Freight, trucking & delivery
Books and taxes for local courier services.
Per-run fees from law offices and print shops, standing monthly accounts with banks and pharmacies, rush surcharges, and mileage on whatever vehicle is running that day. Your own bookkeeper sorts 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 $3,600. The rush fee from a title company run on a Saturday counted separate from your regular accounts, since that is where the real money is.
- Bank branch account invoiceStanding accounts
- Law firm per-run feePer-run fees
- Weekend rush jobRush surcharges
- Gas station fuelVehicle costs
- Vehicle oil changeVehicle costs
Why your books are different
Courier books go wrong around mixed billing, not big equipment.
A generalist sees deposits and a fuel bill. Your business bills some clients by the run, some by a standing monthly account, and some pay a premium for a rush job, all from the same car or van you use for everything else too. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell which clients are actually worth keeping.
-
1
Standing accounts and per-run jobs blur together
A pharmacy that pays a flat monthly rate looks the same in the checkbook as a one-off run for a print shop, even though one is steady and the other is not, and you never see which kind of client actually pays your bills.
What we doKeeps standing account revenue separate from per-run fees, so you can see which clients give you the steady base and which are extra. -
2
Rush and after-hours fees disappear into regular income
A weekend or after-hours run usually pays a premium for the inconvenience, but if it lands in the same line as a routine daytime run, you lose track of whether taking rush work is actually worth it.
What we doKeeps rush surcharges in their own category, so you can see what the extra hassle is really worth. -
3
Personal and business vehicle use gets tangled
Running the same car for courier work and personal errands makes it easy to lose track of what mileage and fuel were actually for the business.
What we doTracks vehicle costs against the business use you report, and flags when a mileage log would make the deduction stronger. -
4
A slow month looks worse than it is
Courier income can swing a lot week to week depending on which clients need runs, and without a clear pattern, a quiet week looks like trouble instead of a normal part of the business.
What we doKeeps a running view of income by client type, so a quiet week reads as normal instead of a warning sign.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a local courier service.
Set up once for how you bill clients and what running the vehicle costs. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Standing accountsMonthly flat-rate billing for banks, pharmacies, or medical offices.
- Per-run feesOne-off run fees for law firms, title companies, or print shops.
- Rush surchargesPremiums collected for after-hours or same-hour runs.
- Mileage-based billingAny client billed by the mile instead of a flat run fee.
Money out
- Vehicle costsFuel, maintenance, and repairs for the vehicle running courier work.
- Vehicle insuranceCommercial or business-use coverage on the vehicle.
- Phone and dispatch appThe app or service used to receive and confirm runs.
- Bags, coolers, and suppliesDelivery bags, document envelopes, and secure transport supplies.
- Licensing and permitsAny local business license or courier registration fees.
What we watch for you
- Standing account share
How much of your income is steady monthly billing versus one-off runs. It tells you how predictable next month is.
- Cost per run
Fuel and vehicle wear against what a run pays. It shows which clients are worth prioritizing.
- Rush job share
How much of your revenue is coming from premium after-hours work.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so filing season is a number already known.
Ask Gus
Things local courier 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.
Yes. I track vehicle costs against the business use you report to me, and I will tell you if keeping a simple mileage log would get you a bigger deduction.
I keep rush and after-hours pay in its own category, so you can see over time whether taking those jobs is worth the hassle.
For courier work, yes, it swings with which clients need runs that week. I keep a running view by client type so you can see it is a pattern, not a problem.
The tax side
The tax side of running a local courier service.
Most of what trips up a courier is mixing personal and business vehicle use and losing track of which billing type actually pays the bills.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Vehicle deduction, mileage or actual costYou can usually deduct business vehicle use either by the standard mileage rate, 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after, or by actual costs like fuel and repairs, whichever the accountant finds better for your year.
- Self-employment taxRunning your own courier business means net profit owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500. Gus builds a set-aside from your standing accounts and per-run income each month.
- 1099-K from payment appsIf clients pay you through a payment app or processor, you may get a 1099-K once you cross $20,000 and 200 transactions, but every dollar collected is taxable whether or not a form arrives.
- The pass-through deductionMost courier owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when standing accounts, per-run fees, and vehicle costs are tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions local courier services miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Fuel
- Vehicle maintenance and repairs
- Commercial auto insurance
- Delivery bags and document envelopes
- Phone and dispatch app fees
- Business licensing and permits
- Parking and tolls on runs
- Vehicle cleaning
- Roadside assistance coverage
- A dedicated business phone line
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 local courier's year, kept every month.
Runs come whenever a client needs something moved. Your taxes come on a schedule. 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 you get a monthly set-aside built from your real accounts and runs, so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether new standing accounts this year changed the number.
- October
Before things pick up
Rush and holiday-season runs tend to climb before December. Gus looks at whether a second vehicle would pay for itself.
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 local courier services. 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 local courier owners ask first.
I bill some clients monthly and others per run. Can the books handle both?
Yes. Standing account revenue and per-run fees are kept in separate categories, so you can see how much of your income is steady versus one-off.
How does mileage tracking actually work if I do not log every trip?
Gus works with whatever tracking you have, from a simple log to none at all, and tells you honestly whether a mileage log would get you a better deduction than what you are claiming now.
Do rush fees need to be billed separately from my regular rate?
No, bill however your clients expect. Gus tags the rush amount within your income so it shows up as its own category in your numbers.
I get paid through a mix of checks, Venmo, and cash. Is that a problem?
No. Send whatever statements and records you have. Gus sorts out what is business income regardless of how it was paid.
Do I need a special business license to run courier work?
That depends on your city and state, and Gus does not handle the application. He tracks any licensing costs you already pay so they show up as a deduction.
My business and personal bank accounts have been the same one for years. Can you still help?
Yes. Send the statements you have. Gus sorts out what is business activity, the accountant checks 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.
More in freight, trucking & delivery
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Box truck businesses
- Car haulers
- Cold storage warehouses
- Customs brokers
- Expedited freight (sprinter vans)
- Final-mile delivery companies
- Freight forwarders
- Furniture delivery & white glove delivery
- Heavy haul & oversize transport
- Hot shot trucking
- Livestock haulers
- Medical courier services
- 3PL warehouses
- Amazon delivery service partners (DSPs)
- Owner-operator truckers
- Small fulfillment centers
- Small trucking fleets
- Truck dispatch services
- Freight brokers
- Aerial applicators & crop dusters
- Aircraft detailing
- Aircraft maintenance shops (MRO)
- Aircraft sales brokers
- Airport shuttle services
- Boat detailing & bottom cleaning
- Boat repair & marine mechanics
- Boat shrink wrapping services
- Boat transport companies
- Charter bus companies
- Drone inspection & mapping services
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