Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for farm equipment dealers and repair shops.
A tractor sold on manufacturer financing, a combine in the shop for a busy-season repair, and a parts room that has to stay stocked for whatever breaks next. 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 $26,700. The financed tractor sale got booked at the full price, with the lender's fee kept separate as a cost.
- John Deere Financial payoutEquipment sales
- Shop labor invoicesRepair and labor income
- Parts distributor orderParts inventory
- Shop tech wagesShop labor
- Diagnostic equipment leaseShop equipment
Why your books are different
Farm equipment dealer books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a shop with a big parts bill. Your business sells equipment on manufacturer financing, bills labor hours separately from parts, and keeps a parts room stocked for machines that break down at the worst possible time in the season. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what actually drives your margin.
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1
Financed equipment sales get booked at the wrong amount
A tractor sold through manufacturer financing pays out less than the sticker price once the lender's fee comes out, and booked as the deposit amount, both your sales and your true selling costs come out wrong.
What we doBooks the full sale price as revenue and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales and your costs both show up honest. -
2
Parts and labor get mixed into one repair ticket
A repair invoice often bundles parts markup and labor hours into one number, but they carry very different margins, and lumped together you cannot tell whether the shop makes its money from parts or from the work itself.
What we doKeeps parts sales and labor income in their own lines, so you can see what each side of a repair actually earns. -
3
Parts inventory gets treated like a monthly expense
A parts distributor order can be tens of thousands of dollars in one month, but that inventory sits on the shelf until it sells, so expensing the whole order the month it was bought makes that month look far worse than it really was.
What we doTracks parts as inventory, with the cost counted when parts sell rather than when they are bought, so the month is not distorted. -
4
Shop equipment gets filed like a parts purchase
A diagnostic scanner, a hydraulic lift, or a new welder can cost thousands of dollars and last for years, but on a bank statement it can look like just another parts inventory purchase.
What we doFlags shop equipment purchases the month they show up and logs them as equipment, not parts inventory. -
5
A busy-season repair backlog hides what labor actually costs
During planting or harvest, techs often work heavy overtime to keep customers' equipment running, and if that extra labor cost is not tracked against the season's repair income, a busy month can look less profitable than it really is.
What we doTracks shop labor costs against repair income by season, so a busy planting or harvest month reads correctly.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a farm equipment dealer and repair shop.
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
- Equipment salesNew and used tractor and implement sales, including financed deals.
- Repair and labor incomeLabor hours billed separately from parts on a repair ticket.
- Parts salesParts sold over the counter, without an accompanying repair job.
- Equipment rental incomeShort-term rental fees for tractors or implements.
- Trade-in and used equipment salesEquipment taken in trade and resold.
Money out
- Parts inventoryParts bought from distributors, tracked as inventory until they sell.
- Shop laborTechnician wages, kept apart from parts and equipment costs.
- Shop equipmentDiagnostic tools, lifts, and welders, logged so they get written off right.
- Facility costsShop rent, utilities, and building maintenance.
- Floor plan financing costsInterest paid on financing used to keep new equipment in stock.
- AdvertisingLocal ads and equipment listings that drive sales.
- Warranty and manufacturer costsCosts tied to manufacturer warranty work, tracked separately from paid repairs.
What we watch for you
- Parts vs. labor mix
How much of repair income comes from parts markup versus labor hours, so pricing stays sharp.
- Inventory turnover
How fast parts and equipment inventory actually sells, tracked from the books instead of a guess.
- Seasonal labor cost
What shop labor costs during planting and harvest crunch versus the slower months.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things farm equipment dealers 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.
That is the lender's fee. I book the full sale price as revenue and the fee as a cost, so your sales and your costs both stay honest.
Yes, and I already do it. Parts sales and labor income stay in their own lines, so you can see what each side of a repair actually earns.
No. I track parts as inventory, so the cost counts when they sell, not the month you bought them. A big order does not distort the month.
The tax side
The tax side of a farm equipment dealer and repair shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is inventory and financing. Parts expensed the wrong month, financed sales booked at the wrong amount, and a set-aside nobody started until tax season.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Business income, not Schedule FSelling and repairing equipment for other farms is typically reported as regular business income on Schedule C or a business return, not the Schedule F used by a farm that grows or raises something to sell.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldParts and equipment held for resale get tracked as inventory, with the cost counted when they sell, which keeps a big purchase month from looking like a loss.
- Shop equipment depreciationDiagnostic tools, lifts, and welders can usually be written off, sometimes the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099s for outside techsAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for repair or delivery help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions farm equipment dealers and repair shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Diagnostic scanner subscriptions
- Shop tools and welding supplies
- Shop rent and utilities
- Lift and hoist maintenance
- Floor plan financing interest
- Local advertising and listings
- Uniforms and safety gear
- Delivery truck fuel
- Parts bins and shelving
- Liability insurance
- Shop cleaning supplies
- Software for repair ticketing
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 farm equipment dealer's year, kept every month.
Planting and harvest bring the busiest repair weeks, while sales follow their own equipment cycle. Your taxes come on their own 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, the outside tech 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so equipment sales fund it evenly.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed right as planting-season repair demand ramps up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at midyear, and whether parts and labor income are keeping pace with inventory costs.
- October
Before harvest season
Gus looks at shop equipment worth adding before harvest repair demand peaks and flags what this year's numbers say about pricing.
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 farm equipment dealers and repair shops. 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 farm equipment dealers ask first.
Can Gus handle sales financed through the manufacturer?
Yes. He books the full sale price as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
Can Gus split parts and labor from the same repair ticket?
Yes. Parts sales and labor income stay in their own categories, so you can see what each side of a repair actually earns.
Do I have to change how I run the shop or write repair tickets?
No. Run the shop and write repair tickets the way you always have. Gus sorts parts and labor from your bank statement, and anything unclear gets one quick question, remembered from then on.
We placed a huge parts order this month. Will that make the month look like a loss?
No. Gus tracks parts as inventory, so the cost is counted when they sell rather than the month you bought them.
Is a new diagnostic scanner or shop lift written off all at once?
Often, yes. A scanner or shop lift bought for the business typically qualifies for a full write-off the year you buy it, though some years favor spreading the cost. Gus logs the purchase for the accountant to review.
Are we a farm business for tax purposes since we serve farms?
Usually not. Selling and repairing equipment for other farms is typically reported as regular business income, not the Schedule F a farm that grows or raises something to sell would use.
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