Pet health
Books and taxes for holistic and integrative vets.
Acupuncture sessions, herbal and supplement sales, cash-pay clients who skip insurance entirely, and certification renewals. 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
June came in at $8,800. The new laser therapy unit is in there, so I logged it as equipment, not supplies.
- Client checkout, cash and cardAcupuncture and adjustment visits
- Herbal formula salesHerbal and supplement retail
- Herbal supplier invoiceHerbal and supplement stock
- CareCredit payout, acupuncture packageFinanced procedures
- Continuing education, acupuncture certificationCertifications and training
Why your books are different
A holistic practice's books go wrong in places a conventional clinic never sees.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your practice runs on acupuncture sessions, herbal formulas sold off the shelf, and clients who pay cash because insurance rarely covers what you do. When the books do not know that, the retail side and the visit side blur into one number that tells you nothing.
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1
Herbal and supplement sales blend into visit fees
A client pays for an acupuncture session and walks out with a month of herbal formula, and both charges land in the bank feed as one deposit, hiding whether the retail side is worth the shelf space and the ordering time.
What we doKeeps herbal and supplement retail in its own line, apart from session fees, so you can see what each part of the practice actually earns. -
2
A large herbal order looks like a bad month
Herbal formulas and supplements often have to be ordered in bulk from a specialty supplier, and one large order can make a month look thin when it was really just restocking.
What we doKeeps herbal and supplement stock in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not slower business, is why a month looks off. -
3
Certification and continuing education costs get missed
Acupuncture, chiropractic, and rehab certifications for animals require ongoing continuing education that a conventional clinic never budgets for, and those costs get lost inside general expenses if nobody separates them.
What we doKeeps certification and continuing education costs in their own category so you can see what staying credentialed actually costs each year. -
4
Package and multi-session pricing confuses the month
A client who prepays for a package of five acupuncture sessions has paid for work not yet done, and counting the whole package as this month's revenue overstates a slow month and understates the busier ones that follow.
What we doLogs the payment as it clears, marks it as a package sale, and leaves the call on how much of it counts as this year's income to the accountant. -
5
The line between conventional and alternative care gets lost
A practice that offers both a conventional exam and an acupuncture session in the same visit can end up with one combined charge that hides which service the client actually came in for.
What we doKeeps conventional visit fees and holistic session fees in separate lines, so you can see which side of the practice is actually growing.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a holistic and integrative practice.
Retail and treatment fees never touch the same line, since insurance rarely covers either one here.
Money in
- Acupuncture and adjustment visitsSession fees for acupuncture, chiropractic, and similar hands-on care.
- Herbal and supplement retailHerbal formulas and nutraceuticals sold at checkout.
- Conventional visit feesExams and vaccines, kept apart from holistic session fees.
- Wellness package duesPrepaid multi-session packages and monthly membership fees.
- Financed proceduresWhat CareCredit paid out on a session package, net of its own fee.
Money out
- Doctor and staff payWages for veterinarians and support staff trained in integrative care.
- Herbal and supplement stockFormulas, tinctures, and nutraceuticals from a specialty herbal supplier.
- Conventional pharmacy stockStandard medications from Covetrus or Patterson Veterinary.
- Certifications and trainingAcupuncture, chiropractic, and rehab certification renewal and continuing education.
- EquipmentLaser therapy units and acupuncture equipment, logged so they get written off right.
- Facility and utilitiesRent or mortgage, power, and water.
- Financing and card feesThe cut CareCredit or the card reader took before a session payment landed.
What we watch for you
- Retail share
Herbal and supplement sales against session fees. It shows if retail is pulling its weight.
- Herbal stock cost
Herbal and supplement cost against retail revenue. Watch it after a bulk order.
- Package revenue outstanding
Money collected for sessions clients have not booked yet, so a package sale is not read as a busy month.
- The set-aside
The tax reserve, built up a little each month so a strong session count does not surprise you in April.
Ask Gus
Things holistic practice 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.
That order is in the herbal stock line, not blended with revenue. Your session and retail income for June are both solid on their own.
It usually counts as a deductible continuing education cost. I logged it in its own line so the accountant can confirm it at tax time.
It shows as the deposit that landed, and I flagged it as a prepaid package, so the accountant can decide how it is counted for the year.
The tax side
The tax side of a holistic and integrative practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Prepaid packages counted too early, certifications lost in general expenses, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsA laser therapy unit or acupuncture equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA guest practitioner or an IT contractor paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Self-employment taxA sole practitioner not paid through payroll owes 15.3 percent of profit toward Social Security and Medicare, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- The pass-through deductionRetail and session income both count as ordinary business profit, and most owner-practitioners can deduct up to 20 percent of that profit before it is taxed.
Deductions holistic and integrative vets miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Herbal and supplement stock
- Acupuncture needles and supplies
- Laser therapy consumables
- Certification and continuing education
- Malpractice insurance
- Equipment lease payments
- Practice software subscriptions
- Marketing and website costs
- Card and financing fees
- Scrubs and clinical supplies
- Association and society dues
- State license renewal
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 holistic practice's year, kept every month.
Certifications renew on their own calendar. 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.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, guest practitioner 1099s are listed, and a monthly set-aside begins so April is no scramble.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return goes in filed and signed, the set-aside already covering it since January, no dip into the herbal order budget.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether retail sales or session fees are carrying the year.
- October
Before the slow season
Before caseload eases up for the year, Gus looks at any equipment or certifications worth doing 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 holistic and integrative vets. 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 holistic practice owners ask first.
Can Gus keep herbal sales separate from session fees?
Yes. He keeps herbal and supplement retail in its own category, apart from acupuncture and adjustment session fees, so you can see what each part of the practice earns.
Most of my clients pay cash since insurance does not cover this. Does that change anything?
No. Gus works from your bank statement and deposits, whether they come in as cash, card, or a financing payout.
A client bought a five-session acupuncture package. When does that count as income?
As the deposit lands, not as the sessions get used. Gus flags it as a prepaid package so the accountant can decide how the year's revenue should reflect the work actually delivered.
I offer both conventional exams and acupuncture. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus keeps conventional visit fees and holistic session fees in separate lines, so you can see which side of the practice is growing.
Does my acupuncture certification renewal count as a business expense?
Continuing education tied to the services you offer is usually deductible. Gus keeps the renewal cost in its own line so the accountant can confirm it applies to your certification.
My books have never been separated from my personal accounts. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have, and Gus sorts out business activity so the practice's real numbers are finally visible.
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