Outdoor attractions & tours
Books and taxes for petting zoos.
Gate admission, feed cup sales, birthday parties, and a hay and vet bill that never takes a week off. 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 came in at $10,500. The vet visit for the new alpacas landed this month, so I logged it under animal care, not general supplies.
- Gate admission depositAdmission
- Feed cup salesFeed cup sales
- Tractor Supply feed orderAnimal feed and bedding
- Farm vet visitVeterinary care
- School field trip depositsGroup and school bookings
Why your books are different
Petting zoo books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees admission and a snack stand. Your business is live animals that eat and need care every single day whether the gate is busy or empty, feed cup sales that are really a second product line, and school bookings paid weeks ahead. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell if the animals are costing more than the gate brings in.
-
1
Feed and hay get bought in bulk and dumped into one month
A season's worth of hay or a bulk grain order from the feed store lands in one week, making that month look terrible and the next few look artificially good.
What we doKeeps feed and bedding in a steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not a bad month, is why the number looks thin. -
2
Vet bills and animal purchases hide in general supplies
A farm call for a sick goat or the purchase of new alpacas gets lumped in with fence posts and cleaning supplies, so you cannot see what animal care actually costs across the year.
What we doKeeps veterinary care and animal purchases in their own line, separate from general supplies, so the real cost of the herd is visible. -
3
Feed cup sales get treated as pocket change
A dollar or two per feed cup adds up fast on a busy weekend, but if it gets tossed into general admission you cannot tell how much visitors are actually spending beyond the ticket.
What we doKeeps feed cup sales as their own income line, so you can see how much add-on spending the animals are actually generating. -
4
School field trip deposits get counted before the buses arrive
A school books a spring field trip in February and pays a deposit, with the balance due the visit day. Counting the whole thing in February overstates a slow month and understates the one where the buses actually show up.
What we doHolds field trip deposits until the visit date, so income lands in the month the trip actually happened.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a petting zoo.
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
- AdmissionGate tickets, walk-up and prepaid online.
- Feed cup salesAnimal feed sold to visitors, tracked apart from admission.
- Birthday party packagesParty bookings, tracked to the event date.
- Group and school bookingsField trips and camp visits booked ahead.
- Pony rides and add-onsExtra paid experiences beyond general admission.
Money out
- Animal feed and beddingHay, grain, and bedding from suppliers like Tractor Supply or a local feed store.
- Veterinary careFarm calls, vaccinations, and emergency vet visits.
- Animal purchasesNew animals added to the herd, logged separately from feed.
- Fencing and enclosure upkeepFence repair, gates, and shelter maintenance.
- WagesHandlers, greeters, and party hosts.
- InsuranceLiability coverage, often higher because of animal contact.
- LicensingExhibitor licenses and health permits.
What we watch for you
- Feed cost per visitor
Hay and grain cost against attendance, since a busy month eats more feed.
- Vet cost trend
Veterinary bills tracked over time, so a rough season with the herd does not get lost in general expenses.
- Feed cup share of income
How much add-on feed sales bring in beyond the ticket price.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things petting zoo 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.
Yes, and I kept it separate from feed and general supplies so you can see what growing the herd actually cost.
A bulk hay order landed this month. I kept it in feed and bedding so you can see it was a stock-up, not a slow month.
In May, when the buses actually show up. I hold deposits until the visit happens so the books match real activity.
The tax side
The tax side of a petting zoo.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: feed bought in bulk, vet bills buried in supplies, and deposits counted too early.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Animal purchases as a business costNew animals added to the herd are a real business expense, though how they are treated for tax purposes can depend on whether they are breeding stock or exhibit animals, which is a call for the accountant.
- Worker classification for handlers and hostsHandlers and party hosts who work your schedule and follow your safety rules are usually employees, even part time or seasonal.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a traveling farrier, 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 petting zoos miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Hay, grain, and bedding
- Veterinary visits and vaccinations
- Fencing and shelter repair
- Feed cups and buckets
- Uniforms and staff shirts
- Exhibitor license fees
- Liability insurance
- Hand sanitizing stations
- Signage and wayfinding
- Water troughs and equipment
- Cleaning supplies for pens
- Booking app fees
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 petting zoo year, kept every month.
The animals need care every week of the year. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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 is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a quiet winter does not catch you short.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before spring field trip season picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the height of summer visits, and whether feed and vet costs are tracking with attendance.
- October
Before the slowdown
A look at fencing or enclosure work worth doing before winter and anything 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 petting zoos. 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 petting zoo owners ask first.
Can Gus separate feed cup sales from general admission?
Yes. Feed cup sales get their own line, so you can see how much visitors spend beyond the ticket price.
Do vet bills count as a real deduction?
Yes. Veterinary care is a legitimate cost of running the animals, and Gus keeps it in its own line separate from general supplies.
We buy hay in bulk a few times a year. Does that wreck the monthly number?
It can look that way if it is lumped in with general supplies. Gus keeps feed in a steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not a slow season, is behind a thin month.
School groups pay a deposit weeks before their visit. When does that count as income?
The month the trip happens. Gus holds deposits as prepaid until the visit date so income matches when the work was actually done.
Our books are messy from a busy 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 within 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.
More in outdoor attractions & tours
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Cave & cavern tours
- Drive-in theaters
- Gemstone mining & panning attractions
- Ghost tours
- Helicopter tours
- Historic site tours
- Hot air balloon rides
- Outdoor go-kart tracks
- Private museums
- Scenic train excursions
- Segway, e-bike & scooter tours
- Skydiving centers
- Small amusement parks
- Small aquariums
- Small water parks
- Trolley & sightseeing tours
- Walking & food tours
- Wildlife parks & animal sanctuaries
- Arcades
- Axe throwing venues
- Billiards halls
- Board game cafes
- Cat cafes
- Comedy & magic clubs
- Dinner theaters
- Duckpin bowling & social gaming venues
- Esports & LAN gaming centers
- Haunted houses & haunted attractions
- Ice skating rinks
- Indoor go-kart tracks
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