Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for pumpkin patches.
Gate tickets, a wagon ride out to the field, pumpkins sold by size, and a season that has to earn its whole year in eight weeks. 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
October came in at $27,800. The new wagon hitch and trailer axle repair went in as equipment repair, not field supplies.
- Gate ticket salesAdmissions
- Pumpkin field salesPumpkin and produce sales
- Wagon trailer axle repairEquipment repair
- Pumpkin seed and starts orderSeed and plant stock
- Weekend gate staff wagesSeasonal labor
Why your books are different
Pumpkin patch books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a fall spike in deposits. Your business earns most of its year in six to eight weekends, mixing gate tickets, wagon rides, a corn box, and pumpkins sold by size at the same register. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what actually pulls a family out to the farm.
-
1
Gate tickets and pumpkin sales ring up as one number
A family pays for gate admission, a hayride, and three pumpkins in one swipe of the card reader. Lumped together, you cannot tell whether people are coming for the experience or just for the pumpkins, which matters when you decide what to add next season.
What we doKeeps admissions, activity fees, and pumpkin sales in their own lines, so you can see what each part of the visit is worth. -
2
The whole year rides on eight weekends
Almost all the revenue lands between mid-September and Halloween, then the farm goes quiet. Looked at month by month without context, eleven months look like a loss and one looks unreal.
What we doKeeps the season's numbers in view against the whole year, so a quiet November is expected, not alarming. -
3
A washed-out Saturday looks like nothing happened
When a Saturday floods out the field and the gate stays closed, there is no ticket revenue that day, but staff still got paid and the wagon still needed fuel. Without a note, a washed-out weekend just looks like a bad month.
What we doFlags weather-closed days against payroll and field costs, so a rained-out weekend reads as weather, not a warning sign. -
4
Wagons and inflatables get filed as decorations
A tow-behind wagon, a new hay maze structure, or an inflatable slide costs thousands and lasts for seasons, but on a bank statement it can look like a one-time fall decoration expense.
What we doFlags large attraction and equipment purchases the month they show up and logs them as equipment, not supplies. -
5
Weekend gate and parking help pays like cash
The extra hands who sell tickets, park cars, and staff the hay maze on a Saturday are often paid at the end of the day in cash, which leaves no clean trail of what the season's labor actually cost.
What we doTracks seasonal gate and field labor as its own line, so you can see what a weekend costs against what it brought in.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pumpkin patch.
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
- AdmissionsGate tickets for the season, priced per person or per carload.
- Pumpkin and produce salesPumpkins, gourds, and fall produce, priced by size or by the pound.
- Activity feesWagon rides, a hay maze, or a corn box charged as an add-on.
- School and group bookingsField trip bookings paid by school purchase order.
- Photo session feesFees from photographers who book the field for fall portraits.
Money out
- Seed and plant stockPumpkin seed, transplants, and cover crop for next year's field.
- Seasonal laborWeekend gate, parking, and hay maze staff.
- Equipment repairWagon hitches, trailer tires, and tractor upkeep for the season.
- Attractions and structuresHay mazes, inflatables, and photo backdrops, logged so they get written off right.
- AdvertisingLocal ads, social posts, and school flyers that bring families out.
- Field day expensesPortable toilets, parking field prep, and signage for busy weekends.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for the crowds walking the field and riding the wagons.
What we watch for you
- Revenue per visit
What the average family spends past the gate ticket, tracked so you know what add-ons actually work.
- Weekend attendance trend
Whether the season is building or fading week to week, from ticket and field sales alone.
- Seasonal labor share
What weekend staff costs against what a busy Saturday brings in.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things pumpkin patch 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.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not a fall decoration, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
No, that is the season. I keep the weeks in view against the whole year, so a quiet November reads as expected, not a warning.
Yes, as long as you send what went out. I keep it as its own line so you can see what a weekend really cost.
The tax side
The tax side of a pumpkin patch.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A wagon filed like a decoration, weekend labor paid off the books, and a set-aside nobody started until the season ended.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Schedule F farm incomeGrowing pumpkins to sell generally lands on Schedule F instead of the Schedule C a typical small business files, which changes how income and certain costs are handled.
- Attractions and equipmentWagons, hay maze structures, and similar purchases can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099s for weekend helpAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for gate, parking, or field help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Worker classification for weekend staffGate and parking staff who work your schedule and follow your instructions are usually employees, even if they only work eight weekends a year.
Deductions pumpkin patches miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Pumpkin seed and transplants
- Wagon hitch and trailer repair
- Hay for the maze and bales
- Portable toilet rental
- School flyer printing
- Field parking signage
- Photo backdrop materials
- Liability insurance
- Tractor fuel and repair
- Cash register or card reader fees
- Uniforms and staff name tags
- Weather tarps for the field stand
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 pumpkin patch year, kept every month.
Your whole season lands in eight weekends. Your taxes come on a schedule the rest of the year. 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 help 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so the fall season funds it evenly.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed well before pumpkin planting starts, so spring field prep gets your full attention.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand before the season, what the set-aside should be once fall revenue lands, and a look at any equipment worth buying before the rush.
- October
Mid-season look
Gus checks how the season is tracking against last year and flags any equipment or attraction worth buying before Halloween closes it out.
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 pumpkin patches. 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 pumpkin patch owners ask first.
Can Gus tell gate tickets apart from pumpkin sales?
Yes. He keeps admissions, activity fees, and pumpkin or produce sales in their own categories, so you can see what actually draws people out to the farm.
Almost all my income lands in October. Will the books make that look wrong?
No. Gus keeps the season's numbers in view against your whole year, so a heavy October and a quiet November read as expected, not as a problem.
Do I have to change how I run the gate or the register?
No. Run the gate and the register just like every other fall. Gus builds the books from your bank deposits, and any ticket or pumpkin sale he cannot place gets a single quick question, never a repeat one.
A rained-out Saturday killed the weekend. Does that hurt the books?
It shouldn't. Gus notes weather-closed days against your payroll and field costs, so a washed-out weekend reads as weather, not a warning sign.
My weekend crew is paid cash at the end of the night. Can Gus still track it?
Yes, as long as you send what was paid out. Keeping it as its own labor line is what lets you see what a weekend really costs.
Is a new hayride wagon written off all at once?
Usually. A wagon bought for hayrides typically counts as farm equipment eligible for a full write-off that year, though spreading the cost out can make sense too. Gus flags it the month it arrives so the accountant can decide.
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