Hard goods, dealers & local stores
Books and taxes for independent gas stations.
Fuel sales at a thin margin, convenience store sales at a much better one, card processing fees that eat into every gallon, and a jobber delivery on its own schedule. 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
August came in at $17,600. Fuel volume was up, but I kept fuel and store sales apart so a big gallon month does not hide that convenience store margin is what is actually paying the bills.
- Fuel sales, card and cashFuel sales
- Store register salesConvenience store sales
- Jobber fuel delivery invoiceFuel inventory purchase
- Card network feesCard processing fees
- Snack and cooler restock invoiceConvenience inventory purchase
Why your books are different
Gas station books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and vendor bills. Your business runs two very different margins under one roof, fuel priced within pennies of the wholesale cost and a convenience store selling everything from coffee to lottery tickets, plus card fees that hit every gallon and a tank delivery that lands on its own schedule. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies.
-
1
Fuel and convenience store sales get blended into one margin
Fuel often sells within a few cents a gallon of what it cost, while the convenience store can run a real margin on drinks, snacks, and tobacco. Blended together, a busy fuel month can make the whole store look stronger than it is, or hide that the store side needs attention.
What we doKeeps fuel and convenience store sales in separate lines, so each side's real margin stays visible. -
2
Card processing fees quietly eat a chunk of every gallon
Card network fees are charged on the full price of a fuel sale, which can take a meaningful bite out of a margin that was already thin, and if that fee is not tracked apart from the fuel purchase itself, it is easy to underprice.
What we doKeeps card processing fees in their own line apart from fuel cost, so the real cost of taking a card is visible. -
3
A fuel delivery lands as one invoice covering weeks of sales
A jobber fuel delivery fills the tanks for the next week or two in one large invoice, and if that is not weighed against how much fuel actually sold, one delivery can make a slow week look like a loss and the following weeks look artificially strong.
What we doKeeps fuel inventory purchases visible against what has actually sold, so one delivery does not read as a bad week on its own. -
4
Underground storage tank and environmental costs get lost in overhead
Environmental compliance fees, tank testing, and related costs are a real and recurring part of running fuel tanks, but they often get lumped into general maintenance with no way to see the actual cost of keeping the tanks compliant.
What we doKeeps tank and environmental compliance costs in their own line, so that recurring cost stays visible instead of disappearing into overhead.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a gas station.
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
- Fuel salesGasoline and diesel sales, kept apart from convenience store sales.
- Convenience store salesSnacks, drinks, tobacco, and grocery items sold inside the store.
- Car wash incomeCar wash sales, where the station offers one.
- Lottery commissionThe station's cut of lottery ticket sales, kept apart from cash owed to the lottery.
Money out
- Fuel inventory purchaseDeliveries from the branded or unbranded fuel jobber supplying the tanks.
- Convenience inventory purchaseSnacks, beverages, and grocery items from distributors.
- Card processing feesNetwork fees charged on fuel and store card sales.
- Tank and environmental complianceUnderground storage tank testing and environmental fees.
- Store and pump payrollCashiers and attendants.
- Rent and utilitiesStation lease, lighting, and pump equipment power.
- Equipment maintenancePump, canopy, and car wash equipment upkeep.
What we watch for you
- Fuel margin per gallon
What fuel actually earns after card fees, so pricing reflects the real thin margin.
- Convenience store margin
What the store side earns apart from fuel, so it does not get lost in a busy fuel month.
- Card fee cost
What card networks kept, tracked so it is not quietly absorbed into fuel pricing.
- The set-aside
What the station will owe, set aside from both fuel and store margin so April is no scramble.
Ask Gus
Things gas station 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.
Volume was strong, but I keep fuel and store sales apart. Fuel margin is thin, so the store side is often what is really paying the bills.
Yes, I keep card processing fees in their own line apart from fuel cost, so you can see exactly what taking a card is costing you per gallon.
No, that stays with your existing process. I keep the books straight underneath it so the numbers are ready whenever you or your accountant need them.
The tax side
The tax side of a gas station.
Most of what goes wrong here is blending two very different businesses into one number. Fuel and store margin mixed together, card fees buried in fuel cost, 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.
- Motor fuel excise taxMotor fuel carries federal and state excise tax built into the price at the pump, collected and remitted on the state's schedule, separate from ordinary sales tax on convenience store items.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldWhat was actually paid for fuel and convenience store stock sold during the year, not just what was spent restocking, is what counts against sales. Fuel in the tanks at year end needs a fair value on the books.
- Section 179 on station equipmentPumps, canopy lighting, and car wash equipment can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income. It only lands right when fuel and store margin are kept separate all year.
Deductions independent gas stations miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Underground storage tank testing
- Environmental compliance fees
- Pump and canopy maintenance
- Card processing fees
- Car wash equipment upkeep
- Business liability insurance
- Security cameras and alarm monitoring
- Spoiled or damaged inventory write-offs
- Uniforms for staff
- Point of sale software
- Lighting and signage
- Snow removal and lot upkeep
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 gas station year, kept every month.
Fuel and traffic move every day of the year, and so should the books, not just at tax time. 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, tank testing schedules are noted, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering what the station owes.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how summer driving season changed fuel and store sales.
- October
Before winter traffic shifts
Before travel patterns shift for winter, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything 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 independent gas stations. 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 gas station owners ask first.
Does Gus file our motor fuel excise tax?
No. Gus keeps the books that make it clear what fuel actually earned, but filing motor fuel excise tax stays with your existing process.
How does Gus keep fuel and store sales from blending together?
He keeps them in separate lines, so a big fuel volume month does not hide whether the convenience store side is actually the one paying the bills.
Card fees on fuel feel like they add up fast. Can Gus show that?
Yes. He keeps card processing fees in their own line apart from fuel cost, so you can see exactly what taking a card costs per gallon.
We get one big fuel delivery covering a couple weeks. Does that skew a month?
It can if nobody accounts for it. Gus keeps fuel purchases visible against what has actually sold, so one delivery does not read as a bad week on its own.
Our books are behind from a busy summer. Is that fixable?
Usually, yes. Send over the bank statements you have for both fuel and store sales, and Gus sorts through the backlog with the accountant checking his work.
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 hard goods, dealers & local stores
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Craft & fabric stores
- Crystal & metaphysical shops
- Estate sale companies
- Fireworks stores
- Flea markets
- Hobby shops (RC, model trains)
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