Advisors, lenders & money services
Books and taxes for crypto ATM operators.
A spread earned on every kiosk trade, cash restocked into a machine at a gas station, a revenue share owed to the host location, a network fee that is not yours to keep. Your own bookkeeper sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June made $14,400 in real margin. Restocking cash into three kiosks moved $18,000 out of the vault, but that is still company cash sitting in a machine, not an expense.
- Kiosk transaction spreadKiosk spread income
- Cash restock, downtown kioskKiosk cash float
- Host location revenue shareHost location splits
- Armored transport, kiosk routeArmored transport
- Compliance monitoring softwareCompliance costs
Why your books are different
A crypto ATM operator's books go wrong in a few particular spots.
A generalist bookkeeper sees cash leave the vault and calls it spent. Your cash just moved into a machine down the street, part of every trade belongs to the gas station hosting your kiosk, and a slice of every transaction is a network fee that was never yours.
-
1
Restocking a kiosk is not an expense
Loading $10,000 into a machine to keep it running is company cash moving from the vault to a physical kiosk, not money spent, and booking it as an expense makes a network running smoothly look like it is bleeding cash every week.
What we doTracks cash moved into kiosks as a transfer between company cash locations, not an expense, so profit reflects actual earned spread. -
2
The host location's cut is a real, ongoing cost
Most kiosks sit in a gas station or convenience store that takes a percentage of transaction volume for hosting the machine, and if that split is not tracked location by location, there is no way to tell which kiosks are actually worth keeping in place.
What we doKeeps host location revenue share tied to each specific kiosk, so you can see which locations are actually profitable after the split. -
3
Network fees pass through, they do not belong to the operator
Part of what a customer pays covers the network fee to process the crypto transaction itself, and counting that portion as the operator's own margin overstates what the kiosk network actually earned.
What we doKeeps network fees separate from the operator's own spread, so real earned margin is what shows up as income. -
4
Crypto held briefly between trades needs its own tracking
A kiosk sometimes holds crypto for a short window between when a customer buys it and when it is settled or resupplied through a liquidity provider, and that holding period can create a gain or loss that is easy to miss if it is not tracked.
What we doFlags crypto held between trades for the accountant, since tracking its cost basis over even a short window is a genuine wrinkle worth getting right.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a crypto ATM operator.
Set up once for how the network earns its spread and moves cash between kiosks. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Kiosk spread incomeThe markup earned over market price on every kiosk transaction.
- Transaction feesFlat fees charged per transaction, apart from the price spread.
- Referral incomeFees received for sending a customer or location to a partner service.
- New location incentivesOne-time payments received for placing a kiosk at a new host site.
Money out
- Kiosk cash floatCash moved into machines to keep them stocked, tracked as a transfer, not a cost.
- Host location splitsRevenue share paid to the business hosting each kiosk.
- Armored transportCash-in-transit service for restocking machines across the network.
- Compliance costsTransaction monitoring and reporting tools required to operate legally.
- Kiosk maintenanceRepairs, software updates, and connectivity for the machines themselves.
- LicensingState money transmitter licensing where required.
What we watch for you
- Spread per kiosk
What each machine actually earns after its host location split.
- Cash float total
How much company cash currently sits inside kiosks versus the vault.
- Host split cost
What each location relationship costs against the volume it generates.
- The set-aside
What the business will owe on real spread income, apart from kiosk cash floats.
Ask Gus
Things crypto ATM operators 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. That cash is still yours, just sitting in a machine instead of the vault. I track it as a transfer, so it does not eat into your real profit.
Yes. I keep that split tied to the specific kiosk, so you can see whether that location is still worth the placement after its cut.
No, that passes straight through. Only your spread and any flat transaction fee are your actual earnings.
The tax side
The tax side of a crypto ATM operator.
Most of what matters here is keeping cash transfers, pass-through fees, and any crypto briefly held between trades correctly separated from real income.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Cash moved into kiosks is not a deductible expenseCash restocked into a machine is still company cash, just relocated, and it should not reduce taxable income the way an operating cost would.
- Network fees are not the operator's revenueThe portion of a transaction that covers a network processing fee passes through and is not income the operator earned, so it should not be reported as such.
- Crypto held between trades may create its own gain or lossIf crypto sits with the operator for even a short window before settling, that holding period can create a taxable gain or loss based on cost basis. The accountant reviews how the operator's settlement process should be treated.
- Kiosk spread profit and the S corp questionOnce host location splits and network fees are removed, the network's real spread income is taxed at 15.3 percent for self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base for 2026, worth weighing against an S corp election due March 15.
Deductions crypto ATM operators miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Kiosk maintenance and repairs
- Cash-in-transit service
- Compliance monitoring software
- State money transmitter licensing
- Host location revenue share
- Kiosk connectivity and data plans
- Errors and omissions insurance
- Security cameras at kiosk sites
- Signage and machine branding
- Liquidity provider fees
- Background checks for staff
- Office and warehouse rent
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 crypto ATM operator's year, kept every month.
Cash moves between the vault and kiosks constantly, with no single busy season for the network overall. Your team keeps the business's own books current through all of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Year planned
New kiosk placements often get planned for the year ahead, 1099s go out for anyone paid outside payroll, and last year's return gets started.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with kiosk cash floats kept separate from real income all year, so the number due is accurate.
- July
Halfway check
Where the business stands, what it will owe, and which kiosks are earning their host location split.
- October
Before year end
A look at kiosk maintenance or new placements worth making before December, and whether compliance tools still fit the network's size.
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 crypto ATM 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 crypto ATM operators ask first.
I restocked cash into several kiosks this month. Does that count against my profit?
No. That cash is still yours, just relocated from the vault to a machine. Gus tracks it as a transfer, not an expense.
Some of my kiosks pay the host location a cut of every transaction. Can Gus show me the real profit per machine?
Yes. Host location splits get tied to the specific kiosk, so you can see whether each location is still worth its placement.
Does Gus set my kiosk pricing or handle compliance filings for me?
No. Gus and your bookkeeper only keep the business's own books, what it makes and spends. Pricing and compliance filings stay entirely with you and your compliance team.
Is the network fee on a transaction part of my income?
No. That passes straight through to cover network processing. Only your spread and any flat fee you charge are your actual earnings.
My machines sometimes hold crypto briefly before it settles. Does that need special handling?
It can. Gus flags that holding window for the accountant, since it can create a small gain or loss worth tracking correctly.
My books have never separated kiosk cash floats from real expenses. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send the bank and kiosk records you have, and Gus sorts it out. Most operators can finally see their real margin per machine 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