Campgrounds, RV parks & glamping
Books and taxes for campground and RV park buyers and investors.
A park bought with a seller-carry note, a closing statement full of costs that are not all deductible the same way, and site revenue that started the day you closed. Gus sorts it all, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March came in at $15,600. Only the interest part of your seller note payment counted as an expense this month, the principal is paying down what you owe, not a cost.
- ResNexus payoutSite rentals
- Camp store salesStore sales
- Seller note paymentLoan principal and interest
- First Community BankLoan principal and interest
- Riverside Grounds CrewGrounds keeping
Why your books are different
Books after buying a campground go wrong at the closing table.
You did not start this business, you bought it, and the closing statement, the seller note, and the purchase price all carry tax weight that a business built from scratch never has. When the books do not separate that from ordinary operations, the return that follows can miss what it should catch.
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1
Seller note payments get treated as one expense
A monthly payment to the seller who financed part of your purchase is really two different things, principal that pays down what you owe and interest that is deductible. Booked as a single expense, your write-offs and your real debt balance both come out wrong.
What we doSplits seller note payments into principal and interest, so only the interest counts as an expense. -
2
Closing costs get expensed the month you paid them
Legal fees, title work, and inspection costs from the purchase are often not fully deductible the year you pay them, some get added to the cost of the property instead and recovered over time.
What we doFlags closing costs from the purchase and keeps them visible for the accountant to allocate correctly. -
3
The purchase price never gets split between land and equipment
What you paid for the park has to be divided between land, buildings, and personal property like golf carts and mowers, and each piece depreciates differently. Skipping that split usually means overpaying in taxes for years.
What we doKeeps the closing statement and any appraisal on file so the accountant can allocate the purchase price correctly at tax time. -
4
The first year's numbers mix the seller's activity with yours
Deposits that hit your account right after closing sometimes belong to stays the previous owner booked and collected for, which can inflate your first month if it is not sorted out.
What we doAsks about deposits from stays that started before your closing date, so your numbers reflect only what you actually earned. -
5
Owning more than one park blurs together in one account
An investor who buys a second campground often runs both through the same bank account at first, making it impossible to tell which property is actually performing.
What we doKeeps each property's income and expenses separate, even when they briefly share a bank account, and flags when it is time to fully separate them.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a recently acquired campground.
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
- Site rentalsNightly, seasonal, and monthly bookings after closing.
- Store and amenity salesCamp store, firewood, and day-use income.
- Group and event rentalsReunions, rallies, and block bookings.
- Day-use feesNon-camping visitors paying for pool or trail access.
Money out
- Loan principal and interestSeller note and bank loan payments, split correctly.
- Closing and acquisition costsLegal, title, and inspection costs from the purchase, flagged for the accountant.
- Grounds keeping and utilitiesStandard operating costs across the property.
- Equipment and vehiclesMowers, golf carts, and similar equipment acquired or bought since closing.
- InsuranceProperty and liability coverage for the park.
- PayrollStaff kept on or hired since the acquisition.
- Booking and payment processing feesWhat your booking site or card processor keeps.
What we watch for you
- Debt service coverage
Whether monthly income comfortably covers your loan payments.
- Occupancy rate
Nights booked against nights available, tracked from your first month of ownership forward.
- Seller's discretionary earnings
What the park actually generates before your financing costs, useful if you refinance or sell.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things campground buyers 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, only the interest part is. I split it out each month so only that piece counts as an expense, the rest is paying down principal.
Some of it, but not always all at once. I kept the closing statement on file and flagged the costs so the accountant can sort out what gets deducted now versus added to the property's basis.
Each property gets kept separate from the start, even if you run them through one account at first. That way you always know how each one is actually doing.
The tax side
The tax side of buying a campground or RV park.
Most of what goes wrong here happens once, right at the purchase, and it is worth getting right because it affects years of returns after.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Purchase price allocationThe price you paid has to be split between land, buildings, and personal property like equipment, since each depreciates differently. This usually needs the accountant working from the closing statement and any appraisal.
- Seller-financed note paymentsOnly the interest portion of a payment to a seller who financed part of the sale is deductible. The principal portion reduces what you owe, it is not an expense.
- Land improvement depreciationRoads, utility pads, and septic systems on the acquired property can sometimes be depreciated on a faster schedule than the buildings, depending on what exists and what condition it is in at purchase.
- Bonus depreciation on acquired equipmentEquipment that comes with the purchase, like mowers or golf carts, may qualify for 100 percent bonus depreciation if acquired after January 19, 2025, or Section 179 up to $2,560,000.
Deductions campground and RV park buyers and investors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Closing and title costs
- Loan origination fees
- Appraisal and inspection fees
- Equipment acquired with the purchase
- Grounds keeping and repairs
- Booking and payment processing fees
- Business liability insurance
- Staff retained after closing
- Utility deposits transferred at close
- Signage updates after a rebrand
- Travel for property visits
- Legal fees for lease and contract review
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 year after buying a campground, kept every month.
The first year after a purchase carries extra weight at tax time. Gus keeps the ordinary operations moving while the acquisition details get their own attention. 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 closing documents are gathered for the accountant, and you get a monthly set-aside for the year ahead.
- April
Filed and done
Your return is filed and signed, with the purchase price allocation and note interest handled correctly the first time.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the park is performing the way your underwriting expected.
- October
Before year-end planning
A look at equipment or improvements worth making before December, and what next year's numbers are shaping up to look like.
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 campground and RV park buyers and investors. 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 campground buyers and investors ask first.
We financed part of the purchase through the seller. How does Gus handle that payment?
He splits each payment into principal and interest, since only the interest is deductible. The principal just reduces what you owe on the note.
Can Gus help us figure out the purchase price allocation for taxes?
Gus keeps your closing statement and any appraisal on file and flags the purchase for the accountant, who works out the allocation between land, buildings, and equipment.
We own two RV parks now. Do we need two subscriptions?
Yes, one flat subscription covers one business. Keeping each property on its own subscription keeps the books and the return clean for each one.
Some deposits in our first month after closing were for stays the previous owner booked. What happens to those?
Gus asks about deposits tied to stays that started before your closing date, so your first month reflects only what you actually earned as the new owner.
Does Gus help with due diligence before we buy a park?
No, due diligence on a purchase is outside the subscription. Once you own the park, Gus keeps the monthly books clean, which also happens to make the next sale or refinance easier down the road.
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.
- Cabin & cottage resorts
- Campground developers (new builds)
- Farm stay & boondocking hosts
- Glamping resorts
- Group camps & retreat centers
- Long-term & monthly RV parks
- Membership campgrounds
- Private campgrounds
- RV parks (transient / overnight)
- RV resorts (luxury)
- Tent & primitive campgrounds
- Tiny home villages & rentals
- Treehouse rentals
- Yurt & safari tent camps
- Aerial adventure & ropes courses
- Archery ranges & pro shops
- ATV & off-road parks
- Bait & tackle shops
- Bike rentals & bike tours
- Disc golf courses & shops
- Fishing guides (inshore / freshwater)
- Fly fishing guides & shops
- 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