Vehicle sales & auto services
Books and taxes for car rental and Turo host businesses.
Turo trip payouts, direct bookings, cleaning between rentals, and a fleet loan payment all move through the account differently. Gus sorts every dollar into its own line, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July netted $10,200. I booked the full trip price on every Turo rental as income and their service fee as a cost, so your numbers show what renters actually paid.
- Turo trip payoutTuro rental income
- Direct booking, cardDirect rental income
- Turo service feeBooking fees
- Fleet loan payment, CR-VFleet financing
- Between-trip detailingCleaning and turnaround
Why your books are different
A car rental and Turo host's books go wrong around the fee, not the trip.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business gets paid a net amount after an app takes its cut, sometimes gets reimbursed for damage, and runs a fleet that turns over fast. When the books only see the net deposit, you cannot tell what a car actually earned.
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1
Turo's fee gets missed because only the net payout shows up
Turo pays out the trip price minus its own service fee, and if only that net deposit gets logged, both what the renter actually paid and what Turo kept as its cut disappear from the books.
What we doBooks the full trip price as rental income and Turo's fee as its own cost, so both numbers are honest. -
2
Damage reimbursements look like a normal payout
When a renter damages a vehicle and Turo's protection plan reimburses part of the repair cost, that payout can land looking like ordinary rental income instead of a reimbursement tied to a specific repair.
What we doKeeps damage reimbursements separate from trip income, matched to the repair they cover. -
3
Cleaning and turnaround costs get lost between trips
A quick detail between every rental adds up fast across a fleet of several cars, and if it is not tracked per vehicle, it is hard to tell which cars in the fleet are actually worth keeping.
What we doKeeps cleaning and turnaround costs in their own line so the real cost of running each vehicle is visible. -
4
Fleet depreciation gets ignored until tax time
A rental fleet loses value fast with the mileage these vehicles rack up, and if nobody tracks that during the year, the deduction gets rushed and guessed at come tax season.
What we doFlags fleet vehicles as they're bought so the accountant has real numbers on hand, not a last-minute guess. -
5
Direct bookings and Turo trips blur together
Some hosts also rent directly to local customers outside of Turo, and if those payments land in the same bucket as Turo payouts, it is hard to see which channel actually brings in the better return once fees are considered.
What we doKeeps direct bookings and Turo trips in separate lines so you can compare what each channel really nets.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a car rental or Turo host business.
Set up once for how trips and fees come in. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Turo rental incomeThe full trip price before Turo's service fee is taken out.
- Direct rental incomeBookings made outside Turo, paid directly by the renter.
- Damage reimbursementsPayouts from Turo's protection plan or a renter's insurance tied to a specific repair.
- Extra fees collectedLate return, extra mileage, and refueling charges billed to renters.
Money out
- Booking feesWhat Turo or another rental app keeps as its service fee on each trip.
- Fleet financingLoan or lease payments on rental vehicles.
- Cleaning and turnaroundDetailing between rentals to get a car ready for the next trip.
- Fleet insuranceCoverage beyond what a rental app provides, or a commercial policy for direct rentals.
- Maintenance and tiresThe faster wear a rental fleet sees from constant use.
- Delivery and pickup fuelGas spent dropping off or picking up a vehicle for a renter.
- Vehicle wraps and detailingBranding and appearance upkeep that keeps listings competitive.
What we watch for you
- Revenue per vehicle
What each car in the fleet actually nets after fees, cleaning, and upkeep.
- Booking fee share
How much of gross trip income Turo or another app keeps, tracked straight from the numbers.
- Utilization rate
How many days a vehicle actually rented against how many it sat idle.
- Damage claim frequency
How often reimbursements come in, since that affects real fleet upkeep costs.
Ask Gus
Things car rental and Turo host 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, that's their service fee. I book the full trip price as your income and their cut as a cost, so your numbers show what actually happened.
I keep that reimbursement separate from regular trip income and matched to the repair bill, so it's clear what it was actually for.
No, direct bookings stay in their own line so you can see how that income compares to what Turo trips bring in after fees.
The tax side
The tax side of a car rental or Turo host business.
Most of what goes wrong here is booking the full trip price and tracking a fast-turning fleet. Getting both right is what makes the return come out clean.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Rental fleet vehicles and depreciationVehicles bought for rental can usually be depreciated, including Section 179 expensing up to $2,560,000 and 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025, though heavy SUVs face a $32,000 cap.
- Turo fees are a real cost, not lost incomeThe service fee Turo keeps from a trip is a deductible business expense, but only if the full trip price gets counted as income first.
- Self-employment tax on profitA sole proprietor or partner pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on business profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base for 2026.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, with limits starting above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint taxable income.
Deductions independent car rental and Turo host businesses miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Between-trip detailing
- Fleet insurance premiums
- Vehicle wraps and branding
- Tire and brake replacement
- Delivery and pickup fuel
- Roadside assistance plans
- Phone mounts and chargers for renters
- Listing photography
- Car washes between rentals
- Parking and storage for the fleet
- GPS trackers
- Toll transponders for fleet vehicles
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 car rental and Turo host's year, kept every month.
Summer travel brings the trips every year on schedule. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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, and a monthly set-aside is planned before summer travel brings the year's busiest trips.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed as spring bookings pick up. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at midyear, what you will owe, and whether peak summer utilization is running ahead of or behind last year.
- October
Before slower bookings
Gus looks at any fleet vehicle worth adding or selling and what the year's number looks like heading into a quieter stretch.
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 independent car rental and Turo host businesses. 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 car rental and Turo host owners ask first.
Turo's payout never matches what I see the renter was charged. Is Gus tracking the right number?
Yes. He books the full trip price as your income and Turo's service fee as a cost, so your revenue reflects what the renter actually paid, not just the net deposit.
How do you handle a damage reimbursement from Turo's protection plan?
It gets kept separate from regular trip income and matched to the repair it covers, so it doesn't get confused with an ordinary rental payout.
I rent a couple of cars directly and list the rest on Turo. Can you keep those apart?
Yes. Direct bookings and Turo trips stay in their own categories, so you can compare what each channel actually nets after fees.
Do you handle claims with Turo when a renter damages my car?
No. Gus tracks the money once a reimbursement comes through. Filing and negotiating a damage claim stays between you and Turo.
My fleet has grown from two cars to six this year. Does that change anything?
Gus tracks revenue and cost per vehicle, so you can see which cars in a bigger fleet are actually worth keeping.
I've never separated cleaning costs from everything else. Can that be fixed?
Yes. Send Gus what you have and he rebuilds the categories going forward, so cleaning, fees, and fleet costs are finally split out.
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 vehicle sales & auto services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Car buying & auto brokers
- Classic & collector car dealers
- Collector car storage garages
- Junkyards & auto salvage yards
- Mobile tire service
- Motorcycle training schools
- Auto locksmiths
- Buy-here-pay-here dealers
- Driving schools
- Self-serve & in-bay car washes
- Express tunnel car washes
- Independent used car dealers
- Towing & roadside assistance
- Campervan & van conversion builders
- Golf cart dealers & customizers
- Overlanding outfitters & builders
- RV repair shops & mobile RV technicians
- Trailer dealers & repair
- Auto upholstery & interior repair
- Boat & RV detailing
- Wheel & rim repair
- Auto electrical specialists
- Classic car restoration shops
- Custom car audio shops
- Emissions & state inspection stations
- Engine rebuilders
- Hybrid & EV repair specialists
- Motorcycle repair & custom shops
- Off-road, 4x4 & lift kit shops
- Performance & tuning shops
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