Pet services
Books and taxes for pet taxi and transport businesses.
Vet appointment fares, airport pickup and drop-off runs, recurring ride subscriptions for regulars, and a vehicle outfitted with crates and safety restraints. 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
August came in at $6,600. A boarding kennel started sending you their airport transport overflow, so I tagged those trips separately to see how much that partnership is worth.
- Square, vet trip fareVet appointment trips
- Airport run, card paymentAirport transport
- Vehicle safety restraints orderVehicle equipment
- Chevron fuel, transport vanFuel and vehicle costs
- Commercial auto insuranceInsurance
Why your books are different
Pet taxi and transport books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees fares and a fuel bill. Your business is short vet trips priced differently than long airport runs, a vehicle built around crates and restraints, and partnerships that send you steady referral work. The books need to sort all of it.
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1
Vet trips and airport runs get counted the same
A quick trip across town to the vet and a long haul to the airport both look like one fare in the bank feed, hiding which type of trip actually earns more per hour on the road.
What we doKeeps vet trips and airport transport in separate categories, so you can see which type of run is actually worth your time. -
2
Referral partnerships blur into regular fares
When a boarding kennel or vet clinic sends you steady transport business, those trips look identical to a one-off client in the books, and you lose track of how much a partnership is really worth.
What we doTags trips from referral partners separately, so you know which relationships are actually driving business. -
3
Vehicle build-out costs get mixed with routine repairs
Crates, safety restraints, and a climate control upgrade for the vehicle get lumped in with an oil change or a tire rotation, hiding what outfitting the vehicle for pet transport actually cost.
What we doKeeps vehicle equipment and build-out costs separate from routine maintenance, so the real cost of the setup is visible. -
4
Wait time and cancellation fees look like a shorter fare
A client is late getting their pet ready and you charge a wait fee, or a trip cancels after you are already en route, and in the bank feed it just looks like a smaller version of a regular fare.
What we doNotes wait time and cancellation fees separately, so a smaller payment does not look like a pricing mistake.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pet taxi and transport business.
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
- Vet appointment tripsShort local rides to and from veterinary visits.
- Airport transportLonger runs for flights and pet relocations.
- Ride subscriptionsRecurring regulars who book the same trip weekly or monthly.
- Referral partner tripsBusiness sent by boarding kennels, vet clinics, or groomers.
Money out
- Fuel and vehicle costsFuel, oil changes, and routine repairs for the transport vehicle.
- Vehicle equipmentCrates, safety restraints, and climate control upgrades.
- InsuranceCommercial auto and pet liability coverage.
- Booking softwareScheduling and dispatch tools for trip requests.
- MarketingLocal ads and referral partner outreach.
What we watch for you
- Trip type mix
How much of your income comes from short vet trips versus longer airport runs.
- Referral revenue
How much business comes from partner kennels or clinics versus direct bookings.
- Vehicle cost per trip
What fuel and upkeep cost against how many trips the vehicle runs.
- Wait fee revenue
How often wait time and cancellations are actually billed for the time they cost you.
Ask Gus
Things pet taxi drivers 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 tag those trips separately from your regular fares, so you can see over time exactly how much that partnership is worth to you.
As its own line, not a regular fare, so a smaller payment for wait time doesn't look like you underpriced the trip.
Bring the accountant into that one. A second vehicle changes your insurance and depreciation picture, and a driver on your schedule usually means payroll, not a handshake deal.
The tax side
The tax side of a pet taxi and transport business.
The vehicle is the biggest tax question here, along with keeping trip types and partner referrals straight.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Vehicle costs, actual or mileageYou can generally deduct actual vehicle costs like fuel, insurance, and repairs, or use the standard mileage rate, 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after. Which one works better depends on how the vehicle is used.
- Crates and safety equipmentRestraints, crates, and climate control build-outs for a transport vehicle can often be written off separately from the vehicle itself, in the year they are installed.
- A second driver on the payrollA driver running your vehicle on your schedule usually looks like an employee, not a contractor, which changes how their pay is reported and taxed.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when trip income and vehicle costs are tracked accurately all year.
Deductions pet taxi and pet transport businesses miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Fuel and vehicle maintenance
- Crates and safety restraints
- Climate control upgrades
- Commercial auto insurance
- Dispatch and scheduling software
- Phone plan for client updates
- Cleaning supplies for the vehicle
- Uniforms with your logo
- Local advertising
- Referral partner outreach costs
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 pet taxi and transport year, kept every month.
Travel season and vet visit patterns shift your calendar. Your taxes come on a schedule of their own. 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 a monthly set-aside is planned around your typical trip volume.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer travel season changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Holiday travel usually means more airport runs booked ahead. Gus looks at vehicle equipment worth buying 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 pet taxi and pet transport businesses. 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 pet taxi drivers ask first.
Do vet trips and airport runs get tracked differently?
Yes. They stay in separate categories so you can see which type of trip actually pays better for the time it takes, instead of one blended fare total that hides the difference.
Should I deduct actual vehicle costs or use the mileage rate?
It depends on how much you drive and what the vehicle costs to run. Gus tracks both fuel and mileage so the accountant can tell you which deduction actually works out better for your situation.
Can I write off crates and safety restraints separately from the vehicle?
Usually yes. Equipment built into the vehicle for pet transport is generally treated as its own asset, and it can often be written off in the year it goes in.
A vet clinic sends me regular referral business. Does Gus track that?
Yes, referral trips get tagged separately from your direct bookings, so you always know exactly how much a partnership is contributing to your income.
My books have never separated trip types or tracked a wait fee properly. Can that change?
Yes. Send your bank and app statements and Gus starts sorting trip types and fees from here forward. Most drivers see a clear picture of what actually pays within a few weeks.
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 pet services
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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