Auto Repair & Body Shops

CPA for Auto Repair & Body Shops in Los Angeles

A busy shop can still have unclear margins. The books need to connect repair orders, parts purchases, technician payroll, sublet work, insurance receivables, and California sales tax so owners can see what the operation is actually producing.

Shop aware

Parts, labor & repair orders

Books + tax

One coordinated workflow

POS reconciled

Shop system to ledger

Plain English

Clear findings

Accounting and tax services for an automotive business

Monthly bookkeeping and cleanup

Bank, card, merchant, payroll, loan, and repair-system reconciliation; financial statements; and cleanup when prior balances are unsupported.

California sales-tax support

Reconciliation of taxable and nontaxable activity to filed returns, review of source reports, and filing support within the agreed scope using current CDTFA guidance.

Business and owner tax

Return preparation and planning coordinated with the shop's books, fixed assets, inventory records, payroll, and known changes in the business.

Entity, payroll, and compliance

Entity and S-corporation review, payroll setup, information reporting, and recurring compliance based on the facts and approved engagement.

California auto-repair sales tax is transaction specific

Parts, labor, supplies, core charges, warranties, insurance work, smog-related activity, and sublet services can be treated differently. We do not apply a single percentage to every repair order. We trace the shop's invoicing setup and filed returns to the CDTFA Tax Guide for Auto Repair Garages and flag questions that require agency or legal interpretation.

Official guidance relevant to the shop

Businesses this page is designed for

Frequently asked questions

Usually, after reviewing the available exports, posting settings, merchant deposits, and current chart of accounts. We define the source report for each balance and a practical reconciliation frequency during onboarding.

Do not assume one rule covers every invoice. The treatment depends on the type of labor, parts, charges, and transaction. We compare the shop's activity with current CDTFA guidance and document unresolved questions.

The title or payment method does not decide worker status. Federal and California tests consider the actual working relationship and applicable rules. We help implement an approved determination and recommend employment counsel when needed.

Typical records include bank and card statements, shop-system reports, merchant reports, payroll files, sales-tax returns, loan statements, parts or inventory records, fixed-asset details, prior tax returns, and current financial statements.

Bring the shop system and the books into the same close

Tell us which systems you use, how repair orders reach the ledger, and where reporting or compliance is unclear. A CPA will follow up to discuss scope and next steps.

Request a Consultation(747) 717-1243
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