Senior care & aging services
Books and taxes for companion care services.
Block-hour packages sold before they are used, cancellation fees, drive time to appointments, and a mix of employed and independent companions. Your own bookkeeper keeps it straight, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one clear number each month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
October netted $6,000. Part of a family's block-hour package is still unused, so I only counted the hours actually worked as income this month.
- Block-hour package purchasePackage purchase, unearned
- Weekly visit invoicesCompanionship visits
- Cancellation fee collectedCancellation fee
- Payroll, companionsCompanion wages
- Fuel, transport visitsVehicle and mileage
Why your books are different
A companion care service's books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees visits and payroll. Your business sells hours before they are used, bills for driving as much as company, and mixes employed and independent companions. When the books do not know that, income gets counted too early or pricing quietly falls behind the real work.
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1
Block-hour packages get counted as income too early
A family buys a package of hours upfront at a discount, and if the whole payment is booked as revenue the day it is paid, the books show income for hours that have not been worked yet.
What we doBooks block-hour purchases as unearned until the visits actually happen, so revenue matches work delivered, not just cash received. -
2
Companionship gets priced like it has no drive time
A visit that includes an hour of conversation plus a drive to a doctor's appointment and back often gets billed as one flat visit rate, and if driving time is not tracked, it is easy to underprice the actual time a visit takes.
What we doKeeps visit time and transportation time visible separately, so pricing can reflect what a visit actually takes, not just a flat guess. -
3
Independent companions get treated like employees on the books
A matching-style business that connects families with independent companions is not responsible for those companions' payroll taxes, but if payments run through the books the same way employee wages would, it blurs who is actually responsible for what.
What we doKeeps payments to independent companions separate from any employee payroll, so it is clear which model applies and who owes what. -
4
Cancellations and no-shows disappear instead of getting tracked
A family who cancels a scheduled visit at the last minute sometimes still owes a cancellation fee, and if that fee is not tracked separately from a normal visit charge, it is hard to see how much income depends on visits that never actually happened.
What we doKeeps cancellation fees in their own category, so you can see the difference between hours worked and fees charged for hours that were not.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a companion care service.
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
- Private-pay hourly visitsFamilies paying for companionship, light housekeeping, and errands.
- Transportation and escort feesA per-trip or per-hour charge for driving clients to appointments.
- Membership or matching feesFor a business matching families with independent companions rather than employing them.
- Block-hour package purchasesFamilies buying a set number of hours upfront at a discount.
Money out
- Companion wagesHourly pay for direct employees.
- Payroll taxes and workers compWhere companions are employees, not independent.
- Background checksRequired even though the work is non-medical.
- Mileage reimbursementFor driving clients to appointments and errands.
- Scheduling softwareKeeping visits, package hours, and companions organized.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for visits and transportation.
- Marketing to familiesReaching families looking for companionship help.
What we watch for you
- Hours booked versus used
Block-hour packages sold against hours actually worked, so unearned revenue stays visible.
- Cost per visit
Companion wages, mileage, and tax against what each visit bills.
- Cancellation rate
How much scheduled time falls through, since it changes what a companion's day actually earns.
- Transportation share
How much of your visits include driving, since it changes staffing and pricing.
Ask Gus
Things companion care 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.
Only as the hours get used. I book the rest as unearned until the visits actually happen, so income matches the work, not just the payment.
It is worth looking at. I keep visit time and drive time visible separately so you and the accountant can see if your rate covers both.
Yes. I keep what you pay them separate from any payroll, since that is a different relationship with different tax responsibilities.
The tax side
The tax side of a companion care service.
Most of what goes wrong here is telling employees and independent companions apart, and pricing drive time honestly.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Employee or independent companionA companion who works a set schedule under your direction is usually an employee. One who sets her own hours and works with multiple families through your matching service may genuinely be independent.
- Mileage for appointment transportationMiles driven taking a client to appointments or errands can be deducted at 72.5 cents through June 2026 and 76 cents after, when not already reimbursed at that rate.
- 1099s for independent companionsA companion who is genuinely independent, paid $2,000 or more in 2026 through your matching or referral model, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionUp to 20 percent of business profit can often be deducted through the pass-through deduction, though owners of personal-care businesses can see it limited once taxable income passes $201,750 single or $403,500 joint.
Deductions companion care services miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Background checks per companion
- Mileage for appointment transport
- Scheduling software subscription
- Liability insurance
- Companion training materials
- Marketing to families
- Phone plan for scheduling calls
- Workers comp premiums
- Vehicle maintenance for company cars
- Client welcome or care packages
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 companion care service's year, kept every month.
Families call any week of the year. Package pricing and 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.
- January
Package pricing reviewed
New year rates and any block-hour package pricing get reviewed before the year's bookings continue, alongside this year's set-aside.
- April
Filed, it's behind you
Your return is filed and signed while visits carry on as usual. The set-aside built since January already covers it, no scramble needed.
- July
Halfway on hours used
A look at how many purchased block hours have actually been worked and how cancellations are trending.
- October
Before holiday requests climb
Many families look for extra company and help around the holidays for a parent living alone. The team looks at companion capacity before that demand hits.
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 companion care services. 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 companion care owners ask first.
A family bought a block of hours upfront. Is that all profit right away?
Only the part that has been used. Gus books the rest as unearned until those visits actually happen, so income reflects the work done, not just the payment received.
Some visits are mostly driving a client to appointments. Should I charge differently for that?
It is worth considering. Gus keeps visit time and drive time tracked separately so you can see whether your current rate actually covers both.
I use independent companions instead of employing anyone. Does Gus handle that differently?
Yes. Payments to independent companions stay separate from any payroll, since it is a different relationship with different tax responsibilities.
Do cancellation fees count the same as a regular visit in the books?
No, Gus keeps them in their own category, so you can see how much of your income is hours worked versus fees for time that did not happen.
My companions are mostly part time and schedules change a lot. Is that a problem for bookkeeping?
No, Gus works from whatever hours actually happened each week. A changing schedule does not make the books any less accurate.
My records are scattered across a few different spreadsheets. Can you still help?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts out block-hour packages from regular visit income as he rebuilds the history, usually 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.
More in senior care & aging services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Adult day care centers
- Geriatric care managers
- Medical alert system dealers
- Residential care homes (board & care)
- Respite care providers
- Senior dental & mobile care
- Senior home safety assessments
- Senior living placement advisors
- Senior move managers & downsizing specialists
- Memory care communities
- Small assisted living facilities
- Home health agencies (skilled)
- Hospice providers
- Non-medical home care agencies
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