Travel agencies & tour operators
Books and taxes for cruise specialists.
A commission that waits until the ship sails, a rate drop that shrinks it after the fact, and group cabin space you owe for whether it sells or not. Your own bookkeeper stays on it all year, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
January netted $7,000. A rate drop on a Caribbean sailing shrank the commission after final payment, so I adjusted the booked number to match what the cruise line will actually pay.
- Carnival commission, Reyes bookingCruise line commissions
- Cruise protection commissionInsurance commissions
- Group cabin space depositGroup cabin space
- Cruise association dues renewalCruise association dues and certification
- ClientBase subscriptionBooking software
Why your books are different
A cruise specialist's books go wrong between deposit and final sailing.
A cabin gets booked in January, final payment comes due ninety days before the ship sails, and the commission does not land until after the ship returns, sometimes reduced by a rate drop or an onboard credit offered to win the booking. Booked as one number the day a deposit lands, none of that timing shows up.
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1
Commission waits for the ship to sail
A Caribbean cruise booked in January might not sail until November, and the cruise line does not pay commission until after the ship returns to port. Booked as income at the time of sale, your numbers show money you have not actually been paid yet.
What we doHolds the commission as pending until the cruise line actually pays it, so income reflects money that has landed, not just been promised. -
2
A rate drop shrinks the commission after the fact
A cruise line drops its fare before final payment, the client's price protection kicks in, and the commission recalculates lower than what you originally booked. If the books still show the original number, the month looks better than it is.
What we doAdjusts the booked commission when a rate drop changes it, so the numbers match what the cruise line actually pays out. -
3
Onboard credit offered to win the booking comes out of your pocket
Offering a client onboard credit to beat a competitor's price often means giving up part of your own commission, and if that reduction is not tracked against the booking, it looks like the commission simply came in short for no reason.
What we doBooks the onboard credit you gave up against that specific booking, so a lower commission has a clear reason attached to it. -
4
Group cabin space is a bill before it is a booking
Buying a block of cabins from a cruise line at a group rate means you owe for that space whether every cabin sells or not, similar to renting a whole floor of a hotel. Booked as a cost only when a cabin sells, unsold space quietly erodes the margin.
What we doBooks the group space commitment as a cost against the sailing the day it is confirmed, so unsold cabins show up as a real cost, not a surprise near final payment. -
5
A missed final payment cancels the booking and the commission
If a client does not pay by the final payment deadline, the cruise line cancels the booking automatically and the commission you expected disappears, sometimes after it was already counted as pending income.
What we doReverses the pending commission when a booking cancels for non-payment, so a client's missed deadline does not leave a phantom number in your books.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a cruise specialist.
Set up once for how deposits, commissions, and group space move. You never sort a payment. Gus does, and an accountant checks every one.
Money in
- Cruise line commissionsPaid after the ship sails, tracked separately from money you can spend today.
- Onboard credit rebates recoveredPortions you did not give up on a booking, tracked against the sailing.
- Cabin upgrade commissionsExtra commission earned when a client upgrades their category.
- Travel insurance commissionsWhat the insurer pays when a client buys cruise protection through you.
- Planning and service feesWhat you charge upfront for research on complex itineraries.
Money out
- Group cabin spaceBlocks of cabins bought from the cruise line at a group rate, owed whether they sell or not.
- Onboard credit given to clientsCommission given up to win or keep a booking.
- Cruise association dues and certificationCruise industry credentials and continuing education.
- Booking softwareClientBase, Travefy, or whatever tracks bookings and final payment deadlines.
- Errors and omissions insuranceCoverage for cruise bookings gone wrong.
- MarketingWebsite, social ads, and referral materials.
- Card processing feesWhat the processor keeps on client deposits and final payments.
What we watch for you
- Pending commission
What cruise lines owe on booked sailings that have not sailed yet.
- Onboard credit given
How much commission you are giving up per booking to win business.
- Group space fill rate
Cabins sold against any block you committed to, before it costs you.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so a wave season of bookings does not turn into a scramble later.
Ask Gus
Things cruise specialists 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.
Cruise lines usually pay after the ship returns. I am holding it as pending so your numbers reflect what has actually landed.
Yes, and I booked it against that sailing specifically, so you can see exactly what winning that booking cost you.
I reversed it. It was never actually earned, so it should not sit in your books as income.
The tax side
The tax side of a cruise specialist's business.
Most of what matters here is timing. A commission that has not landed, a rate drop that changes the number, group space that is a cost before it is a sale.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Commission income at the time it is earnedCruise commissions are usually income when the cruise line actually pays them, generally after the sailing, not the day the client books. Booking it early can overstate a tax year's income.
- Group cabin space as a real costCabins bought as a group block are usually a cost the day you commit to them, whether or not every cabin sells, since you owe for the block regardless.
- 1099s for subcontracted helpAnother agent or an assistant paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for helping on a large group sailing, and not on payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, which comes out right when commissions are booked to the year they are actually paid.
Deductions cruise specialists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Cruise association dues
- Errors and omissions insurance
- Onboard credit given to clients
- Booking software subscription
- Ship inspection site visits
- Trade show travel
- Continuing education courses
- Website hosting
- Card processing fees
- Home office square footage
- Mileage to client meetings
- Phone and internet share
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 cruise specialist's year, kept every month.
Wave season books the year, but the ships sail and pay on their own schedule. Your team keeps the picture honest every month in between. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Wave season begins
The busiest cruise booking window of the year opens, last year's return gets started, and the 1099 list gets finalized.
- April
Filed as final payments land
Your return is filed and signed while final payments come due on the sailings booked during wave season.
- July
Midyear sailing check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how many of this year's bookings have actually sailed and paid commission.
- October
Before the next wave
Before wave season bookings ramp up again in January, Gus looks at software or credentials worth adding 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 cruise specialists. 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 cruise specialists ask first.
Why does my commission income lag so far behind my bookings?
Cruise lines usually pay commission after the ship sails, sometimes months after the booking. Gus holds it as pending until it is actually paid, so your books show real income, not promised income.
A rate drop lowered my client's fare and my commission with it. How does that get fixed in the books?
Gus adjusts the booked commission to match what the cruise line actually pays after the price protection kicks in, so the number stays accurate.
I bought group cabin space and some of it did not sell. Is that a loss?
It is a real cost, and Gus books it against that sailing the day you commit to the space, so an unsold cabin shows up honestly instead of as a surprise near final payment.
Does giving a client onboard credit count as a business expense?
It usually reduces your commission rather than counting as a separate expense, and Gus tracks it against the booking so you can see what winning that sale actually cost you.
A client missed final payment and the booking got canceled. What happens to my books?
Gus reverses any pending commission tied to that booking, since it was never actually earned, so it does not linger in your numbers.
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