Childcare & youth programs
Books and taxes for overnight summer camps.
Session deposits collected the fall before, dining hall food costs, camp nurse and counselor payroll, and a canteen that runs its own small tab. 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
July made $52,000. The camper store had its strongest week of the summer, so I kept canteen sales in their own line instead of folding them into session fees.
- CampDoc session paymentsSession fees
- Camper store salesCanteen revenue
- Sysco dining hall orderDining hall food
- Counselor and nurse payrollStaff wages
- Bus charter, opening dayTransportation
Why your books are different
An overnight camp's books go wrong because the money moves months ahead of the campers.
A generalist bookkeeper expects tuition to match the season it's paid in. Your camp collects deposits the fall and winter before a session runs, houses and feeds every camper, and staffs a nurse and a dining hall on top of counselors. Gus builds the books around that.
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1
Fall and winter deposits get counted as fall and winter income
A family who reserves a July session in October did not hand you October's revenue. Booked the day it lands, a deposit season looks flush and the actual camp season looks thinner than the work really was.
What we doHolds session deposits as money collected in advance and counts them as income once the camp session actually runs. -
2
Dining hall costs get mixed into general supplies
Feeding a full camp of bunks three meals a day through a distributor like Sysco is one of the largest costs in the business, and lumped into general supplies, you cannot see food cost per camper against what a session actually charges.
What we doKeeps dining hall food in its own line, separate from program and camp store supplies, so food cost per camper is visible on its own. -
3
Camp nurse and medical staffing get buried in general payroll
A licensed nurse or medical staff on-site for every session is a real, often required cost, and folded into general counselor wages, it is hard to see what medical staffing costs against the rest of payroll.
What we doKeeps medical staff pay in its own line so you can see that cost clearly against counselor wages. -
4
Camper store and canteen sales blend into session fees
A camp store selling snacks, sunscreen, and camp gear runs its own small tab throughout the summer, and folded into session fees, it is impossible to see whether the store is actually profitable on its own.
What we doKeeps canteen and camp store revenue in its own line, separate from session fees, so its real performance is visible. -
5
The off-season looks like a business in serious trouble
September through May can bring in very little for a camp that runs only in summer, and a bookkeeper who does not know the camp calendar reads that as a business in decline rather than the normal shape of the year.
What we doTracks your camp calendar so the long off-season reads as expected, while deposits for next summer are tracked as they build.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an overnight camp.
Set up once for a season where money arrives months before the campers do. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Session feesMulti-week camp tuition billed through CampDoc or a similar system.
- Session depositsHeld from the fall and winter until each session actually runs.
- Canteen revenueCamp store sales for snacks, sunscreen, and gear.
- Add-on feesOptional trips, activities, or gear rentals booked alongside a session.
Money out
- Staff wagesCounselors, unit leaders, and camp nurse or medical staff pay.
- Payroll taxes and workers compThe cost of a large seasonal staff living on-site for the summer.
- Dining hall foodSysco or similar distributor orders that feed the entire camp.
- Canteen suppliesInventory bought for the camp store, tracked against store sales.
- TransportationBuses for opening and closing day and any off-site trips.
- Facility upkeep and utilitiesBunks, dining hall, and grounds maintenance and utilities.
- Background checks and certificationsFingerprinting, CPR, and lifeguard or waterfront certifications for staff.
- Liability and camper health insuranceCoverage sized for overnight housing of minors.
What we watch for you
- Season margin
Total summer income against total summer cost. It's the number the whole year rides on.
- Food cost per camper
Dining hall spend against campers fed. It tells you if a session's price still covers what it costs to feed them.
- Deposits held
Money collected before summer that has not been earned yet, so it is not mistaken for spendable profit.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things overnight camp directors 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.
On paper, but I held those as money collected in advance. I'm counting the income now, as each session actually runs, so July shows what the season is really worth.
I keep dining hall food in its own line against session fees, so a big order reads as feeding a full camp, not a sign the numbers went wrong.
I keep canteen sales separate from session fees, so you can actually see how the store is doing on its own, not blended into tuition.
The tax side
The tax side of running an overnight camp.
Most of what matters here is timing session income to the right summer weeks and keeping a large seasonal staff, including medical staff, classified correctly.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Seasonal staff are employeesCounselors, unit leaders, and camp nurses working set hours under your direction and living on-site for the session are employees, not contractors, regardless of the length of the job.
- Session deposits and revenue timingDeposits collected in the fall or winter are not earned income until the camp session actually runs, which matters for an accurate year-end number.
- Equipment and facility depreciationBunks, dining hall equipment, and vehicles can usually be written off over time or in the year bought, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed. Getting the full benefit depends on session fees, canteen sales, and dining hall costs all landing in the weeks they actually belong to.
Deductions overnight summer camps miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Dining hall food and kitchen supplies
- Canteen inventory
- Background check and fingerprinting fees
- Lifeguard and waterfront certifications
- CPR and First Aid renewal
- Liability and camper health insurance
- Bunk and grounds maintenance
- Transportation for opening and closing day
- Marketing before winter registration opens
- Counselor training and orientation
- Uniforms or camp staff shirts
- Off-season storage for camp equipment
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 overnight camp's year, kept every month.
One summer session carries almost the whole year's income. Your taxes come on their own schedule regardless. 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, staff payroll and contractor lists are ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring deposits are still coming in for the coming summer. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
A look at the season in progress, whether enrollment hit projections, and what it means for what you will owe.
- October
Camp's over, plan ahead
The summer's final numbers are in. Gus looks at equipment worth buying and what to plan for as next winter's registration opens.
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 overnight summer camps. 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 overnight camp directors ask first.
Families reserve sessions the fall before. How does that get booked?
Gus holds those deposits as money collected in advance and counts them as income once the actual session runs, so a fall deposit wave does not inflate an off-season month.
Our dining hall feeds the whole camp three meals a day. Should that be tracked apart from other supplies?
Yes. Gus keeps dining hall food in its own line, separate from program and canteen supplies, so you can see the true food cost per camper.
We have a nurse and medical staff on-site all summer. Are they treated the same as counselors on the books?
They're kept in their own wage line so you can see medical staffing cost clearly against counselor pay, even though both are handled as payroll.
Our camp store runs all summer. Is that part of session revenue?
No. Gus keeps canteen sales separate from session fees, so you can see how the store performs on its own rather than blended into tuition.
We're closed most of the year outside of camp season. Will that look bad?
No. Gus tracks your camp calendar, so the long off-season reads as the normal shape of an overnight camp, not a decline.
Our books from last summer mix deposits, session fees, and canteen sales together. Can Gus sort that out?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have from last season. Gus separates deposits, session income, and canteen sales, and the accountant works from what actually happened.
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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We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Preschools
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