Land recreation & adventure

Books and taxes for hiking and backpacking guide services.

Multi-day backcountry trips booked and paid for months ahead, wilderness permits, guide day rates, and a gear closet of tents and packs that needs constant upkeep. Gus sorts it as it lands, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
AugustExample month
$17,600
what you made

August came in at $17,600. A five-day trip booked back in the spring finally ran this month, so I counted that income now instead of when the deposit landed.

  • Multi-day trip balancesGuided trip income
  • Gear rental add-onsGear rental income
  • Wilderness permit feesPermit costs
  • REI Pro tent and pack orderGear inventory
  • Assistant guide day ratesGuide pay
Money in$51,000
Money out$33,400
Set aside for taxes$4,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Hiking guide books go wrong between the deposit and the trailhead.

Clients book and pay for a five-day backcountry trip months before the trailhead, permits have to be secured and paid for ahead of time, and a gear closet of tents and packs wears out with every trip. A generalist counts a deposit as today's money. Your books need to know a booking is not a completed trip.

  1. 1

    Multi-day trip deposits land months before departure

    A client books and pays a deposit for an August backcountry trip back in March, and if that money counts as March income, August, when the trip and most of its costs actually happen, looks thin by comparison.

    What we doHolds trip deposits as money owed until the trip happens, then counts the income the month it runs.
  2. 2

    Permit fees get lumped into general trip costs

    Wilderness permits often have to be paid for and secured well before a trip, sometimes for trips that later get rescheduled or cancelled, and mixing that cost with general trip expenses hides how much permits actually run each season.

    What we doKeeps permit costs in their own line, dated to when they were paid, so the pattern is easy to see and plan around.
  3. 3

    Gear wear and replacement gets missed until it fails

    Tents, packs, stoves, and sleeping bags used on back-to-back trips wear out faster than personal gear, and if replacement cost is not tracked against how many trips the gear ran, it is easy to underprice a season.

    What we doKeeps guide gear inventory and replacement in its own line, separate from personal purchases or office supplies.
  4. 4

    Assistant guide pay hides the real cost of a trip

    Multi-day trips often need an assistant guide, and if that day rate pay blends into your own guiding income, you cannot tell what a specific trip actually nets after paying everyone who worked it.

    What we doKeeps assistant guide pay in its own line, tied to the trips they worked, separate from your own guide income.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a hiking and backpacking guide service.

Set up once for how trips, permits, and gear get paid. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Guided trip incomeMulti-day and day trip fees, recognized when the trip actually runs.
  • Gear rental incomeAdd-on rentals of packs, tents, and cold weather gear.
  • Training and prep session feesPre-trip training or conditioning sessions.
  • Group and custom trip incomePrivate groups and custom itinerary bookings.
  • Retail and gear salesBranded gear or small equipment sold to clients.

Money out

  • Permit costsWilderness area and backcountry permits, paid ahead of trips.
  • Guide payYour own guiding income, kept apart from assistant guide pay.
  • Assistant guide payDay rates for guides brought on for multi-day trips.
  • Gear inventoryTents, packs, stoves, and sleeping bags used across trips.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for backcountry guiding, often the largest fixed cost.
  • Vehicle and shuttle costsFuel and repairs for trailhead shuttles and gear transport.
  • Food and trip suppliesMeals and consumables packed for multi-day trips.
  • Marketing and booking site feesAds and any online reservation system's cut.

What we watch for you

  • Deferred trip deposit balance

    How much trip deposit money is still owed in trips not yet run.

  • Permit cost per trip

    What permits actually cost against trip income, useful for pricing multi-day trips correctly.

  • Gear replacement cycle

    How gear wear tracks against trips run, so replacement is planned instead of a surprise.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things hiking guide 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.

A client paid a deposit back in March for an August trip. Why isn't that showing as income until now?

It was held as money owed to them in a trip they hadn't taken yet. I counted it in August, when the trip actually ran, so the report matches the real work you did.

I had to pay for a wilderness permit for a trip that ended up getting rescheduled. How does that get tracked?

The permit cost stays in its own line the month you paid it, so it does not get buried in a trip that has not happened yet. I will flag it if it needs matching to the rescheduled date instead.

My assistant guide gets paid a day rate on multi-day trips. Does that count as payroll or something else?

That depends on how much control you have over her schedule and gear, and that call is above my pay grade. I will flag it so the accountant looks before the next trip.

The tax side

The tax side of a hiking and backpacking guide service.

Most of what trips up a guiding business is timing trip deposits and getting gear and staffing costs on the right track.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Trip deposits are earned at the tripMoney collected for a guided trip booked ahead of time is deferred income, recognized only when the trip actually happens.
  • Guiding gear depreciationTents, packs, and other equipment bought for guiding is business equipment, and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Assistant guide or employeeAn assistant guide who follows your itinerary, uses your gear, and works your trips is often an employee rather than a contractor.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, which comes out right when trip income is tracked accurately all year.

Deductions hiking and backpacking guide services miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Tents, packs, and sleeping bags
  • Wilderness permit fees
  • Liability insurance premiums
  • Assistant guide day rates
  • Trailhead shuttle fuel and repairs
  • Trip food and consumables
  • First aid and wilderness medical supplies
  • Satellite communication devices
  • Booking site fees
  • Guide certifications and training
  • Marketing and trip listings
  • Uniforms and guide apparel

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 hiking guide business's year, kept every month.

Trip season and the tax calendar rarely line up. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned based on how last season's trips actually landed.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed as early season trip bookings and permit applications ramp up.

  3. July

    Peak season check

    Where you stand at the busiest stretch, and whether guide and permit costs are keeping pace with trip income.

  4. October

    Before the season winds down

    Gear replacement, next year's permit planning, and equipment worth buying before the off season.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 hiking and backpacking guide services. 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 hiking guide owners ask first.

Clients book and pay for multi-day trips months in advance. How does Gus handle that timing?

He holds trip deposits as money owed until the trip actually happens, so the income lands the month you are on the trail, not the month the deposit was paid.

I pay for wilderness permits before I know a trip will fill. Does that mess up the books?

No, permit costs stay in their own line dated to when you paid, separate from trip income, so the pattern is clear even when a trip's timing shifts.

My gear takes a beating from back-to-back trips. Can Gus help me see when it needs replacing?

Yes. Gear inventory and replacement stay in their own line, so you can see the real wear pattern against how many trips your gear has run.

I bring on an assistant guide for bigger trips. Does that pay mess up my own guiding income?

No, assistant guide pay stays in its own line, tied to the trips they worked, so your own guiding income stays clear.

My season is short and intense with a slow winter. Will that throw off my set-aside?

No. Gus adjusts the set-aside as the season's real numbers come in, so a quiet winter does not leave you overpaying ahead of a lighter year.

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 land recreation & adventure

We keep books for the business next door too.

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