Cleaning services

Books and taxes for short-term rental turnover cleaning companies.

A same-day turn between an 11 a.m. checkout and a 4 p.m. check-in, restocked toiletries and coffee pods, a laundry bill that never stops, and a host who pays you through Airbnb or Vrbo. Gus sorts all of it, 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

JulyExample month

$8,700

what you made

July came in at $8,700. Peak summer bookings meant more same-day turns than usual, and the laundry bill shows it.

Host direct paymentHost payments
Co-host management feeCo-host contracts
Crew payrollCrew wages
Laundry service invoiceLaundry costs
Costco restock runRestocking supplies

Money in$36,200

Money out$27,500

Set aside for taxes$2,300

An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Short-term rental turnover cleaning books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs on same-day turns against a booking calendar, laundry costs that scale with occupancy, and restocking that is really a small retail operation hiding inside a cleaning job. When the books do not know that, you cannot see which units are worth keeping.

1
Restocking supplies are really a separate cost, not cleaning supplies

Toiletries, coffee pods, and paper products bought for guest restocking get mixed in with cleaning chemicals, but restocking is a different cost that scales with occupancy, not with how dirty a unit is.

What we doKeeps restocking supplies in their own line so you can see that cost rise and fall with bookings, separate from cleaning itself.
2
Laundry costs swing hard with occupancy

A slow month with half the turns needs half the linen washing, but if laundry is billed inconsistently or paid in a mix of cash and card, the real cost per turn gets lost.

What we doKeeps laundry costs in their own line so you can see the true linen cost per turn as occupancy changes.
3
Host payments and co-host fees blur together

Some units you clean are booked directly by the host, and others come through a co-host management company taking a cut. Lumped into one deposit pile, you cannot see which relationship is actually paying better per turn.

What we doSplits direct host payments from co-host contract payments so you can compare which side of the business pays best.
4
Same-day rush turns get billed at the same rate as easy ones

A tight same-day turn between an 11 a.m. checkout and a 4 p.m. check-in takes real coordination and stress that a next-day turn does not, but if it is priced the same, the crew is working harder for the same money.

What we doKeeps rush turn fees visible against standard turns so you can see whether the premium you charge actually covers the extra pressure.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a short-term rental turnover cleaning company.

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

Host paymentsTurns booked and paid directly by an individual property owner.
Co-host contractsRecurring work through a property management or co-hosting company.
Rush turn feesThe premium charged for tight same-day turns.
Deep clean add-onsPeriodic deep cleans billed on top of standard turnover service.

Money out

Crew wagesHourly or per-turn pay for the cleaning crew.
Laundry costsLinen washing, whether done in-house or through a laundry service.
Restocking suppliesToiletries, coffee pods, paper products, and other guest amenities.
Vehicles and fuelThe vehicle moving crew and linens between units.
Scheduling softwareSoftware syncing cleaning schedules with the booking calendar.
Damage reporting costsAny cost tied to documenting and reporting guest damage to a host.

What we watch for you

Cost per turn
Labor, laundry, and restocking against turns completed. It shows what a unit really costs to service.
Co-host share
How much of the month comes from co-host contracts versus direct host relationships, and which pays better.
Rush turn share
How much of your income depends on same-day premiums, worth knowing before a slow booking season.
The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things short-term rental turnover cleaning 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.

My laundry bill has gone way up this summer. Is that normal?

Yes, it tracks with your turns. I keep laundry costs in their own line, so you can see it rise and fall with occupancy instead of wondering.

Is the co-host company actually paying me better per turn than my direct hosts?

I keep those two income sources separate, so you can compare the real per-turn value instead of guessing from one lump number.

A guest damaged a couch and I had to report it to the host. Does that cost me anything on the books?

Only if you spent something documenting it. Send me what you have and I will keep it in its own line so it does not get lost in general supplies.

The tax side

The tax side of a short-term rental turnover cleaning business.

Most of what goes wrong here is separating restocking and laundry from cleaning itself. Get those tracked and the rest tends to be steady.

What your return has to get right

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

Vehicle costsThe vehicle used to move crew and linens between units can deduct business mileage at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026, or actual vehicle costs instead.
Contractor 1099sAny subcontracted cleaner or laundry service paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Employee or contractorA cleaner working your schedule with your supplies is usually an employee. Gus flags it if a pay pattern starts looking like that.
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 short-term rental turnover cleaning companies miss

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

Laundry service fees
Restocking supplies for guests
Cleaning chemicals
Vehicle fuel and repairs
Liability insurance
Scheduling software fees
Uniforms and gloves
Phone for coordinating turns
Storage for linens and supplies
Background check fees for crew
Business licenses
Workers compensation premiums

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 short-term rental turnover cleaning year, kept every month.

Bookings surge with travel season. Your taxes come on a schedule. 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, contractor 1099s are ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether peak summer bookings changed the number.
October
Before the year closes
Before travel season slows, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.

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 short-term rental turnover cleaning companies. 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 short-term rental turnover cleaning owners ask first.

I have some units through a co-host company and some direct hosts. Can Gus tell me which pays better?

Yes. He keeps co-host contract payments separate from direct host payments, so you can compare the real per-turn value between the two.

My laundry costs jump around a lot with occupancy. Is that a problem for the books?

No, it is expected in this trade. Gus keeps laundry in its own line so you can see it move with your turn volume instead of it blending into general costs.

Do I need to track restocking supplies separately from cleaning supplies?

It helps a lot. Gus keeps restocking, like toiletries and coffee pods, apart from cleaning chemicals so you can see that guest-facing cost clearly.

I charge more for same-day rush turns. Does the pricing need special handling?

No special handling from you. Gus keeps rush turn fees visible against standard turns so you can see whether the premium is really worth the extra pressure on your crew.

My books are behind because bookings pick up so fast in summer. Can you catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside 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.

We keep books for the business next door too.

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

Books and taxes for short-term rental turnover cleaning companies.

Short-term rental turnover cleaning books go wrong in the same few places.

Restocking supplies are really a separate cost, not cleaning supplies

Laundry costs swing hard with occupancy

Host payments and co-host fees blur together

Same-day rush turns get billed at the same rate as easy ones