Home, hobby & lifestyle retail
Books and taxes for beauty supply stores.
A licensed stylist buying at your pro discount, a high-ticket wig kept behind the counter, a loyalty point redemption, and a Mother's Day rush at the register. Your own bookkeeper keeps it straight, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $9,600. Mother's Day and prom season pushed extension and wig sales up, so I kept those high-ticket items apart from everyday retail.
- Register batch, retail floorIn-store sales
- Beauty distributor wholesale invoiceWholesale inventory
- Pro salon account, VasquezProfessional sales
- Wig and extension restockHigh-ticket inventory
- Loyalty point redemptionsIn-store sales
Why your books are different
A beauty supply store's books go wrong the same handful of ways.
A generalist bookkeeper sees a register total and a supplier bill. Your shop sells the same product at a retail price and a licensed-professional discount, stocks wigs and extensions that cost far more than a bottle of shampoo, and runs a loyalty points program that owes customers something later. When the books miss that, your real numbers stay a guess.
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1
Pro salon discounts blend into retail sales
A licensed stylist buying color and tools at your professional discount looks like a regular retail sale if it is not tracked separately, so you cannot see how much the pro program actually costs versus what it brings in through repeat business.
What we doKeeps professional account sales in their own line so you can see what the discount program really costs and drives. -
2
High-ticket wigs and extensions get treated like everyday stock
A single wig or bundle of extensions can cost as much as a whole shelf of other products, and a theft or damage loss on one of these items hits far harder than losing a bottle of conditioner.
What we doTracks high-ticket wig and extension inventory separately so shrinkage and margin on these items is visible on its own. -
3
Loyalty points are a promise, not a sale yet
Points earned on today's purchase get redeemed for a discount or free item later, and if the future obligation is not tracked, today's sale looks bigger than it really was after that discount eventually gets used.
What we doTracks loyalty point liability separately so redemptions later do not distort whichever month they land in. -
4
Damaged and returned cosmetics never get counted
Opened or damaged beauty products often cannot be resold, and without tracking that loss, your inventory count and true cost of goods drift further from reality every month.
What we doFlags damaged and non-resellable returns as a cost, not lost sales, so inventory stays accurate.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a beauty supply store.
Set up once for how you sell to retail and pro customers. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- In-store salesRetail register sales of hair, skin, and beauty products.
- Professional salesLicensed stylist and salon accounts at a discount.
- Online salesYour own site or a marketplace shop, kept apart from the register.
- Loyalty program salesPurchases where points are earned or redeemed.
Money out
- Wholesale inventoryOrders from beauty supply distributors.
- High-ticket inventoryWigs, extensions, and other big-ticket items, tracked apart from everyday stock.
- Store rent and utilitiesThe lease, power, and water for the shop.
- Card processing feesWhat your card processor keeps on every sale.
- Local advertisingLocal ads, salon partnerships, and paid social.
- Security and loss preventionCameras, locked cases, and alarm monitoring for high-value stock.
What we watch for you
- Pro account share
How much of sales come from professional discounts, before expanding the program further.
- High-ticket shrinkage
Loss on wigs and extensions specifically, since one missing item costs far more than everyday stock.
- Loyalty liability
Points owed to customers but not yet redeemed, tracked from the books themselves.
- The set-aside
What you will owe across pro accounts and retail sales together, tracked every month.
Ask Gus
Things beauty supply store 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.
I keep professional account sales in their own line, so I can show you exactly what the discount costs against the repeat business it drives.
Yes. High-ticket items like wigs and extensions are tracked apart from everyday stock, so a loss like that shows up clearly instead of getting lost in a general shrinkage number.
It shouldn't. I track the points liability separately, so a redemption later does not distort whichever month it happens to land in.
The tax side
The tax side of running a beauty supply store.
Most of what trips up a beauty supply store is mixed categories and timing: a pro discount, a high-ticket loss, and loyalty points that are a future obligation, not today's revenue.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Cost of goods soldWhat you paid for the products you actually sold this year reduces your taxable income, not what is still on the shelf.
- Sales tax collectedSales tax on a sale belongs to the state the moment it is collected, whether it was a retail sale, a pro discount sale, or a loyalty point redemption.
- Inventory shrinkageDamaged, expired, or stolen product that cannot be sold is a real cost of doing business, tracked apart from inventory that is simply unsold.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated beauty supply stores can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income. It comes out right when pro accounts, high-ticket items, and loyalty points are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions beauty supply stores miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Security cameras and locked cases
- Card processing fees
- Storefront signage
- Local advertising
- Business insurance
- Storage for inventory
- POS software subscription
- Loyalty program software fees
- Salon partnership costs
- Trade show travel
- Cleaning and maintenance
- Shipping and postage
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
A beauty supply store's year, kept every month.
Prom, wedding, and holiday seasons each bring their own rush, and the books stay open every month between them. 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, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled, right after the holiday gift rush settles.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since prom and wedding planning began in January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether prom and wedding season changed the picture.
- October
Before the holiday rush
High-ticket inventory and any equipment worth buying before the year's biggest gift-buying months arrive.
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 beauty supply stores. 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 beauty supply store owners ask first.
Can Gus track my professional salon accounts separately from retail sales?
Yes. Professional account sales stay in their own line, so you can see exactly what the pro discount program costs against the repeat business it brings in.
I stock expensive wigs and extensions. Do those need special tracking?
Yes. High-ticket items are tracked apart from everyday stock, so a loss or theft on one of these shows up clearly instead of blending into a general shrinkage number.
My loyalty program gives out free products eventually. Does that complicate the books?
No. Gus tracks the points liability separately, so a redemption later does not distort whichever month it actually happens.
How do damaged or opened cosmetics that cannot be resold get handled?
Gus flags them as a cost of doing business rather than lost sales, so your inventory count and true cost of goods stay accurate.
My books are behind after a busy season. Can you catch up?
Send what you have. Gus sorts through retail sales, pro accounts, and wholesale invoices, and most owners know where they stand within 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