Outdoor attractions & tours
Books and taxes for cave and cavern tour operators.
Timed tour tickets, group and school bookings, an underground lighting and walkway system that needs constant upkeep, and guides who lead every trip below ground. 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. The walkway handrail replacement in the lower chamber is logged as equipment, not a routine repair.
- Timed tour ticket batchTimed tour tickets
- School field trip depositsGroup and school bookings
- Underground lighting contractorLighting and electrical upkeep
- Walkway handrail replacementWalkway and safety infrastructure
- Guide payroll runGuide wages
Why your books are different
Cave tour books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees ticket sales and a walk underground. Your business keeps a lighting and walkway system running in a place with no natural daylight, sells timed tickets to control how many people are underground at once, and books school groups weeks ahead. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell what keeping the cave safe actually costs.
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1
Underground infrastructure looks like routine repair
Lighting systems, handrails, and walkway surfaces underground take more wear than an ordinary building and often need replacement on a real schedule, not just when something breaks.
What we doFlags major lighting and walkway work, books it as equipment when it extends the infrastructure's life, and gets the accountant's call on how it gets written off. -
2
Timed ticket capacity limits get ignored in the books
Selling tours in timed groups to manage how many people are underground means revenue is naturally capped per tour time, and looking at total tickets without tour times hides which slots are actually full.
What we doKeeps ticket sales visible by how the tours actually run, so you can see which times are selling out and which are not. -
3
School group deposits get counted before the trip happens
A school books a spring cave tour in February and pays a deposit, with the balance due the visit day. Counting the whole thing in February overstates a slow month and understates the one where the buses actually arrive.
What we doHolds group deposits until the tour date, so income lands in the month the trip actually happened. -
4
Ventilation and electrical costs get buried in general utilities
Keeping air moving and lights running deep underground is a real, ongoing cost that does not change much whether the cave is busy or quiet, and it gets lost if it is not tracked on its own.
What we doKeeps ventilation and electrical costs in their own line, so this fixed cost stays visible against how the season is actually going.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a cave tour company.
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
- Timed tour ticketsStandard tours, sold by time slot.
- Group and school bookingsField trips booked ahead, tied to the tour date.
- Specialty and photography toursExtended or off-route tours with special access.
- Gift shopMerchandise and rock and mineral sales.
Money out
- Guide wagesHourly or per-tour pay for underground guides.
- Lighting and electrical upkeepUnderground lighting systems and wiring maintenance.
- Walkway and safety infrastructureHandrails, steps, and walkway surface repair.
- Ventilation systemsAir circulation equipment kept running underground.
- InsuranceLiability coverage for guided underground tours.
- Permits and land accessState or private land use permits for the cave.
What we watch for you
- Tour time fill rate
How full each timed tour slot runs, so you know which times to add or drop.
- Underground infrastructure cost trend
Lighting and walkway costs tracked over time, so a big replacement month does not look like a crisis.
- Fixed cost per open day
Ventilation and electrical cost against days open, since these bills barely move with attendance.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things cave tour 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 logged it as equipment, since it is a real infrastructure upgrade with lasting value, not a quick fix. The accountant decides how it gets written off.
In May, when the trip actually happens. I hold deposits until the tour date so the books match real activity.
Yes. Lighting and ventilation run whether the cave is busy or quiet, so I keep that cost separate to show it is fixed, not a symptom of a bad month.
The tax side
The tax side of a cave tour company.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: infrastructure work filed as a repair, and group deposits counted too early.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Depreciation on lighting and walkway infrastructureUnderground lighting systems, walkways, and handrails are business equipment. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, and Section 179 can often write off qualifying work in the year it is done.
- Deferred revenue on group depositsSchool and group deposits are not fully earned the day they are collected. They get recognized as income when the tour actually happens.
- Worker classification for guidesGuides who follow your route, schedule, and safety procedures underground are usually employees, even if paid per tour.
- 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 cave and cavern tour operators miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Underground lighting repair
- Walkway and handrail replacement
- Ventilation equipment
- Guide headlamps and gear
- Liability insurance
- Land use permits
- Booking app fees
- Signage and wayfinding
- Emergency communication equipment
- Uniforms and staff shirts
- Gift shop fixtures
- First aid supplies
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 cave tour year, kept every month.
The cave itself does not change with the seasons, but your visitors do. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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 the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a quiet winter does not catch you short.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed ahead of the busy spring school trip season.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the height of summer tourist season, and whether tour slots are filling well.
- October
Before the slowdown
A look at underground infrastructure work worth doing before winter and anything worth buying 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 cave and cavern tour operators. 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 cave tour owners ask first.
Do lighting and walkway repairs count differently than a normal building repair?
Gus keeps them in their own line since underground infrastructure takes more wear and often needs replacement on a real schedule, not just when something breaks.
A school books a spring trip and pays a deposit months ahead. When does that count as income?
The month the trip happens. Gus holds deposits until the tour date so income matches real activity.
Our electric bill barely changes with attendance. Is that a problem?
No. Ventilation and lighting underground run continuously, so Gus tracks that as a fixed cost, not something tied to a slow week.
We sell tours by timed entry to manage how many people are underground. Does that complicate the books?
No. Gus tracks ticket sales by tour time, so you can see which slots are filling up and which are not.
Our books are behind from a busy tourist season. 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 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