Property operations & real assets

Books and taxes for HOA management companies.

Per-door management fees, violation fines, vendor contracts for the pool and the gate, and association dues that were never yours to begin with. Gus sorts all of it, and an accountant checks every transaction.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
SeptemberExample month
$10,600
what you made

September came in at $10,600. The Ridgeline Estates special assessment for the fence replacement passed through the account this month, and I kept it off your income since that money belongs to the association's reserve project, not the firm.

  • Per-door fees, 12 boardsManagement fees
  • Violation fine processing feeCompliance fees
  • PayHOA subscriptionAssociation software
  • Alliance Assoc Bank feesBank and processing fees
  • Collections attorney retainerLegal fees
Money in$41,200
Money out$30,600
Set aside for taxes$2,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

An HOA management company's books carry someone else's reserve fund alongside its own.

Twelve associations' dues, special assessments, and reserve balances can move through accounts your firm oversees, but none of that is your revenue. Your business is the per-door fee and the extras on top. Mix the two and your firm's real size disappears into the associations you serve.

  1. 1

    Association dues counted as company revenue

    A 200-unit association collecting $180 a month per door moves $36,000 through accounts you administer. If that whole amount looks like your income, a firm earning $9 a door on a per-door fee looks forty times bigger than it is.

    What we doBooks only your per-door management fee and any add-on charges as company revenue. Association dues and reserve balances are never counted as your income.
  2. 2

    Special assessments look like a windfall month

    When Ridgeline Estates collects $180,000 from owners for a roof project, that lump sum landing near your firm's accounts can look like a huge month if it is not clearly tagged as the association's capital project money.

    What we doFlags special assessment collections as association funds, never company income, so a big capital project does not distort your real monthly number.
  3. 3

    Violation fines and late fees get mixed with dues

    Fine income the association keeps and any processing fee your firm earns for handling it are two different things, but they often land in the books as one lump category.

    What we doSeparates the fine amount itself, which belongs to the association, from any processing fee your firm actually earned.
  4. 4

    Common area vendor contracts billed without markup visibility

    Pool service, landscaping, and gate maintenance for a dozen associations run through your firm's vendor relationships, and if the markup or coordination fee on each contract is not tracked, you cannot tell which associations are profitable to manage.

    What we doKeeps vendor pass-through costs separate from any coordination fee your firm earns on top, association by association.
  5. 5

    One reserve fund looks like one operating fund

    A reserve fund saved for a future roof or repaving job and an association's day-to-day operating fund are legally supposed to stay apart, but a firm juggling twelve associations can lose track of which balance is which if the books do not separate them clearly.

    What we doTags reserve fund activity apart from operating fund activity for each association your firm manages, so the split stays visible.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an HOA management company.

Set up once for how per-door fees come in and what the firm itself spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Per-door management feesThe monthly fee earned across every association you manage.
  • Compliance and fine processing feesWhat your firm earns for handling violation notices, not the fine itself.
  • Document and resale certificate feesCharges for closing documents and disclosure packets.
  • Onboarding and transition feesEarned when a new association signs on with your firm.

Money out

  • Association management softwarePayHOA, Vantaca, or similar subscription costs.
  • Office payrollCommunity managers, bookkeepers, and admin staff.
  • Collections and legal feesAttorneys pursuing delinquent dues on the association's behalf.
  • Bank and processing feesAssociation banking partners like Alliance Association Bank.
  • Errors and omissions insuranceCoverage specific to managing association funds and decisions.
  • Board meeting and travel costsMileage and materials for site visits and board meetings.

What we watch for you

  • Revenue per association

    Per-door fees against the work each association actually takes. It flags a contract that is not worth the trouble.

  • Association retention

    How many boards renew their management contract each year. Quiet losses matter as much as loud ones.

  • Collections turnaround

    How fast delinquent dues get resolved. Slow collections often mean an association is short on its own reserve.

  • The set-aside

    What the firm itself will owe, tracked every month, separate from any association's own finances.

Ask Gus

Things HOA management 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.

Ridgeline's roof assessment collected $180,000 this month. Does that count as our income?

No. That belongs to Ridgeline's capital project, not the firm. I kept it flagged as association funds so it does not touch your revenue at all.

We just signed our 13th association. How do I know if it is actually worth taking on?

I will start tracking revenue per association from day one on the new contract, so you can compare it against the other twelve inside a few months.

Can our firm write off the E&O insurance that covers board decisions?

Usually, yes, since it protects the firm's own management work. I logged it under insurance and flagged it for the accountant to confirm against your policy.

The tax side

The tax side of an HOA management company.

Most of what goes wrong here is mistaking association money for firm money. Get the per-door fee income right and the rest of the return follows.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Only management fee income is yoursDues, special assessments, and reserve funds collected on an association's behalf are not the firm's income, so they should never be reported as company revenue.
  • Contractor 1099sLandscapers, pool services, and other vendors your firm pays directly get a 1099-NEC by January 31 if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, even when an association ultimately reimburses the cost.
  • The pass-through deductionA management firm earning real fee income usually qualifies for the pass-through deduction of up to 20 percent of profit, with limits above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint.
  • Errors and omissions coverageInsurance covering the firm's own management decisions is usually a deductible business expense, separate from any coverage the associations themselves carry.

Deductions HOA management companies miss

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

  • Association management software
  • Errors and omissions insurance
  • Collections and legal fees
  • Mileage to board meetings
  • Office rent and utilities
  • Continuing education for licensing
  • Bank and processing fees
  • Printing for owner notices
  • Accounting and legal fees
  • Professional association dues
  • Document preparation software
  • Marketing to new associations

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 HOA management year, kept every month.

Board meetings and assessment votes run on their own calendar all year. Your taxes come on a 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the vendor 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so tax season is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether new associations signed this year changed the number.

  4. October

    Before budget season

    Before boards vote on next year's budgets and reserve contributions, Gus looks at revenue per association and what is worth doing before December.

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 HOA management 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 HOA management owners ask first.

Do you reconcile the reserve fund against each association's balance?

No. Reserve and operating fund reconciliation for association money is a licensed community association manager responsibility that runs on association-specific software. Gus handles your firm's own books, the per-door fees and expenses that are actually yours.

How do you keep a special assessment from making one month look huge?

Gus flags special assessment collections as association funds the moment they show up, never company income, so a capital project at one property does not distort your firm's real monthly number.

We manage associations ranging from 20 units to 400. Does size change how the books work?

No. Gus works from your firm's own bank statement, and the size of the associations you manage does not change how your firm's own fees and expenses get sorted.

Can Gus tell me which associations are actually worth keeping?

He tracks revenue per association and collections turnaround from your own books, which gives you a real read on which contracts are pulling their weight.

Our firm just merged with another management company. Can you handle combined books?

Yes. Send the bank statements from both firms going forward. Gus sorts them and the accountant checks them, and you will have a combined number within a month or two.

Do you file the 1099s for landscaping and pool vendors?

Gus keeps the list of every vendor paid $2,000 or more ready all year, whether your firm or an association ultimately pays the bill. He does not file the 1099s himself.

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 property operations & real assets

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