Bars & nightlife
Books and taxes for arcade bars.
A game card reloaded at the kiosk, a pinball machine that needs a new flipper, a beer poured between rounds, and a leased fighting game cabinet. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $13,200. Two pinball machines were down most of the month waiting on parts, so I flagged the repair cost against a slight dip in game card reloads.
- Square payout, barDrink sales
- Game card kiosk depositsGame card revenue
- Arcade parts supplierMachine repair
- Cabinet leasing invoiceLeased game cabinets
- Beer distributor invoiceBeer purchases
Why your books are different
An arcade bar's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and a beer bill. Your bar is a card kiosk that loads credits nobody has spent yet, machines that break and cost real money to fix, and leased cabinets that come with their own bill whether they earn their keep or not.
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1
Loaded game cards count as income too soon
A customer who loads $30 onto a game card has not actually played anything yet, and counted as income the day the card is loaded, a big weekend of reloads can make a month look stronger than the games actually earned.
What we doKeeps game card loads visible against actual play, so a busy reload weekend does not get mistaken for games that were really played. -
2
Machine repair costs get buried in general supplies
A pinball flipper, a broken joystick, or a jammed coin mechanism costs real money to fix, and filed as a general supply purchase, an owner cannot tell which machines are actually worth keeping on the floor.
What we doKeeps machine repair and parts in their own line so a costly machine shows up clearly instead of hiding in general supplies. -
3
Leased cabinets look like owned equipment
A leased fighting game or racing cabinet comes with a recurring bill, and booked the same as equipment you own outright, it can throw off how much the arcade side of the business is really costing you each month.
What we doKeeps leased cabinet payments in their own category, separate from owned equipment, so the real monthly cost of the game floor is visible. -
4
Game revenue and bar revenue blur together
A single point of sale that rings up drinks and game credits together makes it hard to tell whether the games or the bar is really carrying the business, and pricing decisions get made on a guess instead of a real number.
What we doKeeps game card revenue and drink sales in separate categories so each side of the business shows what it actually earns. -
5
A new machine purchase looks like a repair
Buying a new pinball machine or arcade cabinet outright is a real equipment purchase, but it can land on a bank statement looking like a routine repair or supply cost and get expensed the wrong way.
What we doFlags a new machine purchase the month it happens and gets the accountant's call on how it should be written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an arcade bar.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Drink salesBeer, cocktails, and food rung through Square or a similar system.
- Game card revenueCredits loaded at the kiosk and spent on machines.
- Private eventsBuyouts and party bookings for the whole floor.
- MerchandiseBranded shirts and tokens sold at the counter.
Money out
- Beer purchasesDomestic and craft beer from your distributor.
- Liquor purchasesSpirits and mixers for the full bar.
- Machine repairParts and service for pinball and arcade machines.
- Leased game cabinetsRecurring payments on cabinets you do not own outright.
- Wages and tip poolBar and floor staff pay, kept apart from pooled tips.
- Card processing feesWhat the card processor keeps before you get paid.
- Liquor license and insuranceLicense renewal and liquor liability coverage.
What we watch for you
- Game card breakage
Loaded credits never spent, a real number worth knowing for planning.
- Machine uptime
How many machines are working against how many you have, tracked by the month.
- Game share of revenue
Game card revenue against drink sales, so you know what really carries the room.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things arcade bar owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Usually all in the year you buy it. I logged the machine as equipment and flagged the purchase so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
A lot of that was reloads, not actual play. I keep loaded credits visible against real play, so a big reload weekend does not hide that the machines were short.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of an arcade bar.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Card loads counted too early, leased machines mixed with owned ones, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Owned arcade machinesPinball machines and arcade cabinets you buy outright can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA repair technician or DJ not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Employee or contractorA bartender or floor attendant who works your schedule and your floor is usually an employee, not a contractor, even part time.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions arcade bars miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Machine parts and repair
- Leased cabinet payments
- Game card kiosk maintenance
- Coin mechanism repair
- Card processing fees
- Liquor liability insurance
- Branded staff uniforms
- Bar glassware and tools
- Liquor license renewal
- Cleaning supplies for the floor
- Pest control service
- Menu and price list printing
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An arcade bar year, kept every month.
Weekend and evening crowds carry most weeks, and a machine breakdown can hit any month. Your team keeps you ahead of both the floor and the return. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for repair techs and contractors is ready, and your monthly set-aside is planned.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a summer machine refresh changed the number.
- October
Before the busy season
Before evenings get busier heading into the holidays, Gus looks at machine purchases and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for arcade bars. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions arcade bar owners ask first.
Can Gus tell the difference between loaded game cards and actual play?
Yes. He keeps card loads visible against real play, so a big weekend of reloads does not get mistaken for games that were actually played on the floor.
We lease some of our cabinets. Does that change how they are booked?
Yes. Leased cabinet payments stay separate from equipment you own outright, so the real monthly cost of the game floor is visible instead of blended together.
A few machines needed repair this month. Does that hurt the numbers?
It shows up honestly. Machine repair and parts stay in their own line, so a costly machine is visible instead of buried in general supplies.
Do I write off a new pinball machine all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought outright for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
My books are behind since we added more machines. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever