Campgrounds, RV parks & glamping
Books and taxes for cabin and cottage resorts.
A dozen lakefront cabins rented Saturday to Saturday, a bait and tackle counter, dock and boat rental fees, and the crew that puts the docks in every spring. 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
July came in at $19,500. Two families rebooked next year's same week and paid a deposit, so that money is held until next summer, not counted now.
- Weekly cabin rentalsCabin rentals
- Bait and tackle counterBait shop sales
- Boat rental depositsBoat and dock rentals
- Lakeside Marine FuelBoat fuel inventory
- Dock Crew LLCDock installation labor
Why your books are different
Cabin and cottage resort books go wrong around the lake, not the cabins.
You are running a small hotel and a marina at the same time, cabins rented by the week, a bait shop at the counter, and boats that need fuel, docks, and insurance. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell whether the marina side pulls its weight next to the cabins.
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1
A returning family's deposit for next summer gets counted this year
A family who has stayed the same week for a decade often books and pays a deposit for next year before they leave. Counted as this year's income, it inflates the current season and leaves next year looking thinner than it will be.
What we doHolds next season's deposits separate from this year's earned income until that stay actually happens. -
2
Bait shop and marina sales blend into cabin rent
Bait, tackle, and boat fuel sales ring up through the same register as cabin bookings, so you cannot tell whether the shop and marina side make money or just cover what they cost to stock and staff.
What we doKeeps bait shop and marina sales in their own lines, separate from cabin rental income. -
3
Dock installation and removal is a real seasonal labor cost
Putting docks in each spring and pulling them before ice season is a significant crew cost that many owners absorb into general payroll without ever seeing what it actually costs each year.
What we doKeeps dock installation and removal labor in its own line so the real cost of the season's setup is visible. -
4
Winterizing cabin plumbing gets lost in general upkeep
Draining pipes and winterizing each cabin before the cold months is a distinct, recurring cost specific to a seasonal lake resort, and it often disappears into a catch-all maintenance line where nobody tracks it year to year.
What we doKeeps winterization costs in their own line so you know what closing the resort down actually costs each fall. -
5
Weekly turnover cleaning is heavier than a nightly cabin's
A Saturday changeover across a dozen cabins in one day is a bigger, more concentrated cleaning cost than a resort with rolling nightly turnover, and it is easy to underprice a week without seeing that real cost.
What we doKeeps turnover cleaning in its own line so you can see it against your weekly rental rate.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a cabin and cottage resort.
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
- Cabin rentalsWeekly and nightly bookings across the resort.
- Bait shop salesBait, tackle, and fishing supplies sold at the counter.
- Boat and dock rentalsBoat rentals and slip fees for the season.
- Deposits heldNext season's returning-guest deposits, not yet earned.
- Group and reunion bookingsMultiple cabins rented as a block for a family or group.
Money out
- Dock installation laborThe crew that sets docks in spring and pulls them in fall.
- Boat fuel inventoryFuel bought to resell to guests renting boats.
- WinterizationDraining and prepping cabin plumbing before the cold season.
- Turnover cleaningWeekly changeover cleaning across every cabin.
- UtilitiesElectric, water, and septic for the whole property.
- Marina and dock maintenanceRepairs to docks, lifts, and boat storage.
- InsuranceProperty, liability, and marina coverage.
What we watch for you
- Occupancy rate
Weeks booked against weeks available across the season.
- Bait shop and marina margin
Whether the shop and boat rentals earn their keep.
- Dock and winterization cost
The real yearly cost of opening and closing the resort.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things cabin resort 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.
No, I am holding it for next season. This year's number only reflects stays that actually happened this year.
This month it cleared about $640 after inventory. Not huge, but it is earning its keep next to the cabins.
If they are not on payroll and you pay them $2,000 or more this year, yes, by January 31. I am keeping that total running as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a cabin and cottage resort.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing on returning-guest deposits and getting marina and shop income properly separated from cabin rent.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Lodging or occupancy taxMost states and many counties tax overnight and weekly stays. It is collected from guests and usually filed separately from your business income return.
- Sales tax on bait shop and marina salesMerchandise, bait, and fuel sold at the counter are often subject to state sales tax, separate from any lodging tax on the cabin stay itself.
- Contractor 1099sA dock crew, marina repair contractor, or grounds worker paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Depreciation of docks and marina equipmentDocks, boat lifts, and rental boats can often be depreciated, and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
Deductions cabin and cottage resorts miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Dock installation and removal
- Boat fuel inventory
- Winterization supplies
- Turnover cleaning service
- Bait and tackle inventory
- Dock and lift repair
- Boat rental maintenance
- Marina insurance
- Cabin linens and towels
- Directional signage
- Business liability insurance
- Well and septic service
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 cabin and cottage resort year, kept every month.
Your season runs from ice-out to ice-in. Your tax deadlines run on their own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan before the season
Last year's return gets started, the dock crew 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside before deposits start arriving.
- April
Filed before opening
Your return is filed and signed while you are still getting docks and cabins ready, not during your busiest week.
- July
Midseason check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this summer's bookings are running ahead of last year.
- October
Before winterizing
A look at what the season brought in and what dock or cabin repairs are worth making before you close for winter.
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 cabin and cottage resorts. 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 cabin resort owners ask first.
Our regulars pay a deposit for next summer before they leave. How does Gus handle that?
He holds it separate from this year's income until that stay actually happens, so neither season looks inflated or thin because of it.
Is the bait and tackle shop something Gus tracks separately from cabin rentals?
Yes. It gets its own category so you can see exactly what the shop earns against what it costs to stock, apart from cabin income.
We pay a crew to put docks in every spring and pull them every fall. Is that a big deal for the books?
It is a real cost worth tracking on its own, and Gus keeps it in its own line so you know what it costs every year, not just that it happened.
Our cabins need to be winterized every fall. Does that count as a repair?
It is usually an ordinary operating cost rather than a capital repair, and Gus keeps it in its own line so you can see the true cost of closing up each year.
We rent some cabins by the week and a few nightly. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus tracks each booking by what it actually was, whether it is a week-long stay or a single night.
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.
More in campgrounds, RV parks & glamping
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Fishing guides (inshore / freshwater)
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- Gun clubs & private shooting clubs
- Hiking & backpacking guide services
- Houseboat rentals
- Hunting land leasing
- Hunting outfitters & guides
- Hunting preserves & lodges
- Kayak & paddleboard rentals and tours
- Marinas
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