Pet health
Books and taxes for emergency veterinary hospitals.
Overnight shift pay, upfront deposits on estimates, referrals from daytime clinics, and financed bills that land short. 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
December came in at $36,200. The chocolate and antifreeze cases were up over November, so the deposit line ran higher too.
- ezyVet overnight batchEmergency visits
- Deposit against estimateEmergency visits
- Covetrus emergency drug orderPharmacy and drug stock
- Overnight differential payrollDoctor and staff pay
- Stericycle overnight pickupMedical waste
Why your books are different
An emergency hospital's books go wrong in places a daytime clinic never sees.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your hospital runs all night, charges a deposit before it even sees the pet, pays a shift differential for the overnight team, and gets referrals from clinics that closed for the day. When the books do not know that, the real cost of staying open at 3 a.m. disappears.
-
1
Overnight differential pay hides inside one payroll number
A technician who earns a shift differential for overnight and holiday hours looks like plain wages once it lands in the bank feed, which buries what it actually costs to keep the hospital staffed at 3 a.m.
What we doKeeps base pay and overnight or holiday differential in separate lines, so you can see what round-the-clock coverage really costs. -
2
A deposit is not the same as the final bill
You collect a deposit against an estimate before treatment starts, then bill the difference once the pet is stable or the family is ready to take them home. Booked as one flat sale, deposits and final bills blur together and revenue looks wrong for the month.
What we doTracks deposits and final balances as they land, so a busy night of estimates does not get counted as revenue before the work is actually done. -
3
Controlled substances need a tighter count
An emergency hospital burns through injectable sedatives, opioids, and anesthesia gas faster than a daytime clinic, and a DEA log that falls behind is a real problem, not a paperwork nuisance.
What we doKeeps controlled substance costs in their own line so restocking is visible, though the DEA log itself stays the hospital's responsibility. -
4
Referral cases get lost in the client mix
When a daytime clinic sends an overnight case your way, it is easy to book the payment like any walk-in, which hides how much of your caseload actually depends on referral relationships with local practices.
What we doTracks referral-sourced visits as their own line, so you can see which relationships are actually filling your overnight schedule. -
5
A holiday toxin spike looks like a fluke, not a pattern
Chocolate, lily, and antifreeze cases jump every December, and a month-to-month view alone can make that spike look like an unrepeatable good month instead of the predictable season it is.
What we doKeeps a running view across months so seasonal spikes read as a pattern, not a surprise you cannot plan staffing around.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an emergency hospital.
A hospital that never closes needs categories built around shifts and estimates, not a single daytime till.
Money in
- Emergency visitsOvernight and weekend visits, paid at discharge or by deposit against an estimate.
- Financed proceduresThe amount owed on the bill, with the financing company's cut booked as its own line.
- Referral casesOvernight cases sent by daytime clinics, kept apart so you can see the relationship's value.
- Diagnostic imaging feesUltrasound and radiograph charges billed on their own.
Money out
- Doctor and staff payBase pay kept apart from overnight and holiday shift differential.
- Pharmacy and drug stockSedatives, anesthesia gas, and emergency medications from Covetrus or Patterson Veterinary.
- Outside lab feesStat bloodwork and pathology sent to Antech or IDEXX.
- EquipmentVentilators, in-house analyzers, and monitors, logged so they get written off right.
- Facility and utilitiesRent or mortgage on a facility staffed around the clock, plus power and water.
- Medical wasteSharps and biohazard pickup for a higher-volume overnight caseload.
- Financing and card feesThe processing cut on financed bills and card payments, tracked apart from the visit revenue itself.
What we watch for you
- Overnight labor share
Differential pay against emergency visit revenue. It tells you if staffing is matched to volume.
- Referral case share
How much of your caseload comes from other clinics, so you can see how much the relationships matter.
- Deposit-to-final ratio
How final bills compare to initial deposits, so estimates stay realistic month to month.
