Vehicle sales & auto services

Books and taxes for car buying and auto broker businesses.

A broker commission, a car bought for cash off a consumer, a quick wholesale flip, and a lender's referral fee all move through the books differently. Gus sorts every dollar into its own line, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
FebruaryExample month
$8,800
what you made

February netted $8,800. The truck you bought on the 28th and flipped wholesale in March got matched together, so the real profit on it shows up as one deal.

  • Broker fee, client purchaseBroker commissions
  • Quick flip sale, wholesaleVehicle resale
  • Cash buy, consumer tradeVehicle acquisitions
  • Transport to auctionTransport and logistics
  • Google Ads, we buy your carAdvertising
Money in$42,600
Money out$33,800
Set aside for taxes$2,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A car buying and broker business's books go wrong around what kind of deal it was.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business sometimes earns a flat fee for finding a car and sometimes buys one outright to flip within days, and those two things need to be tracked completely differently. When the books blur them together, you cannot tell which side of the business actually pays.

  1. 1

    Broker fees and vehicle sales get treated the same

    Some deals earn you a flat fee for finding and negotiating a car on a client's behalf, while others involve buying a car outright and reselling it, and if both land as one kind of income, you cannot tell which side of the business actually makes money.

    What we doKeeps broker commissions separate from vehicle resale income, so each side of the business shows its real return.
  2. 2

    A quick flip looks like a long hold

    Buying a car from a consumer for cash and reselling it within days is a fast transaction, but if the purchase and eventual sale land in different months without being matched, one month looks like a big cost and the next looks like a windfall.

    What we doMatches each vehicle's buy and resale so the true profit shows up together, even across a month-end.
  3. 3

    Referral fees get lost in general income

    A lender or dealer sometimes pays a referral fee for sending them a client, and that fee can look identical to a broker commission from a client even though it comes from a different source and often carries different tax treatment.

    What we doKeeps referral fees in their own line, separate from client-paid broker commissions.
  4. 4

    Sourcing advertising gets buried

    Running ads to get consumers to sell you their car is a real, ongoing cost of sourcing inventory, and if it is mixed with general marketing, it is hard to tell if a sourcing campaign is actually worth what it costs.

    What we doKeeps vehicle-sourcing advertising in its own line so you can see what it costs to bring in a car this way.
  5. 5

    Appraisal costs get skipped

    Paying for a pre-purchase inspection or appraisal before buying a client's car or a consumer's trade is a real cost tied to that specific deal, and it is easy to let it disappear into miscellaneous expenses.

    What we doTies inspection and appraisal costs to the vehicle they were spent on, so the true cost of a deal is clear.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a car buying and broker business.

Set up once for how fees and vehicle buys come in. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Broker commissionsFlat fees or a percentage earned finding and negotiating a vehicle purchase for a client.
  • Vehicle resaleCars bought directly from consumers and quickly resold, retail or wholesale.
  • Referral feesPayments from a lender or dealer for sending them business.
  • Inspection and appraisal feesCharges for evaluating a vehicle before a client buys it.

Money out

  • Vehicle acquisitionsCash paid to consumers for cars bought outright.
  • Transport and logisticsMoving a bought vehicle to a wholesale buyer, auction, or the next owner.
  • AdvertisingCampaigns to attract consumers looking to sell or clients looking to buy.
  • Inspection and appraisal costsPre-purchase evaluations on vehicles being bought or brokered.
  • Licensing and bondingAny dealer or broker license and bond required in your state.
  • Vehicle history reportsReports pulled before a purchase or brokered deal.
  • Office and phone expensesThe tools used to source and negotiate deals.

What we watch for you

  • Broker versus buy-resell mix

    How much of the month's income is fee-based brokering versus buying and reselling cars outright.

  • Average flip time

    How quickly a bought car turns into a resale, since cash tied up longer costs more.

  • Gross per flip

    What a bought-and-resold car actually returned once transport and fees are considered.

  • Sourcing ad cost per car

    What it costs in advertising to bring in one vehicle to buy.

Ask Gus

Things car buying and broker 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 bought a guy's truck for cash on the 28th and sold it wholesale on the 3rd of next month. Does that mess up my numbers?

No, I match the buy and the resale together, so the real profit on that truck shows up as one deal, even though it crossed the month-end.

I earned a referral fee from a lender this month along with my usual broker fees. Are those the same thing?

Not quite. I keep referral fees separate from client-paid broker commissions, since they come from a different source.

I'm running ads to get people to sell me their cars. Is that worth tracking separately?

Yes, I keep that spend in its own line so you can see what it actually costs to source a car this way, compared to what it sells for.

The tax side

The tax side of a car buying and broker business.

Most of what goes wrong here is telling a fee from a vehicle purchase. Getting that split right is what makes the return come out clean.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Broker fees versus bought vehiclesA commission for arranging a deal is ordinary income the month it is earned. A car bought outright is inventory, and its cost only counts against income when it resells.
  • Cash purchases need a paper trailPaying a consumer cash for their car is a legitimate cost, but it needs a record of what was paid and to whom to hold up as a deduction.
  • Self-employment tax on profitA sole proprietor or partner pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on business profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base for 2026.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, with limits starting above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint taxable income.

Deductions car buying and auto broker businesses miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Vehicle history reports
  • Pre-purchase inspection fees
  • Transport and hauling costs
  • Sourcing advertising campaigns
  • Broker or dealer license fees
  • Bond renewal costs
  • Phone and deal-tracking software
  • Bank wire fees on cash buys
  • Title and lien search fees
  • Fuel for test drives and pickups
  • Notary and paperwork fees
  • Office space or coworking fees

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 car buying and broker business's year, kept every month.

Deals close whenever a buyer and seller agree. Your taxes come on a 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned before tax refund season brings more cash sellers and buyers.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed while refund season keeps deals moving. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand at midyear, what you will owe, and whether broker fees or buy-and-resell deals have been carrying the business so far.

  4. October

    Before year end

    Gus looks at any vehicles still sitting unsold and what that does to the year's number before the calendar turns.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 car buying and auto broker businesses. 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 car buying and broker owners ask first.

I both broker deals for clients and buy cars outright to flip. Can Gus keep those separate?

Yes. Broker commissions and vehicle resale income stay in their own categories, so you can see which side of the business actually earns more.

I bought a car in one month and sold it the next. Does that confuse the books?

No. Gus matches the buy and the resale together, so the real profit on that vehicle shows up as one deal, even across a month-end.

Do you handle the paperwork when I broker a deal for a client?

No. Gus tracks the fee you earn. Negotiating the deal and any paperwork between the client and seller stays with you.

I get referral fees from a lender sometimes. Is that different from my broker fees?

Yes, they get their own category since they come from a different source than a client-paid commission, even though both are real income.

I run ads to find people who want to sell their car. Is that worth tracking on its own?

Yes. Gus keeps sourcing advertising in its own line so you can see what it actually costs to bring in a car this way.

My last year of records is just a list of cars bought and sold with no detail. Can that be fixed?

Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it into broker fees, vehicle buys, and resales as best he can, then tells you where you stand.

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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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