusiness and health, explained for people who run their own.App · Playbook

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