Outdoor attractions & tours
Books and taxes for hot air balloon ride operators.
Dawn and dusk flight ticket sales, private charters and proposal flights, propane bills, and a chase crew that drives every single flight. 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 $13,600. Six flights got weathered out and rebooked, so those deposits stayed on the books as credits, not lost income.
- Flight ticket batchFlight tickets
- Proposal flight upgrade feesCharter and add-on flights
- Propane fillPropane
- Chase crew payrollChase crew wages
- Envelope inspection serviceEnvelope and basket upkeep
Why your books are different
Balloon ride books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees ticket sales and a hobby aircraft. Your business flies only in calm dawn and dusk windows, burns real money in propane every flight, and cancels often enough for weather that the books need a plan for it. When the books do not know that, a rainy month looks like a business problem instead of the weather.
-
1
Weather cancellations turn into a bookkeeping mess
A grounded flight leaves you holding a customer's money for a ride that has not happened, whether it gets rebooked, refunded, or turned into a credit toward a future flight.
What we doTracks weather holds, rebooking credits, and refunds as they happen, so a string of bad-weather days does not look like unexplained money in the account. -
2
The envelope and basket look like a supply expense
A balloon envelope has a limited flight-hour lifespan and a replacement can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Filed as a supply, a replacement wrecks one month's number and hides what the aircraft actually needed.
What we doFlags envelope, basket, and burner purchases as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how they get written off. -
3
Propane costs swing with flight count, not the calendar
A busy stretch of calm mornings burns through propane fast, while a rainy week burns almost none. Looking at propane cost by month instead of by flight hides whether the business is actually running efficiently.
What we doKeeps propane in its own line and tracks it against flights flown, so cost per flight stays visible no matter how the weather behaves. -
4
Chase crew pay gets missed or mixed with pilot pay
A chase crew that drives the recovery vehicle and helps pack up every flight is essential labor, and paying them informally or lumping them with pilot pay hides what a flight actually costs to run.
What we doKeeps chase crew wages in their own line, separate from pilot pay, so the real labor cost per flight is visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hot air balloon operator.
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
- Flight ticketsStandard dawn and dusk group flights.
- Charter and add-on flightsPrivate flights and proposal packages.
- Corporate and event bookingsGroup buyouts for company events.
- Gift certificatesSold in one month, redeemed as a flight in another.
Money out
- PropaneFuel for the burner, tracked against flights flown.
- Chase crew wagesPay for the ground crew that recovers and packs up the balloon.
- Envelope and basket upkeepInspection, repair, and eventual replacement of the envelope and basket.
- Aircraft insuranceCoverage specific to the balloon and its flights.
- Vehicle and trailer costsFuel and upkeep for the chase vehicle and trailer.
- Storage and hangarWhere the balloon and equipment are kept between flights.
What we watch for you
- Propane cost per flight
Fuel cost against flights actually flown, so cost stays clear no matter how much weather grounds you.
- Weather cancellation rate
How often flights get held for weather, so refund and credit exposure is not a surprise.
- Charter share of income
How much of the month comes from private charters and proposal flights versus standard group flights.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things balloon ride 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.
No. I kept those deposits as rebooking credits, not lost income, so the books show what is really owed in future flights, not a loss.
Often it can. I logged it as equipment, not a supply, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
No, I track propane against flights flown, and your cost per flight actually held steady. More flying just means more fuel.
The tax side
The tax side of a hot air balloon operation.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: weathered-out flights, an envelope filed as a supply, and chase crew pay left off the books.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Aircraft equipment depreciationThe balloon envelope, basket, and burner system are business equipment. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, and Section 179 can often write off a replacement in the year it is bought.
- Deferred revenue on gift certificates and prepaid flightsGift certificates and prepaid flights sold ahead of the actual ride are not fully earned the day they sell. They get recognized as income when the flight happens.
- Worker classification for chase crewA chase crew that follows your schedule and drives your vehicle is usually an employee, even if paid per flight.
- 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 hot air balloon ride operators miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Propane fuel
- Envelope and basket inspection
- Aircraft insurance
- Chase vehicle fuel and repair
- Trailer maintenance
- Hangar or storage fees
- Pilot certification renewal
- Weather monitoring service
- Radios and ground communication
- Booking app fees
- Uniforms and crew gear
- Gift certificate printing
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 balloon ride year, kept every month.
Your flying window depends on calm mornings, not the calendar. Your taxes come on a schedule regardless. 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 stretch of bad weather does not catch you short.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed ahead of the busy spring and summer flying season.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the height of flying season, and whether propane cost per flight is holding steady.
- October
Before the slowdown
A look at envelope or equipment work worth doing before next season 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 hot air balloon ride operators. 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 balloon ride owners ask first.
What happens to the books when a flight gets weathered out?
Gus tracks it as a rebooking credit or refund, not lost income, so a stretch of bad weather does not show up as a mysterious hole in the books.
We replaced the envelope this year. Is that fully deductible right away?
Often it can be. The envelope is equipment with real useful life, and the accountant decides how much of it can be written off this year.
Our propane bill jumped one month. Is that a red flag?
Gus checks it against flights flown, not the calendar. If you flew more, propane naturally costs more, and the books show that clearly.
Our chase crew is paid per flight, not hourly. Are they employees?
Usually, if you set the schedule and they drive your vehicle. Gus keeps their pay tracked and flags the classification question for the accountant.
Our books are behind after a busy flying 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