Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for goat yoga and animal experience farms.
A Saturday goat yoga class booked online, a birthday party buyout with the whole herd on hand, and feed and vet bills for animals that work every weekend. 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
May came in at $4,700. The birthday party buyout got booked separately from the regular class bookings, so you can see which one actually fills up faster.
- Class booking payouts, AcuityClass bookings
- Birthday party buyoutPrivate event bookings
- Feed and hay deliveryAnimal feed
- Yoga mat and prop replacementClass supplies
- Veterinary herd checkupVeterinary care
Why your books are different
Goat yoga and animal experience books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a small events business. Your business is really two things at once, a working animal herd that needs feeding and care every single day, and a class and event schedule that only brings in money on the days people show up. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell if the herd is paying for itself.
-
1
Class bookings and private events get rung up together
A regular Saturday class booked online and a private birthday party buyout both show up as payments through the same booking app, but a full class of ten strangers and a private buyout of one family are priced and staffed very differently.
What we doKeeps regular class bookings separate from private event and party bookings, so you can see which one actually fills your calendar. -
2
Animal upkeep runs every day, whether or not a class happens
The herd still needs feed, hay, and veterinary care on the days nobody books a session, but if animal costs and class income are not tracked against each other, a slow booking week can look like the animals themselves are the problem.
What we doTracks feed and veterinary costs against class and event income over the whole month, not just the days sessions run, so a slow week reads as bookings, not the herd. -
3
A canceled class with a same-day refund gets lost
When bad weather or a sick animal forces a same-day cancellation and a refund, the deposit and the refund can both hit the bank close together, and without a clear note it just looks like a wash instead of a specific cancellation.
What we doNotes canceled sessions and their refunds together, so a weather or herd health cancellation reads as what it was. -
4
Props and class supplies get filed as animal costs
Yoga mats, mobile fencing for the class area, and a portable sound system are class equipment, not animal care, but they can end up filed the same way as feed and hay if nobody separates them.
What we doKeeps class supplies and equipment separate from animal feed and care, so you can see what each part of the business actually costs. -
5
A new animal gets treated like a supply purchase
Adding a new goat or a llama to the herd for variety in classes is a cost that keeps paying off for years, but bought through a regular vendor, it can get logged the same way as a bag of feed.
What we doFlags new animal purchases the month they happen and gets the accountant's read on how it should be handled.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a goat yoga or animal experience farm.
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
- Class bookingsRegular scheduled sessions booked online through an app like Acuity.
- Private event bookingsBirthday parties, bachelorette parties, and full-farm buyouts.
- Corporate and group bookingsTeam-building sessions booked by local companies.
- Merchandise salesFarm-branded shirts, mugs, or animal feed cups sold on site.
- Farm tour add-onsExtended farm tours or photo sessions booked alongside a class.
Money out
- Animal feedHay, grain, and treats for the herd, whether or not a class runs that day.
- Veterinary careCheckups, vaccinations, and emergency care for the herd.
- Class suppliesYoga mats, mobile fencing, and sound equipment used during sessions.
- Booking app feesFees taken by the online scheduling and payment tool.
- Shelter and fencingBarn upkeep and pasture fencing for the herd's daily care.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for visitors handling and standing near live animals.
- AdvertisingSocial ads and local listings that drive class and event bookings.
What we watch for you
- Class vs. event mix
How much comes from regular classes versus private events, so you know which to promote.
- Animal cost per session
What feed and vet care cost against how many sessions the herd works in a month.
- Class fill rate
How full sessions run, tracked from booking payments, so you know when to add more.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things goat yoga and animal experience 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, and I already keep it separate. Private event bookings and regular class bookings stay in their own lines, so you can see which one fills your calendar.
No. I track animal costs against bookings over the whole month, not just the days classes run, so a slow week reads as bookings, not a problem with the herd.
I flag it the month it happens rather than filing it like a feed purchase, and the accountant decides how it should be treated.
The tax side
The tax side of a goat yoga or animal experience farm.
Most of what goes wrong here is separating the herd's daily upkeep from the event calendar. Class supplies filed like animal care, a new animal treated like a feed bill, 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.
- Schedule F or business incomeWhether this lands on Schedule F or as regular business income often depends on how much of the income comes from raising and selling animals versus running classes and events, so Gus flags the mix for the accountant.
- Equipment and fencingMobile fencing, sound equipment, and shelters 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 event helpAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for event setup or animal handling help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Admissions and event taxClass and event fees can carry a different state or local tax treatment than selling farm produce, so Gus keeps that income separate for the accountant to sort out.
Deductions goat yoga and animal experience farms miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Hay and grain feed
- Veterinary checkups
- Yoga mats and props
- Mobile fencing panels
- Booking app fees
- Liability insurance
- Social media ad spend
- Farm-branded merchandise stock
- Sound system and speakers
- Barn and shelter repair
- Herd handling supplies
- Class instructor supplies
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 goat yoga and animal experience year, kept every month.
Bookings pick up in warm weather and slow down in winter, but the herd needs care every day of the year. 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 event help 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a slow winter does not surprise you in April.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before the busy warm-weather booking season ramps up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at peak booking season, and whether private events are keeping pace with regular classes.
- October
Before it slows down
Gus looks at fencing or equipment worth buying before winter and flags what this year's numbers say about class 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 goat yoga and animal experience farms. 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 goat yoga and animal experience owners ask first.
Can Gus tell regular class bookings apart from private event buyouts?
Yes. He keeps class bookings and private event bookings in their own categories, so you can see which one actually fills up your calendar.
Our animal costs stay the same even during a slow booking week. Does that hurt the numbers?
No. Gus tracks feed and vet costs against bookings over the whole month, so a slow week reads as bookings, not a problem with the herd.
Do I have to change how I schedule classes or take payments?
No. Keep scheduling classes and taking payments the way you always have. Gus reads it from your bank deposits, and a class or party payment he cannot place gets a single quick question.
A class got rained out and we refunded everyone same day. Does that mess up the books?
No. Gus notes the cancellation and the refund together, so it reads as what it was, not a mystery in the deposits.
Is a new animal added to the herd written off like a feed purchase?
No, and Gus flags it separately. A new animal is a different kind of purchase than feed, and the accountant decides how it should be handled.
Do I need to run payroll for the friends who help at events?
Anyone helping regularly on your schedule is usually an employee, not a contractor. For occasional help paid $2,000 or more in a year, Gus keeps the list ready for a 1099 instead.
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