Wellness & recovery services
Books and taxes for IV hydration and drip bars.
Drip packages sold before the needle goes in, a compounding pharmacy invoice for saline and vitamins, and a nurse who has to be on staff or on call. 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
March came in at $10,800. Two mobile events brought in more than the storefront did, so I kept mobile and in-clinic drips in separate lines like you asked.
- Square payout, storefront dripsIn-clinic sessions
- Event booking, corporate wellness dayMobile sessions
- Compounding pharmacy orderIV supplies
- RN contract payMedical staffing
- Medical waste disposalWaste disposal
Why your books are different
An IV hydration bar's books have a medical layer most wellness businesses skip.
This is not a spa selling relaxation, it is a business drawing blood, running saline, and mixing vitamins under a nurse's supervision. That means real medical costs, a compounding pharmacy invoice instead of a supply run, and a staffing question that a massage studio never has to answer.
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1
A drip package sold today is not today's income
A client buys a five-drip package for $600 up front. Counted as income the day it is sold, that month looks strong even though four of the five sessions have not happened yet, and the books lose track of what is actually owed.
What we doTracks how many drips are still owed on open packages and counts each one as income only when the session happens. -
2
The nurse is the biggest line item, and it is easy to misclassify
Whether an RN or NP works a set shift for you or covers sessions as needed changes how they should be paid and reported, and getting it wrong is the single most expensive mistake in this business.
What we doKeeps medical staffing pay in its own line and flags the arrangement so the accountant can weigh in on how it should be classified. -
3
A pharmacy invoice is not a supply run
Saline, vitamin blends, and additives come from a compounding pharmacy, not a retail supplier, and one invoice can cover weeks of sessions, making a single bill look far larger than what any one drip actually costs.
What we doKeeps compounding pharmacy orders in one steady line and tracks them against sessions run, so cost per drip stays visible. -
4
Mobile drip events pay differently than the storefront
A corporate wellness event or a house call brings in a lump payment for several drips at once, and lumped in with storefront sales, it hides whether mobile work is actually worth the extra driving and setup time.
What we doKeeps mobile and in-clinic sessions in separate lines so you can see which side of the business is earning its keep.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an IV hydration business.
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
- In-clinic sessionsWalk-in and appointment drips at the storefront.
- Mobile sessionsHouse calls and event bookings, kept apart from storefront sales.
- Drip packagesPrepaid multi-session packages, tracked as owed drips until used.
- Add-on shotsVitamin B12, glutathione, and other single-shot upsells.
Money out
- IV suppliesSaline, tubing, needles, and additives from a compounding pharmacy.
- Medical staffingRN or NP pay, whether on staff or contracted per shift.
- Medical waste disposalSharps and biohazard pickup, required by health regulations.
- Medical director feesOversight fees paid to a supervising physician where required.
- Liability insuranceCoverage specific to administering IV treatments.
- Booking softwareScheduling and payment tools for storefront and mobile bookings.
What we watch for you
- Cost per drip
Pharmacy and supply cost divided by sessions run, so pricing reflects the real cost of a bag.
- Mobile versus in-clinic split
How much each side brings in, so the mobile side's extra effort is worth it.
- Nurse pay share
Medical staffing cost against sessions run, tracked so scheduling and pricing stay in line.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things IV hydration 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.
I checked it against sessions run and cost per drip is in line with last month. It was just a bigger restock, not overspending.
That is above my pay grade to decide alone. I flagged how the arrangement actually works and the accountant is looking at it with you.
I logged it as a mobile session, kept separate from storefront drips, so you can see whether events are worth the setup time.
The tax side
The tax side of an IV hydration business.
Most of what trips up a drip bar is the medical layer: staffing classification, supply costs that look bigger than they are, and equipment for a growing mobile fleet.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Worker classificationA nurse who works your schedule, uses your supplies, and follows your protocols is usually an employee, even if paid per shift instead of a salary.
- Equipment write-offsMobile setup gear, coolers, and infusion pumps can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- 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.
- Quarterly estimated taxesSelf-employment tax runs 15.3 percent on top of income tax, and it is not withheld anywhere, so most owners pay estimated tax four times a year.
Deductions IV hydration and drip bars miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Compounding pharmacy orders
- Medical waste disposal
- Liability insurance
- Medical director fees
- Mobile setup gear
- Vehicle costs for mobile drips
- Booking software
- Nurse pay and contractor fees
- License and permit renewals
- Marketing and lead fees
- Cold storage equipment
- Uniforms and scrubs
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
An IV hydration business's year, kept every month.
Cold and flu season, event bookings, and a rotating nurse schedule all shift the picture. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax calendar through all of it. 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, cold season demand gets counted right, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer event bookings changed the number.
- October
Before the season turns
As cold and flu season approaches, Gus looks at whether more mobile equipment or nurse hours are worth adding 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 IV hydration and drip bars. 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 IV hydration owners ask first.
Does insurance usually cover these sessions?
Rarely. Most clients pay out of pocket, and some use an HSA or FSA card, though whether a specific plan reimburses depends on the client's own coverage. Gus tracks what came in either way.
How does Gus handle drip packages sold up front?
He tracks how many drips are still owed on a package and counts each one as income only when the session happens, so a big package sale does not inflate one month.
My nurse works a few shifts a week for me. Is that a contractor?
Often not, if you set the schedule and supply the equipment. Gus flags the arrangement and the accountant helps you get the classification right before it becomes expensive.
Do I need to track mobile events separately from the storefront?
Yes, and Gus does it automatically. Keeping them apart shows whether the extra driving and setup for events is actually worth it.
My pharmacy bill varies a lot month to month. Is that normal?
Yes. Orders come in batches that cover weeks of sessions, so Gus tracks pharmacy costs against sessions run instead of judging a single invoice on its own.
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