Travel agencies & tour operators
Books and taxes for hunting and fishing trip booking agents.
A non-refundable tag lottery fee, an outfitter deposit locked in a season ahead, and a commission that some lodges pay at booking and others pay after the hunt. Your own bookkeeper stays on it all year, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
October netted $7,000. A client's antelope tag did not get drawn in the state lottery, so I refunded his outfitter deposit and kept the non-refundable application fee as its own expense.
- Colorado elk hunt depositClient trip deposits
- Bass Pro Lodge commissionOutfitter commissions
- Elk camp outfitter depositOutfitter deposits
- Tag lottery application feeLicense and tag fees
- Africa safari trophy shippingTrophy shipping and customs
Why your books are different
A hunting and fishing trip agent's books go wrong at the tag lottery and the outfitter deposit.
A client pays a non-refundable fee just to apply for a tag in a state lottery, an outfitter wants a deposit locked in a year before the hunt, and a trophy shipped home from overseas comes with its own customs cost. Booked as ordinary sales and expenses, none of that reflects how this business actually works.
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1
A tag lottery application fee is not refundable, win or lose
Applying for a coveted elk or antelope tag through a state lottery costs money whether or not the client is drawn, and if that fee is not tracked apart from the trip deposit, a client who does not get drawn can look like a canceled sale instead of a cost that was always non-refundable.
What we doBooks the lottery application fee as its own cost separate from the trip deposit, so a client who is not drawn does not distort the numbers. -
2
Outfitter deposits get paid a year before the hunt
A guided elk or waterfowl hunt often requires a deposit locked in with the outfitter a full season ahead of the actual trip, and if that payment is expensed the month it is paid, an early deposit can make a slow month look worse than it is.
What we doMatches the outfitter deposit to the season it belongs to, so an early payment does not distort a month where the hunt has not happened yet. -
3
Trophy shipping and customs costs get lost in the trip total
Getting a trophy home from an African safari involves its own shipping, permits, and customs costs, separate from the hunt itself, and if it is bundled into one trip expense, you cannot see what that piece actually cost against what the client paid for it.
What we doKeeps trophy shipping and customs costs in their own line against the trip, so you can see that cost clearly. -
4
A weather cancellation refund looks like a random loss
A hunt or fishing trip canceled for weather or an outfitter closure triggers a refund that, if not matched to the original booking, looks like an unexplained expense instead of a reversal of a sale that never happened.
What we doBooks cancellation refunds against the original trip, so a weather cancellation does not distort what the month actually earned. -
5
Commission timing depends on the outfitter's own policies
Some outfitters pay your commission at booking, others only after the client's hunt is complete, and mixing those timelines together makes it hard to know what you have actually earned versus what is still pending.
What we doTracks commission by outfitter and by trip, so pending and paid commissions never get confused with each other.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hunting and fishing trip agent.
Set up once for how deposits, tag fees, and outfitter commissions move. You never sort a payment. Gus does, and an accountant checks every one.
Money in
- Client trip depositsUpfront payments toward a guided hunt or fishing trip.
- Outfitter commissionsWhat the lodge or outfitter pays you for booking the trip.
- Final trip paymentsThe balance due before the client travels.
- Trip insurance commissionsWhat the insurer pays when a client buys weather or cancellation protection.
- Gear rental referral feesWhat a rental outfit pays for sending clients its way.
Money out
- Outfitter depositsPayments locked in with the lodge or outfitter, often a season ahead.
- License and tag feesState lottery application and license costs paid on a client's behalf.
- Trophy shipping and customsGetting a trophy home from an international hunt.
- Errors and omissions insuranceCoverage for trip bookings gone wrong.
- Booking softwareWhatever tracks client trips, deposits, and outfitter statements.
- MarketingWebsite, hunting show booth fees, and referral materials.
- Card processing feesWhat the processor keeps on client deposits.
What we watch for you
- Commission collection rate
What outfitters actually paid against what they owed for booked trips.
- Pending commissions
Commission tied to hunts that have not happened yet, so it is not counted before it lands.
- Tag draw outcomes
How many clients were drawn against how many applied, since it affects the season's bookings.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so a busy season of bookings does not turn into an April surprise.
Ask Gus
Things hunting and fishing trip booking agents 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 fee was never refundable, so I booked it as its own cost separate from his trip deposit, which I am refunding since the hunt cannot happen.
I matched that deposit to next fall's season instead of January, so it should not make an early month look worse than it is.
I booked it against that original trip, so the refund shows up as part of what actually happened instead of a random loss.
The tax side
The tax side of a hunting and fishing trip agent's business.
Most of what matters here is timing. A deposit paid a season early, a commission that has not landed, a fee that was never refundable to begin with.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Outfitter deposits paid a season aheadMoney paid to an outfitter for a hunt that has not happened yet is usually a cost in the year the trip actually takes place, not the year the deposit was paid.
- Commission income when it is actually earnedCommission is usually income when the outfitter actually pays it, which for some outfitters is after the client's hunt is complete, not at the time of booking.
- 1099s for local guides paid directlyA local guide or outfitter you pay directly, not through a card network, gets a 1099-NEC if you pay them $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, which comes out right when deposits and commissions are booked to the season and year they belong to.
Deductions hunting and fishing trip booking agents miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Errors and omissions insurance
- Hunting and fishing show booth fees
- Booking software subscription
- Site visits to outfitter camps
- Trade publication advertising
- Continuing education courses
- Website hosting
- Mileage to client meetings
- Home office square footage
- Phone and internet share
- Card processing fees
- Business liability insurance
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 hunting and fishing trip agent's year, kept every month.
Tag lottery deadlines and outfitter deposits come long before the season itself. Your team keeps you ahead of both that and tax season. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the hunting season
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for local guides is finalized, and state tag lottery application deadlines start for the fall season.
- April
Filed before fall hunts book
Your return is filed and signed while spring fishing trips run and fall hunt deposits keep coming in.
- July
Midseason booking check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how many fall bookings are locked in against the outfitter deposits already paid.
- October
Before peak season
Fall hunting season is the busiest run of trips for many agents, so Gus looks at what the year has earned so far and what is 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 hunting and fishing trip booking agents. 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 hunting and fishing trip booking agents ask first.
My client applied for a tag and did not get drawn. What happens to the money he paid?
The lottery application fee was never refundable, so Gus books it as its own cost. Any outfitter deposit tied to the hunt gets refunded since the trip cannot happen without the tag.
I pay outfitter deposits a season before the hunt happens. Does that make an early month look bad?
It should not. Gus matches the deposit to the season the hunt actually happens in, so an early payment does not distort a month where nothing has run yet.
Some outfitters pay commission at booking and others after the hunt. Can Gus keep that straight?
Yes. He tracks commission by outfitter and by trip, so pending and already-paid commissions never get confused with each other.
A client's safari got shortened by weather and the outfitter gave a partial refund. How does that get booked?
Gus books the refund against the original trip, so it shows up as part of what actually happened instead of looking like an unrelated loss.
My books are behind from a busy hunting season. Can you still take this on?
Yes. Send the bank statements and outfitter statements you have. Gus sorts it 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