Indoor entertainment
Books and taxes for escape room companies.
Private bookings, corporate team-building buyouts, and a set that needs new props every season. 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
March came in at $7,200. The new lock system for the pirate room got logged as equipment, not supplies, since it should last you years.
- Bookeo payoutRoom bookings
- Corporate buyout depositPrivate events
- Etsy prop orderSet and props
- Facebook adsMarketing
- Game master payrollWages
Why your books are different
Escape room books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and props. Your business is timed sessions, group sizes that change the price, and a set that has to keep surprising people. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which room earns its keep.
-
1
Deposits get counted before the game happens
A group books six weeks out and pays a deposit today. Counted as income the day it lands, this month looks stronger than it was and the month the group actually plays looks weaker than it was.
What we doHolds the deposit as money owed until the group actually plays, then moves it into that month's income. -
2
A new room build reads like a supply run
Rebuilding a room with a new lock system, set pieces, and lighting can run several thousand dollars in one order. Filed as supplies, it wrecks that month's numbers and hides that it is really a long-term investment in the room.
What we doFlags a big set rebuild the day it shows up, books it as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on writing it off. -
3
Corporate buyouts and public sessions blur together
A private corporate team-building buyout at full room rate pays very differently than a public session sold seat by seat, and lumped together neither number tells you which one to chase harder.
What we doKeeps private buyouts and public session sales in their own categories so you can see which one is actually growing. -
4
Game masters paid by the shift look like flat payroll
A game master who runs three sessions on a Saturday and one on a Tuesday gets paid differently, but if wages are one lump sum you cannot see labor cost against how many groups actually played.
What we doKeeps wages tied to the month they were earned so labor cost against bookings is a real number, not a guess.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an escape room company.
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
- Room bookingsPublic session sales through Bookeo, Xola, or a similar booking app.
- Private eventsCorporate team-building buyouts and full-room private bookings.
- Group and school bookingsLarger parties booked by headcount, often at a group rate.
- Gift card salesSold in store and online, tracked apart from played sessions.
Money out
- Set and propsEtsy, prop houses, and hardware store runs for each room's build.
- WagesGame master and front-desk pay.
- Booking softwareBookeo, Xola, or a similar reservation system.
- MarketingFacebook and Google ads, Groupon fees, and local listings.
- Rent and utilitiesThe storefront or building the rooms are built inside.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for locked-in group activities.
What we watch for you
- Booking mix
Public sessions against private buyouts, so you know which one to promote harder.
- Rebuild spend
What a room refresh costs against what it brings back in bookings.
- Labor share
Game master wages against room revenue, since sessions run uneven through the week.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things escape room 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.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
Three groups paid deposits last month for sessions that ran this month. I count the income when they actually play, so this month is catching up.
If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of an escape room business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit counted too early, a rebuild filed as supplies, 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.
- Room builds and equipmentLock systems, set pieces, and lighting rigs can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, and Section 179 covers most of what a room build costs.
- Contractor 1099sA prop builder, actor, or freelance designer you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 and who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Employee or contractorA game master who works your posted schedule and runs your sessions is usually an employee, even if paid per shift, not per hour.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions escape room companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Prop and set materials
- Lock and puzzle mechanisms
- Lighting and sound equipment
- Booking software fees
- Groupon and daily deal fees
- Liability insurance
- Game master uniforms
- Costume pieces for actors
- Business cards and signage
- Card processing fees
- Website hosting and design
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 escape room year, kept every month.
School groups fill the calendar in waves and corporate bookings pick up when budgets reset. Your team keeps you ahead of both, and of taxes on their own schedule. 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, the 1099 list for actors and builders is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer camp group bookings changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday push
Corporate team-building season ramps up before year end. Gus looks at any 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 escape room companies. 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 escape room owners ask first.
Can Gus handle corporate buyout bookings differently from public sessions?
Yes. He keeps private buyouts and public session sales in their own categories, so you can see which one is actually driving the month, not just a combined total.
We run bookings through Bookeo. Do we have to change anything?
No. Keep booking sessions the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do I write off a whole room rebuild at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
How does Gus handle group and school bookings?
He keeps them in their own category apart from public sessions, since they usually come in at a different rate and on their own schedule, so you can see how much of your business they really are.
My books are a mess from doing them myself. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people 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 indoor entertainment
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Arcades
- Axe throwing venues
- Billiards halls
- Board game cafes
- Cat cafes
- Comedy & magic clubs
- Dinner theaters
- Duckpin bowling & social gaming venues
- Esports & LAN gaming centers
- Haunted houses & haunted attractions
- Ice skating rinks
- Indoor go-kart tracks
- Kids play cafes
- Laser tag arenas
- Murder mystery companies
- Rage rooms
- Roller skating rinks
- Sensory-friendly play spaces
- VR arcades
- Bowling alleys
- Family entertainment centers
- Indoor playgrounds
- Ninja warrior & obstacle gyms
- Pickleball entertainment venues
- Trampoline parks
- Cave & cavern tours
- Drive-in theaters
- Gemstone mining & panning attractions
- Ghost tours
- Helicopter tours
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