Outdoor living & structures
Books and taxes for hot tub and swim spa dealers.
Showroom floor models, units held on a lot as inventory, crane or forklift delivery, and warranty service calls after the sale. 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
November came in at $19,500. The Hot Spring swim spa held on the lot since August finally sold, so that unit's cost came off inventory this month.
- Sale, Hot Spring swim spaUnit sales
- Wisetack payoutFinanced sales
- Jacuzzi unit orderShowroom inventory
- Crane delivery, Merton installDelivery and installation
- Warranty part, circuit boardWarranty service
Why your books are different
Hot tub and swim spa books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and inventory bills. Your business holds units on the showroom floor for months before they sell, delivers them with a crane or forklift, and services them under warranty long after the sale is closed. When the books do not track a unit from purchase to sale, you cannot tell what it actually made.
-
1
A unit sitting on the showroom floor looks like a loss when it is bought
A swim spa bought from the manufacturer in August might not sell until November, and if the purchase is logged as a straight expense the month it arrives, that month looks like a big loss for no reason.
What we doTracks each unit as inventory until it sells, so the cost lands in the same month as the sale, not months earlier. -
2
Delivery and installation costs get buried in general overhead
Crane or forklift delivery, electrical hookup, and pad prep can cost a real amount per unit, and if it is filed as a general expense instead of tied to the sale, the true margin on that unit is overstated.
What we doBooks delivery and installation costs against the unit they belong to, so real margin per sale is visible. -
3
Warranty service calls look like lost money with no context
A circuit board or pump replaced under manufacturer warranty months after a sale shows up as a cost with no matching income, and without tracking it against the original sale, it is easy to think the business is bleeding money on service.
What we doLogs warranty service costs against the original sale and notes what the manufacturer covers, so the real cost of ongoing service is clear. -
4
Financed sales get counted short
When a swim spa is financed through Wisetack or a similar lender, the payout is less than the sale price because the lender keeps a fee, and booking only the payout as the sale understates what was actually sold.
What we doBooks the full sale price as revenue and the lender's fee as a separate cost, so sales numbers are not understated.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hot tub and swim spa dealer.
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
- Unit salesHot tubs and swim spas sold off the showroom floor or by order.
- Financed salesThe full sale price, with the lender's cut from Wisetack booked as a fee.
- Delivery and setup feesCharges billed separately for crane delivery and installation.
- Service and warranty callsPaid service visits outside of manufacturer warranty coverage.
- Chemical and accessory salesCovers, chemicals, and steps sold alongside or after a unit.
Money out
- Showroom inventoryUnits purchased from Jacuzzi, Hot Spring, or a similar manufacturer, held until sold.
- Delivery and installationCrane or forklift delivery, pad prep, and electrical hookup per unit.
- Warranty serviceParts and labor for manufacturer warranty repairs, tracked against the original sale.
- Showroom rent and utilitiesThe lot or showroom space where units are displayed.
- Financing and card feesWhat the lender or card processor kept before you got paid.
- Lead fees and marketingGoogle local services and local advertising.
What we watch for you
- Inventory on hand
Units bought but not yet sold, so a purchase does not read as a loss before the sale closes it out.
- Margin per unit
Sale price against unit cost and delivery, so pricing accounts for what it actually takes to get a unit installed.
- Warranty cost trend
Service costs against sales, tracked by manufacturer, so a pattern of failures on one brand is visible.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things hot tub dealers 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 unit had been sitting on the floor since August. Its cost came off the books this month because that is when it sold, so the margin looks bigger than a normal month, and it should.
I logged the part and labor against the original sale. If the manufacturer covers it, tell me and I will move the cost off your books once the reimbursement lands.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of a hot tub and swim spa dealership.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing inventory to the sale and keeping warranty costs from looking like a mystery loss. Here is what actually matters at tax time.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory accountingUnits held for sale are inventory, not an expense, until they sell. Keeping that timing right keeps a slow month from looking worse than it is.
- Equipment write-offsA delivery truck, crane attachment, or forklift bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a delivery or install sub, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- 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 tub and swim spa dealers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Crane and forklift delivery costs
- Showroom rent and utilities
- Warranty parts inventory
- Truck fuel and maintenance
- Google local services ads
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tools for delivery and install
- Phone and tablet for scheduling
- Trade licenses and bonding
- Card and financing fees
- Showroom signage
- Sample chemical and accessory stock
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 hot tub and swim spa year, kept every month.
Sales often peak as the weather turns cold and swim spa interest holds through summer. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. 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 April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before the spring swim spa season picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how inventory on hand compares to the season's sales pace.
- October
Before the winter rush
A look at inventory levels and equipment worth buying before December's hot tub buying season.
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 tub and swim spa dealers. 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 hot tub dealers ask first.
Can Gus handle sales paid through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full sale price as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
How does Gus handle a unit that sits on the floor for months?
He tracks it as inventory rather than an expense until it sells, so the purchase month does not look like a loss and the sale month shows the real margin.
My books are behind from last 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 inside a week.
Do warranty repairs cost me anything on the books?
Gus logs the part and labor against the original sale. If the manufacturer reimburses you, that offsets the cost once it lands, so your numbers stay accurate either way.
Do I write off a delivery truck or crane attachment all at once?
Often, yes. Business equipment can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
Do you handle sales tax on the units I sell?
No. Sales tax on retail units varies by state and Gus does not file it. He keeps your books clean so whoever files your sales tax has accurate numbers to work from.
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