Performance, custom & powersports
Books and taxes for motorcycle repair and custom shops.
Spring tune-ups, engine rebuilds with core charges, winter storage fees paid up front, and custom builds that run for months. 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
May made $15,000. The core charge on that engine case is flagged with its refund deadline, so the case ships back before the deposit gets forfeited.
- Lightspeed payoutService and repair jobs
- Custom build depositCustom build deposits
- J&P Cycles invoiceParts and materials
- PPG paint orderPaint and finish materials
- Engine case core chargeCore charges
Why your books are different
A motorcycle shop's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is spring tune-up rushes, engine rebuilds with core charges, winter storage paid months ahead, and custom builds that run all winter. When the books do not know the difference, the numbers lie to you.
-
1
Winter storage fees get counted the day they land
A customer pays $400 in October to store and winterize a bike through March. Booked as income the day it is paid, October looks great and the months of tank space and battery tending that follow look like they cost nothing.
What we doSpreads storage income across the months the bike is actually stored, so each month reflects the work happening in it. -
2
A forgotten core return turns into a lost deposit
A rebuild often means paying a core charge on an engine case or cylinder to a remanufacturer, refundable only if the old part ships back within a set window. If it sits in the shop too long, the deposit is quietly forfeited and shows up as a random loss instead of a parts decision.
What we doTracks core charge deadlines alongside the deposit, so a core that needs to ship back gets flagged before the refund window closes. -
3
A build deposit is already spoken for before work starts
The deposit on a custom chopper or bagger build often goes straight to a frame or a donor bike before a single hour of labor happens. Treated as available cash, it looks like profit sitting in the account when it is already committed to parts the build needs.
What we doTracks what a build deposit is earmarked for against what has actually been spent, so you know how much of it is really still available. -
4
A rebuild comeback erases what the job actually paid
When an engine rebuild comes back with a leak or a noise, the fix often means free labor and a warranty part with no new invoice. The original job's price tag stays the same on paper, even though the shop just spent hours it was never paid for.
What we doLogs the redo hours against the original job, so the rebuild's true cost, not just its ticket price, is what you see. -
5
A spring parts order wrecks the month
Stocking up on tires, batteries, and tune-up kits ahead of the spring rush makes that month look terrible and the months you sell through the stock look artificially good.
What we doKeeps parts purchases in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up is the reason a month looks thin.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a motorcycle shop.
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
- Service and repair jobsTune-ups, tire changes, and general repair, paid at pickup.
- Engine and transmission rebuildsBigger jobs, kept apart from routine service.
- Custom build depositsMoney collected for a build in progress, recognized as the work gets done.
- Storage and winterization feesPrepaid fees spread across the months a bike is actually stored.
- Custom paint and chrome jobsStandalone finish work, sold apart from a full build.
Money out
- Tech wages and commissionsKept apart so you can see labor against the work it paid for.
- Parts and materialsTires, batteries, and tune-up kits from J&P Cycles and Drag Specialties.
- Paint and finish materialsPPG paint, clear coat, and chrome plating costs.
- Core chargesRefundable deposits paid on engine and transmission cores.
- Shop rent and utilitiesThe bay, the lift, and winter storage space.
- Marketing and lead feesGoogle ads, bike night sponsorships, and local shows.
- Card and financing feesWhat the processor kept before you got paid.
- Freight on parts ordersShipping on engine parts and finish materials.
What we watch for you
- Storage fees earned versus collected
Shows how much of what you were paid for winter storage has actually been earned month by month.
- Cores due back
Which core charges are close to their refund deadline, so a case or cylinder gets shipped back before the deposit is forfeited.
- Custom build backlog
Deposits collected for builds not yet delivered. Spending it before the work is done is how a busy shop runs short.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things motorcycle shop 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. I spread it across the months the bikes are actually stored, so each month's number reflects the work happening in it, not just when the check landed.
I flagged it before the refund window closed and it shipped back on time, so the deposit came back instead of getting forfeited.
Once he crosses $2,000 for the year and isn't on your payroll, yes. I track what he's been paid all year so January 31 isn't a scramble.
The tax side
The tax side of a motorcycle shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Storage income counted too early, core charges mixed into parts 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.
- Shop equipmentA lift, diagnostic tool, or engine stand can usually be written off the year you buy it, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Parts and engine inventoryParts and rebuild kits held for sale are inventory, not an expense the day they are bought. What actually sold during the month is what counts.
- A custom painter or chrome platerA subcontracted painter or plater paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- 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.
Deductions motorcycle repair and custom shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Lift and engine stand maintenance
- Diagnostic scan tools
- Paint booth filters and supplies
- Freight on engine parts
- Bike night sponsorships
- Google local ads
- Shop rags and cleaners
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tool financing and interest
- Liability insurance
- Waste oil disposal fees
- Storage space heating and security
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 motorcycle shop's year, kept every month.
Riding season peaks every spring and summer, storage fills up every fall. 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, the 1099 list for outside painters is ready, 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 spring tune-up season changed the number more than expected.
- October
Before storage fills up
Before winter storage bikes fill the shop, Gus looks at equipment worth buying 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 motorcycle repair and custom shops. 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 motorcycle shop owners ask first.
How does Gus handle winter storage fees paid up front?
He spreads the fee across the months the bike is actually stored, so October is not overstated and the winter months are not understated.
How does Gus make sure we don't forfeit a core charge deposit?
He tracks the refund deadline alongside the deposit itself, so a core that needs to ship back to the remanufacturer gets flagged before the window closes.
A build deposit is sitting in the account. Can I count that as available money?
Not all of it. Gus tracks what a deposit is already earmarked for, like a frame or donor bike, against what has actually been spent, so you know what is really still free to use.
Do I write off my parts inventory when I buy it?
No. Parts and rebuild kits held for sale are inventory. What actually sold during the month is what shows up on the return, not what you ordered.
A rebuild comes back with a problem. Does that change the books?
Gus logs the redo hours against the original job, so you can see the rebuild's true cost, not just what the original ticket said it was worth.
My books are behind after a busy riding season. Is that a problem?
No. 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