Land recreation & adventure

Books and taxes for paintball and airsoft fields.

Field passes, birthday and corporate group packages, marker and gear rentals, and cases of paint and BBs that go through fast on a busy weekend. Gus sorts it as it lands, 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
JuneExample month
$13,300
what you made

June came in at $13,300. Birthday party packages were strong this month, and I kept that income separate from your regular walk-in field passes so you can see which is carrying the weekends.

  • Weekend field pass salesField pass income
  • Birthday party package depositsGroup and party income
  • GI Sportz paint orderPaint and BB inventory
  • Marker repair partsRental gear maintenance
  • Referee and field staff payrollField staff wages
Money in$39,500
Money out$26,200
Set aside for taxes$3,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Paintball and airsoft books go wrong at the rental counter and the paint locker.

You sell field access, rent markers and gear that take a beating, and burn through cases of paint and BBs every weekend. A generalist sees a register total. Your books need to know a party deposit is not this week's money and a paint order is inventory, not a supply run.

  1. 1

    Party and group deposits land before the event

    A birthday party or corporate group pays a deposit weeks ahead of the actual event, and if that money counts as income the day it lands, the weekend the event actually happens shows almost nothing from a booking that size.

    What we doHolds party and group deposits as money owed until the event happens, then counts the income that day.
  2. 2

    Paint and BB inventory gets bought in bulk, used over weeks

    A case order of paintballs or a bulk BB purchase gets used across several weekends, and one big order can make an otherwise normal week look like a loss.

    What we doKeeps paint and BB inventory in its own line and tells you when a bulk order, not a bad week, is why costs spiked.
  3. 3

    Rental gear takes a beating that general supplies do not capture

    Rental markers, hoppers, and masks get dropped, shot, and abused every weekend, and if repair costs blend into general supplies, the real cost of keeping the rental fleet usable stays invisible.

    What we doKeeps rental gear maintenance in its own line, separate from field and course upkeep.
  4. 4

    Referee and field staff pay does not always match the crowd

    You often schedule the same number of referees for a slow Saturday as a packed one, so wage cost stays steady even when the crowd does not, and that pattern gets lost if wages are not tracked against actual field traffic.

    What we doKeeps field staff wages visible against field pass income, so a slow weekend is explained instead of hidden in the total.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a paintball and airsoft field.

Set up once for how passes, parties, and rentals get paid. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Field pass incomeWalk-in and pre-booked field access fees.
  • Group and party incomeBirthday parties, corporate outings, and organized group events.
  • Rental incomeMarker, hopper, mask, and gear rentals.
  • Paint and BB salesAmmo sold to players who bring their own gear.
  • Retail and apparel salesBranded gear and merchandise sold at the counter.

Money out

  • Paint and BB inventoryBulk paintball and BB purchases used across weekends.
  • Rental gear maintenanceMarker, hopper, and mask repair and replacement.
  • Field course maintenanceBunkers, netting, and course terrain upkeep.
  • Field staff wagesReferees and field marshals, kept visible against field traffic.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for paintball and airsoft operations, often the largest fixed cost.
  • Compressed air and CO2 supplyAir fills and tank refills for rentals and walk-ins.
  • Marketing and party promotionAds and birthday party package promotion.
  • Land lease or property costsPayments tied to the land the fields sit on.

What we watch for you

  • Deferred group deposit balance

    How much party and group deposit money is still owed in events not yet held.

  • Rental gear repair cost

    What keeping the rental fleet usable actually runs, since gear takes heavy weekend use.

  • Field staff cost against traffic

    What referee and staff wages cost against field pass income, useful for scheduling slow weekends differently.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things paintball and airsoft field 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 took a birthday party deposit in April for a June event. Where does that money sit until then?

It's held as money owed to them in an event they haven't had yet. I'll count it in June, the day the party actually happens.

We just bought a huge case order of paint for the summer. Did that wreck this month's numbers?

It shows up as a bulk inventory cost this month, but I flagged it as a season stock-up, not a bad month, so the trend still reads clearly.

Do we need waivers on file for every player and does that affect the books?

Waivers are a liability question, above my pay grade. I just keep field pass and party income clean and dated, so records line up if your insurer or a lawyer ever asks.

The tax side

The tax side of a paintball and airsoft field.

Most of what trips up a field business is timing group deposits and keeping rental gear and paint inventory on the right track.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Group deposits are earned at the eventParty and corporate deposits collected ahead of time are deferred income, recognized only when the event actually happens.
  • Rental gear depreciationMarkers, hoppers, and masks bought for the rental fleet are equipment, and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Referee or contractorA referee working your posted schedule and following your safety rules is usually an employee, even if paid per shift.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, which comes out right when field pass and party income are tracked accurately all year.

Deductions paintball and airsoft fields miss

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

  • Rental marker and hopper repairs
  • Bulk paint and BB purchases
  • Compressed air and CO2 fills
  • Liability insurance premiums
  • Field staff and referee wages
  • Course netting and bunker repairs
  • Safety masks and protective gear
  • Marketing for party packages
  • Land lease payments
  • Point of sale system fees
  • Radios for field staff communication
  • Uniforms for referees and staff

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 paintball and airsoft field's year, kept every month.

Warm weekends bring the crowds, and parties book on their own calendar. 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, and a monthly set-aside is planned based on how last season's weekend traffic actually landed.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed as spring bookings pick up for the season.

  3. July

    Peak season check

    Where you stand at the busiest stretch, and whether rental gear repair costs are keeping pace with rental income.

  4. October

    Before the season winds down

    Gear replacement, paint inventory, and equipment worth buying before the off season.

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 paintball and airsoft fields. 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 paintball and airsoft field owners ask first.

We take deposits for birthday parties weeks before the event. How does Gus handle that?

He holds those deposits as money owed until the party actually happens, so the income lands the day of the event, not the day the deposit was paid.

Our paint and BB orders come in big bulk purchases a few times a season. Will that wreck a month's numbers?

No, Gus flags a bulk order as a season stock-up, not a bad month, so the report explains the spike instead of just showing it.

We run both paintball and airsoft fields with different rental gear for each. Can the books keep that separate?

Yes. Field pass income and rental gear costs can be tracked by field type, so you can see how each side of the business is doing.

Our rental markers need constant repair. Is that eating into profit more than I realize?

Gus keeps all rental gear maintenance in one line, so you can see the real running cost instead of it disappearing into scattered receipts.

We had a rainy spring with light weekend traffic. Will that throw off our set-aside?

No. Gus adjusts the set-aside as the season's real numbers come in, so a slow stretch does not leave you overpaying ahead of a lighter year.

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