Hard goods, dealers & local stores
Books and taxes for pool and spa supply stores.
Chemical sales, spring opening packages, hot tub financing payouts, and a season that earns most of its money in a few short 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 came in at $20,700. Chemical sales are most of that, so I kept the hot tub deals apart to show what the season is actually earning on each side.
- Store counter salesRetail chemical sales
- Opening package depositsService deposits
- Wisetack payout, spa financingFinanced sales
- Leslie's distribution invoiceChemical inventory
- Service truck fuelDelivery and service fleet
Why your books are different
Pool and spa store books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and vendor bills. Your business is chemicals bought and sold under strict handling rules, opening and closing packages billed weeks apart, hot tub sales that often run through financing, and a season that earns most of a year's money in a handful of months. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies.
-
1
An opening or closing deposit gets counted as earned early
A customer pays for a spring pool opening in March, but the service crew does not actually open the pool until April or May. Counted as income the day it is collected, a strong March can hide a weak April with nothing actually delivered yet.
What we doKeeps service deposits as money owed against the job until the crew actually completes it, so the sale counts when the work is done. -
2
A financed hot tub payout lands short
When a customer finances a $6,500 spa through a lender, the payout is less than the sale price because the lender keeps a fee. Booked as the deposit amount as the sale, both the store's sales and its real cost come out wrong.
What we doBooks the full spa price as money in and the lender's cut as a financing fee, so pricing and cost both show up honest. -
3
Chemical inventory swings hide real margin
Chlorine, shock, and algaecide are bought heavy ahead of the swim season in a few large orders, and hazmat handling and storage costs get folded into the same line, making it hard to see whether chemical sales are actually profitable.
What we doKeeps chemical inventory and its handling costs in their own line, so real chemical margin stays visible through the season. -
4
The season's income gets spread thin instead of read as seasonal
Most of the year's money comes in over spring opening and summer chemical season, and a slow winter can look like a real problem if nobody accounts for the season the business actually runs on.
What we doFlags the seasonal pattern so a slow winter reads as expected, not as a business in trouble.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pool and spa supply store.
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
- Retail chemical salesChlorine, shock, and other chemicals sold at the counter.
- Service depositsPayments collected for opening, closing, and repair jobs not yet completed.
- Financed salesThe full price of a hot tub or above-ground pool, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
- Water testing feesPaid in-store or in-home water testing appointments.
Money out
- Chemical inventoryChlorine, shock, algaecide, and test supplies bought from distributors.
- Hot tub and pool equipment inventorySpas, above-ground pools, filters, and pumps.
- Delivery and service fleetFuel and repairs for service trucks and delivery trailers.
- Store and service payrollCounter staff and pool and spa service technicians.
- Hazmat storage and handlingStorage and disposal costs specific to pool chemicals.
- Rent and utilitiesShowroom lease and chemical storage warehouse.
- Financing and card feesWhat the lender or card processor kept before the sale hit the bank.
What we watch for you
- Open service deposits
Money collected for jobs not yet completed, so it is never counted twice.
- Financing cost
What lenders keep on financed spa and pool sales, worth knowing before offering it on every ticket.
- Chemical margin
What chemical sales earn after handling cost, apart from equipment sales.
- The set-aside
What the store will owe, built up during the busy season so the off months are not a scramble.
Ask Gus
Things pool and spa store 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.
Not yet. I keep it as money owed against the job until the crew actually opens the pool, so the sale counts when the work is done.
That was the financing company's fee. I booked it as a cost, so your sales still show the full spa price and the fee shows up honest.
I flag winter as the expected slow season for this business, so it does not read as trouble when the year is actually on track.
The tax side
The tax side of a pool and spa supply store.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and a heavy season. A deposit counted too early, a financed sale booked wrong, 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.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldWhat was actually paid for the chemicals, spas, and equipment sold during the year, not just what was spent restocking, is what counts against sales. A big pre-season chemical order needs a fair value at year end for what has not sold.
- Section 179 on service and delivery equipmentService trucks, pool vacuums, and shop equipment can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, such as a seasonal opening and closing crew member, 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 qualified business income off their taxable income. It comes out right only when the season's books are kept straight as it happens.
Deductions pool and spa supply stores miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Service truck fuel and repairs
- Hazmat storage and disposal
- Water testing supplies
- Financing and card processing fees
- Seasonal crew uniforms
- Local advertising and signage
- Business liability insurance
- Damaged or expired chemical write-offs
- Point of sale and scheduling software
- Warehouse racking and storage
- Safety equipment for chemical handling
- Trade show and vendor travel
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 pool and spa store year, kept every month.
Most of the money comes in over a few warm months, but the team is on the books all year, not just when the pool opens. 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 seasonal crew 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before opening season hits full swing, with the set-aside already covering what the store owes.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how the summer chemical rush changed the number.
- October
Before closing season
Before pool closing season and the winter slowdown, Gus looks at equipment you might buy 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 pool and spa supply stores. 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 pool and spa store owners ask first.
How does Gus handle deposits for pool openings that have not happened yet?
He keeps a deposit as money owed against the job until the crew completes it, so your sales are not overstated before the work is actually done.
Can Gus handle hot tubs sold through financing companies?
Yes. He books the full price as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.
Our chemical inventory swings a lot with the season. Does that confuse the books?
No. Gus keeps chemical inventory and its handling costs in their own line, so real chemical margin stays visible even through a big pre-season order.
We barely do anything in the winter. Will that hurt our books?
No. Gus flags the seasonal pattern so a slow winter reads as expected, not as a business in trouble, based on how this trade actually runs.
Our books are behind from a busy summer. Can Gus catch up?
Most owners get a clear picture within a week of sending over their bank statements. Gus sorts the backlog by season, and the accountant checks his work before you see a number.
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