Water recreation & marinas

Books and taxes for marinas.

Wet slip rent paid up front, fuel dock sales, haul-out and storage fees, and a ship's store on the side. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
JulyExample month
$25,300
what you made

July came in at $25,300. The travel lift service bill from Marine Travelift went into equipment upkeep, not repairs, since it's a maintenance contract, not a one-time fix.

  • Wet slip rent, ACH batchSlip rent
  • Fuel dock card batchFuel dock sales
  • Sea Fuels Marine invoiceFuel purchased for resale
  • Dockhand payrollDockhand wages
  • Marine Travelift serviceEquipment upkeep
Money in$96,500
Money out$71,200
Set aside for taxes$5,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A marina's books go wrong in the same handful of places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. A marina is slip rent paid months ahead, fuel bought wholesale and sold at a markup, and a ship's store ringing up separately from the dock. When the books do not know the difference, occupancy and fuel margin both go blind.

  1. 1

    A season of slip rent lands in one deposit

    When a boater pays for the whole season of dockage in March, that is not March's income. It is income for April through September, paid early. Booked all at once, March looks huge and summer looks thin.

    What we doSpreads season and annual slip rent across the months it actually covers, so each month's number reflects the dockage really provided that month.
  2. 2

    Fuel dock sales hide the real margin

    A busy fuel dock can move tens of thousands of dollars a month, but if the wholesale fuel bill and the card batch land in the same general bucket, nobody can see whether the fuel dock is actually profitable or just busy.

    What we doKeeps fuel sales and the wholesale fuel purchased for resale in their own lines, so the fuel dock's real margin is visible every month.
  3. 3

    The travel lift is not a repair bill

    A travel lift or forklift used to haul boats in and out of the water can cost more than a house. Its service contracts and eventual replacement get filed as ordinary repairs, which buries a major asset inside routine upkeep.

    What we doFlags major equipment like a travel lift or forklift the day it is bought, logs it separately from routine maintenance, and gets the accountant's call on how it is written off.
  4. 4

    The ship's store gets lost inside dockage

    Sunscreen, ice, rope, and snacks sold at the dock office ring up through the same till as slip payments and fuel. Lumped together, nobody can tell if the little store is worth the shelf space.

    What we doKeeps ship's store retail sales in its own line, separate from slip rent and fuel, so retail performance is visible on its own.
  5. 5

    Transient dockage looks like noise in the data

    One night stays from boats passing through get paid in small, irregular amounts that can look like miscellaneous income if nobody is watching for the pattern.

    What we doTracks transient dockage as its own steady category, so a slow week of passing boats is not mistaken for a bookkeeping gap.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a marina.

Set up once for how the marina gets paid and what it spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Slip rentMonthly, seasonal, and annual wet slip and dry stack storage payments.
  • Transient dockageOne night and short stays from boats passing through.
  • Fuel dock salesGasoline and diesel sold at the fuel dock, kept apart from the wholesale cost.
  • Haul-out and storageWinter storage, bottom cleaning, and haul-out fees.
  • Ship's store retailIce, rope, snacks, and gear sold at the dock office.

Money out

  • Fuel purchased for resaleWholesale gasoline and diesel bought to stock the fuel dock.
  • Dockhand wagesSeasonal and year-round staff who run the docks and fuel pumps.
  • Dock and pier maintenancePilings, decking, electrical pedestals, and pump-out equipment.
  • Equipment upkeepTravel lift, forklift, and workboat service and repair.
  • Marina insuranceLiability, dock, and property coverage.
  • Utilities and pump-out feesSlip electricity metering, water, and sewage pump-out disposal.

What we watch for you

  • Slip occupancy

    Filled slips against total capacity. It tells you if a rate increase or a marketing push is overdue.

  • Fuel margin

    What the fuel dock sold for against what it cost wholesale. Prices move fast and margin can slip without anyone noticing.

  • Off-season runway

    What is saved from summer to cover dockage, insurance, and payroll through the winter months.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things marina 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.

We just paid $110,000 for a used travel lift. How does that hit the books?

I logged it as equipment, not a repair. It is flagged for the accountant, since a purchase that size deserves a real look at how it gets written off.

Why does June look smaller than May? We had a great month.

A lot of May's number was annual slip rent paid up front. I am spreading that across the season now, so June should look more like the busy month it was.

Do I owe sales tax on the fuel dock and the ship's store?

That is above my pay grade and varies a lot by state. The accountant is looking at it with your setup in mind.

The tax side

The tax side of running a marina.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Season rent booked too early, fuel margin buried, and a travel lift filed like an oil change.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Travel lifts and heavy equipmentA travel lift, forklift, or workboat can usually be written off in the year it is bought. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, but whether to take it all now depends on the year the marina is having.
  • Sales tax on fuel and retailWhether fuel dock sales and ship's store retail owe state or local sales tax varies by state and sometimes by county. Gus does not file it, but he keeps the sales split out so the accountant can apply it correctly.
  • Dockhand payrollSeasonal dockhands paid through the summer are usually employees, not contractors, since the marina sets their hours and equipment. Gus keeps wages separate from any contracted maintenance work.
  • The pass-through deductionMost marina owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when slip rent, fuel margin, and retail sales are tracked correctly all year.

Deductions marinas miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Dock and pier repairs
  • Pump-out station upkeep
  • Travel lift and forklift service
  • Slip electrical pedestals
  • Marina liability insurance
  • Dockhand uniforms
  • Fuel dock equipment calibration
  • Ship's store fixtures
  • Marine radio and security cameras
  • Boat show and marketing costs
  • Snow and storm cleanup
  • Continuing education for dockmasters

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 marina's year, kept every month.

The docks fill up in spring and empty out by November. Taxes come on their own 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, dockhand 1099s are ready if any contract labor was used, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, before the docks fill up for the season.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer slip rent and fuel sales are on pace to cover the winter months.

  4. October

    Before haul-out

    Before the fleet comes out of the water, Gus looks at any equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 marinas. 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 marina owners ask first.

We collect a full season of slip rent in one payment. How does that get booked?

Gus spreads it across the months it covers instead of counting it all the day it clears, so each month shows the dockage that was actually provided rather than one huge spike.

Can Gus tell us if the fuel dock is actually making money?

Yes. He keeps fuel sales and the wholesale fuel cost in separate lines, so the fuel dock's real margin shows up every month instead of getting lost in the rest of the marina's numbers.

Our dockhands are seasonal and paid in cash sometimes. Is that a problem?

Send what you have. Gus sorts cash wages the same as any other payroll cost, though the marina still needs its own payroll setup to handle withholding correctly.

We just bought a used travel lift. Does that write off right away?

Often it can. Equipment like a travel lift can usually be deducted in the year it is bought, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with the whole year in view.

Do you handle the ship's store inventory?

Gus tracks what the store brings in and what inventory cost to stock, but counting physical inventory on the shelves is not part of the subscription.

We are behind on sorting last winter's expenses. Can we still start now?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside 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