Outdoor attractions & tours
Books and taxes for historic site tours.
Guided tour admission, wedding and private event rentals, gift shop sales, and a building that needs preservation work no ordinary property does. 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
October came in at $13,600. The roof restoration work from a preservation contractor is logged as a building improvement, not a repair.
- Guided tour ticket batchGuided tour admission
- Wedding rental depositEvent rentals
- Preservation contractor invoiceBuilding preservation
- Docent payroll runDocent and guide wages
- Historic property insurance premiumProperty insurance
Why your books are different
Historic site books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees admission and a gift shop. Your business preserves a building that costs more to maintain than an ordinary property, rents the grounds out for weddings, and pays guides who bring the history to life. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell what the site actually costs to keep standing.
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1
Preservation work looks like ordinary repairs
Restoring original woodwork, repointing historic brick, or a period-accurate roof repair costs far more than routine maintenance and often has to follow preservation standards. Filed as a plain repair, it drags one month's number down without showing what was actually protected.
What we doKeeps building preservation and restoration in its own line, separate from routine maintenance, and flags larger jobs for the accountant to review. -
2
Wedding and event rentals get counted before the event happens
A couple books the grounds for a wedding a year out and pays a deposit, with the balance due closer to the date. Counting the full amount when the deposit lands overstates that month and understates the one where the event happens.
What we doHolds event deposits until the event date, so income lands in the month the site was actually used. -
3
Docent pay and tour income do not line up
Docents paid per tour or per hour do not map cleanly to admission revenue if both get looked at separately, making it hard to see whether tour pricing actually covers what guiding costs.
What we doKeeps docent and guide wages against guided tour income for the same stretch, so you can see whether pricing covers the cost of staffing. -
4
A busy tourist season carries a building that needs care all year
Visits may spike during a local festival or holiday season while the building itself needs climate control, security, and upkeep every month regardless of tour volume.
What we doTracks the season as a whole and keeps building upkeep visible year round, so the off season does not look like the business is losing money.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a historic site.
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
- Guided tour admissionWalk-up and prepaid online tour tickets.
- Event rentalsWeddings and private events, tied to the event date.
- Group and school bookingsField trips and group tours booked ahead.
- Gift shopMerchandise and book sales.
- DonationsGifts tied to preservation projects.
Money out
- Docent and guide wagesHourly or per-tour pay for guides.
- Building preservationRestoration and preservation-standard repair work.
- Property insuranceCoverage for an older or historic structure, often costing more than a standard policy.
- Grounds and landscapingUpkeep of the property surrounding the building.
- Security systemsAlarm monitoring and staffing for events.
- UtilitiesClimate control to protect historic interiors.
What we watch for you
- Preservation cost trend
Preservation and restoration spending tracked over time, so a big project month does not look like a crisis.
- Event rental share
How much of the month comes from weddings and private events versus tour admission.
- Labor against tour income
Docent and guide wages compared to admission for the same stretch.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things historic site 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.
I kept it separate as building preservation, since it is a bigger, standards-driven job than a routine repair. The accountant looks at how it should be treated.
Not yet. I hold event deposits until the event date, so the income lands in June when the wedding actually happens.
Usually not, if you set their schedule and how tours are run. That is above my pay grade to decide alone, so I flagged it for the accountant.
The tax side
The tax side of a historic site tour business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: preservation work filed as repairs, and event deposits counted too early.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Depreciation on preservation and restoration workMajor restoration and preservation projects often add lasting value to the property and may need to be capitalized rather than expensed right away, which is a call for the accountant given the standards involved.
- Deferred revenue on event depositsWedding and event deposits are not fully earned the day they are collected. They get recognized as income when the event actually happens.
- Worker classification for docents and guidesDocents and guides who work your schedule and follow site procedures are usually employees, even if paid per tour.
- 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 historic site tours miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Preservation and restoration labor
- Historic property insurance
- Grounds and landscaping upkeep
- Docent training materials
- Uniforms and staff shirts
- Security system monitoring
- Climate control equipment
- Signage and wayfinding
- Gift shop fixtures
- Event rental staffing
- Ticketing app fees
- Period furnishings and displays
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 historic site year, kept every month.
The building needs care every month of the year, not just during the busy season. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a quiet winter does not catch you short.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before the spring tourist and wedding season picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the height of summer tours, and whether event rentals are tracking well.
- October
Before the slowdown
A look at preservation work worth doing before winter and anything 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 historic site tours. 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 historic site owners ask first.
Does preservation work get treated the same as a regular repair?
Gus keeps it in its own line since it usually costs more and follows different standards. The accountant decides whether it should be written off now or over time.
We rent the grounds out for weddings. When does that count as income?
The month the event happens. Gus holds deposits until the event date so income matches when the site was actually used.
Our docents work a set schedule but are paid per tour. Are they employees?
Usually, since you control their schedule and how tours are run. Gus flags it for the accountant rather than guessing.
Does historic property insurance count as a bigger deduction than normal?
It is deducted the same way as any business insurance, but it often costs more given the age and value of the structure, so Gus tracks it in its own line.
Our books are behind from a busy tourist season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand within 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.
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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