Staffing, recruiting & HR services
Books and taxes for day labor agencies.
Walk-in workers dispatched by the day, same-day cash or card pay, transportation reimbursement rules, and a client invoice for every single shift worked. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $12,600. Dispatch volume ran higher on the weeks a client had a big loading job, so I flagged those days apart from the usual daily average.
- Coastal Warehousing daily dispatchDaily dispatch billings
- Metro Movers dispatch payoutDaily dispatch billings
- Same-day worker pay disbursementWorker wages
- Transportation reimbursement payoutTransportation costs
- State comp fund premiumWorkers comp
Why your books are different
Day labor agency books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and daily cash outflows. Your business dispatches a different set of workers every morning, pays most of them the same day, and covers transportation under rules that some states require by law. When the books don't know that, day-to-day margin is impossible to see.
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1
Same-day pay disappears into daily cash flow
Paying workers in cash or on a payroll card the same day they work means wages go out constantly in small amounts, and without tracking, it just looks like money leaking out every day with no clear tie to what was billed.
What we doTies daily wage disbursements to the day's dispatch billings so margin per dispatch day stays visible, not just a blur of daily outflow. -
2
Transportation reimbursement gets treated as a random cost
A number of states require agencies to reimburse workers for transportation to a job site or provide it directly. Left uncategorized, it looks like a miscellaneous cost instead of a required part of doing business in that state.
What we doKeeps transportation reimbursement in its own line so it's visible as a real, ongoing cost of dispatch, not lost in general expenses. -
3
One client invoice per shift creates a flood of small receivables
Billing a client for every day workers are dispatched means dozens of small invoices a month instead of one big one, and it's easy to lose track of which ones are actually collected.
What we doTracks daily dispatch billings against what's actually collected so unpaid shifts don't slip through unnoticed. -
4
Comp costs run high and look like an outlier
General labor and warehouse dispatch carry some of the higher workers comp rates in the whole staffing world, and an owner comparing that cost to a lighter-duty business can wrongly assume something is wrong with the rate.
What we doKeeps comp premiums tracked against dispatch volume so the real, expected cost of physical labor work is clear, not mistaken for an error.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a day labor agency.
Set up once for daily dispatch billing and same-day pay. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Daily dispatch billingsPer-shift invoices to clients for workers dispatched that day.
- Multi-day job billingsStanding dispatch arrangements for a job running several days in a row.
- Rush dispatch premiumsHigher rates for last-minute or same-morning worker requests.
- Weekend and holiday dispatch ratesPremium billing for shifts clients need covered outside a standard work week.
Money out
- Worker wagesSame-day cash, check, or payroll card pay for dispatched workers.
- Transportation costsReimbursement or direct transport provided to job sites, where required.
- Workers comp premiumsHigh-rate coverage reflecting the physical nature of general labor and warehouse work.
- Dispatch and timekeeping softwareThe system tracking daily worker assignments and hours.
- Background checksScreening for workers before their first dispatch.
- PPE supplied to workersGloves, vests, and basic safety gear issued at dispatch.
What we watch for you
- Margin per dispatch day
Daily billings minus same-day wages and transportation. Shows which days and clients actually pay.
- Transportation cost share
What reimbursement or transport is costing against total dispatch billings.
- Days sales outstanding
How fast client invoices for daily dispatch actually get collected, since volume is high and per-invoice amounts are small.
- The set-aside
What you'll owe on the year's dispatch income, tracked every month, so April is never a scramble.
Ask Gus
Things day labor agency 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.
Yes. I tie same-day wage payouts to that day's dispatch billings, so you can see margin per day clearly instead of just a blur of daily cash going out.
It's often required by state law and it's a real, steady cost. I keep it in its own line so it shows up as what it is, not as a random expense.
Comp rates for general labor and warehouse dispatch run high across this whole trade, so that's expected, not an error. I keep it tracked against dispatch volume so you can watch the trend.
The tax side
The tax side of a day labor agency.
Most of what goes wrong here is high transaction volume and state-specific worker protection rules. Same-day pay tracked poorly, and transportation costs that get lost.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Worker classificationWorkers dispatched under your direction to a client's job site are W-2 employees, not 1099 contractors, regardless of how short the assignment or how casual the dispatch feels.
- State day labor worker protection lawsA number of states have specific laws for day labor agencies covering wage disclosure, transportation, and right-to-know rules before a worker is dispatched. These vary a great deal, so they need to be checked for the state the agency operates in.
- Same-day pay and payroll timingPaying workers the same day they work still requires normal payroll tax withholding and reporting, even when the pay itself moves fast.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, a benefit that comes out right when margin per dispatch day is tracked all year.
Deductions day labor agencies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Dispatch and timekeeping software
- Transportation reimbursement or transport costs
- Background check fees
- PPE and basic safety gear
- Workers comp premiums
- General liability insurance
- Staffing agency bonds
- Phone and tablet for dispatch coordination
- Payroll card program fees
- Facility or dispatch site rent
- Recruiter and word-of-mouth referral costs
- Card and cash handling processing 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 day labor agency year, kept every month.
Dispatch happens every working day of the year and pay moves just as fast. Your taxes still land on a fixed schedule, and 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
Reset the dispatch board
Last year's return gets started, W-2s go out, and a monthly set-aside begins on daily dispatch income so April isn't a scramble.
- April
Filed without missing a dispatch
Your return is filed and signed while daily dispatch keeps running uninterrupted. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Summer dispatch volume check
Where margin per dispatch day stands, and whether summer construction and moving demand changed what you'll owe.
- October
Before demand cools off
Outdoor and warehouse dispatch demand often shifts as the weather turns colder. Gus looks at what that means for the year's set-aside before it 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 day labor agencies. 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 day labor agency owners ask first.
We pay most workers in cash the same day. Does Gus need something different from us?
Not much. Send your bank statement and dispatch records, and Gus ties the day's wage payouts to that day's billings so margin per dispatch day is visible either way.
Is transportation reimbursement actually a write-off?
Yes, it's an ordinary cost of dispatching workers to job sites, and often required by state law. Gus keeps it in its own line so it's tracked as real, expected cost.
Our comp premiums seem really high. Is that normal?
It's typical for general labor and warehouse dispatch work, since the physical risk is real. Gus tracks it against dispatch volume so you can see the trend, not just a scary number.
We issue dozens of small invoices a day. Can Gus keep up with that volume?
Yes. He tracks daily dispatch billings against what's collected so unpaid shifts don't get lost in the volume, even with many small invoices moving through.
Do state day labor laws change what Gus can promise us?
The specific wage and transportation rules vary a lot by state, so Gus keeps records ready and flags anything that looks off, but the accountant confirms what your state specifically requires.
Our books are a mess from tracking cash payouts by hand. Can we catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements and dispatch logs you have. Gus ties daily wage payouts to that day's billings, and most owners see 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