Pet services
Books and taxes for dog daycares.
Single day passes, monthly unlimited packs, staff who supervise the playroom floor, and food and cleaning supplies bought in bulk. 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
September came in at $17,600. A lot of families bought monthly unlimited packs this month, so I counted those as attendance happens, not the day they were sold.
- Gingr payoutDay pass sales
- Monthly pack, autopayMonthly packs
- Purina bulk food orderFood and cleaning supplies
- Playroom staff payrollStaff wages
- Turf disinfectant serviceFacility maintenance
Why your books are different
Dog daycare books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and a payroll run. Your business is packs paid for weeks ahead of use, a playroom full of staff supervising by headcount, and cleaning that never really stops. The books need to track all of it.
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1
Monthly packs get counted the day they sell
A family buys a 20-day unlimited pack in September, and if the whole amount counts as September income, October and November, when most of those visits actually happen, look weaker than they are.
What we doCounts pack days as dogs actually attend, so the month you count as income matches the days you actually cared for dogs. -
2
Playroom staffing hides what a full day really costs
More dogs on the floor means more staff watching them, but if wages sit in one lump sum against total revenue, you cannot tell whether a busy day at full capacity is actually more profitable than a quiet one.
What we doKeeps staff wages visible against daily attendance revenue, so you can see what running a full playroom actually costs. -
3
Bulk food and cleaning orders wreck one month's number
A large order of food, waste bags, and turf cleaner lands once and makes that month look expensive, while the following months, living off that stock, look artificially cheap.
What we doKeeps food and cleaning supplies in one steady line and tells you when a bulk order is the reason a month looks heavy. -
4
No-show and late cancellation policy fees go untracked
A family books a spot and does not show, and if you charge for it, that fee looks identical to a normal day pass in the bank feed with no note about why the dog was not actually there.
What we doNotes no-show and cancellation fees separately from attendance revenue, so your real attendance numbers stay accurate.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a dog daycare.
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
- Day pass salesSingle-day drop-ins paid at check-in or through the daycare app.
- Monthly packsPrepaid bundles and unlimited plans, counted as days are used.
- Add-on servicesNail trims and baths booked alongside a daycare day.
- No-show feesCharges for booked spots that went unused.
Money out
- Staff wagesPlayroom supervisors and front desk staff paid through payroll.
- Food and cleaning suppliesTreats, waste bags, and disinfectant bought in bulk.
- Facility maintenanceTurf care, HVAC, and playroom upkeep.
- EquipmentGates, agility props, and enrichment toys, logged separately from consumables.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for dogs playing off leash together all day.
- Booking softwareGingr, PetExec, or a similar daycare management tool.
What we watch for you
- Pack liability
Days clients paid for but have not used yet, so you know what care is still owed.
- Labor share
Staff wages against attendance revenue, to see if a full playroom actually pays off.
- Attendance rate
How many dogs show up against how many spots are booked each day.
- Supply cost per dog day
What food and cleaning supplies cost per attending dog, tracked so a bulk order does not confuse the picture.
Ask Gus
Things dog daycare 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 the days used so far. I count pack days as dogs actually attend, so a big pack sale does not make one month look stronger than it really was.
As its own category, separate from real attendance, so your attendance numbers stay accurate and the fee does not look like a regular day pass.
That's a bigger call than I can make alone. Expanding capacity changes your staffing costs and possibly your facility permits, so bring the accountant in before you commit.
The tax side
The tax side of a dog daycare.
Prepaid packs and staff scheduling are the two things that matter most here. Getting the timing and classification right keeps the return clean.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Pack income counted as usedA prepaid monthly pack is not fully earned the day it sells. Gus tracks the balance so the monthly number, and eventually the return, reflect days of care actually delivered.
- Employee playroom staffStaff supervising dogs on your schedule in your facility are almost always employees, not contractors, since the work depends entirely on your hours and your space.
- Equipment for the facilityGates, turf, and playroom build-outs can often be written off in the year you buy them, with Section 179 expensing available up to $2,560,000.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when pack income and staff costs are tracked accurately all year.
Deductions dog daycares miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Food and treats for dogs in care
- Waste bags and cleaning supplies
- Turf and disinfectant service
- Gates and playroom equipment
- Enrichment toys
- Liability insurance
- Facility rent and utilities
- Booking software subscription
- Staff uniforms
- Continuing education for staff
- Local advertising
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 dog daycare year, kept every month.
Attendance shifts as owners go back to the office or leave for vacation. Your taxes come on a schedule of their own. 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, and a monthly set-aside is planned around your typical attendance pattern.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer travel season changed attendance and the number.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Holiday travel usually fills your daycare and boarding spots fast. Gus looks at equipment 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 dog daycares. 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 dog daycare owners ask first.
When does a monthly pack actually count as income?
As the days get used, not the day the pack is purchased. That keeps a busy week of pack sales from making your books look stronger than the care you have actually delivered so far.
My staff are paid hourly for supervising the playroom. Are they contractors?
No, almost always employees. Staff working your hours in your facility supervising dogs are structured too closely to your business to count as independent contractors.
Can I deduct new gates and turf for the playroom?
Often, yes. A playroom build-out is treated as its own asset rather than a routine supply purchase, and Gus flags it the month it happens so the accountant has what they need to decide how it gets written off.
We charge a no-show fee. Does that mess up our attendance numbers?
No, Gus keeps no-show fees in their own category, separate from real attendance revenue, so your attendance rate stays accurate and the fee does not get confused with a regular day pass.
My books have never separated pack sales from day passes. Can that change?
Yes. Send your bank statements going forward and Gus starts tracking pack usage separately from single-day drop-ins. Most owners see a clear picture within a couple of months.
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