- The set-aside
The tax reserve, adjusted every month as revenue swings with the caseload.
Ask Gus
Things emergency hospital 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.
Chocolate and antifreeze cases were up, and the overnight differential payroll ran higher to cover it. Both are in there, split out so you can see each piece.
I can show you the two numbers side by side every month. Whether the ratio makes sense for your market is a real conversation, so I would loop in the accountant on that one.
No. That payment never touches your account, so it never shows up as your revenue. Only what actually deposits gets counted.
The tax side
The tax side of an emergency veterinary hospital.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Deposits counted too early, overnight pay buried in one line, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsVentilators, in-house analyzers, and monitors can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA relief veterinarian or an overnight cleaning contractor paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Worker classification for relief doctorsA relief veterinarian who works your equipment and your protocols on your schedule is usually an employee for the shifts they cover, even if paid per shift. Gus flags it for the accountant before it becomes a habit.
- The pass-through deductionA profitable hospital can often deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it gets taxed. Overnight differential and shift pay both count toward the profit the deduction is based on, so accurate labor lines matter here.
Deductions emergency veterinary hospitals miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Pharmacy and drug stock
- Anesthesia gas and oxygen
- Outside lab and stat fees
- Scrubs and clinical uniforms
- Malpractice insurance
- Equipment lease payments
- Practice software subscriptions
- Biohazard disposal
- Continuing education travel
- State license renewal
- Marketing and website costs
- Card and financing 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
An emergency hospital's year, kept every month.
Emergencies come at 2 a.m. any day of the year. 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
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, relief doctor 1099s are listed, and a monthly set-aside is planned around a caseload that runs around the clock.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while the overnight schedule keeps running, with no surprise bill because the set-aside kept pace since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer trauma cases changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday spike
Before chocolate, lily, and antifreeze season, Gus looks at staffing costs and anything worth doing 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 emergency veterinary hospitals. 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 emergency hospital owners ask first.
Can Gus track deposits against an estimate separately from the final bill?
Yes. He keeps deposits and the final balance as they actually land, so a busy night of estimates does not get counted as revenue before the work is done.
We pay overnight and holiday differential. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money is tracked, not what you do. Gus keeps base pay and differential pay in their own lines, so you can see what round-the-clock coverage costs against what it brings in.
Do referral cases from other clinics get billed differently?
The visit itself is billed the same way. Gus tracks referral-sourced cases as their own line so you can see how much of your caseload depends on those relationships.
How does Gus handle our controlled substance costs?
He keeps controlled substance purchases in their own category so restocking and cost trends are visible. The DEA log itself stays the hospital's responsibility.
Our December numbers always look huge compared to other months. Is that a problem?
No. Gus keeps a running view across months, so a holiday toxin spike reads as the pattern it is, not a one-time fluke you cannot plan around.
Our books have been a mess since we opened. Can Gus catch us up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have, overnight differential and all. Gus sorts out the tangle, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand inside 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 pet health
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Exotic animal vets
- Holistic & integrative vets
- In-home pet euthanasia services
- Low-cost spay/neuter & vaccine clinics
- Veterinary dental specialists
- Veterinary rehab & hydrotherapy
- Mobile veterinarians
- Independent veterinary clinics
- Aquarium & tropical fish stores
- Bird shops & aviaries
- Canine fitness & dog swimming pools
- Canine massage & rehab
- Cat breeders
- Cat groomers
- Dog agility & sport training facilities
- Dog behaviorists
- Freeze-dried pet treat makers
- Invisible & electric dog fence installers
- Licensed dog breeders
- Off-leash dog parks with bars
- Pet cremation & aftercare
- Pet photographers
- Pet relocation services (international)
- Pet taxi & pet transport
- Pet treat bakeries
- Protection dog trainers
- Raw pet food brands & stores
- Reptile shops & breeders
- Service dog trainers
- Board-and-train programs
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