Land recreation & adventure
Books and taxes for ski and snowboard shops.
Season-long rental packages, walk-in tuning and wax jobs, a retail wall of boards and boots, and a summer that runs on almost nothing. Gus sorts it as it lands, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November came in at $17,200. Season rental packages sold this month, but I'm only counting a slice of that as income now since most of the season is still ahead.
- Season rental package salesDeferred rental income
- Retail counter salesRetail sales
- Burton wholesale orderRetail inventory
- Tune bench belt replacementShop equipment
- Seasonal staff payrollStaff wages
Why your books are different
Ski shop books go wrong at the start of a season that ends before spring.
A season rental package gets paid in one lump in November for a winter of use, retail inventory has to be bought months before it sells, and the shop goes quiet by April. A generalist counts a package sale the day it lands. Your books need to spread that money across the season it actually covers.
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1
Season rental packages are not November's money
A family buys a season-long ski rental package in November for gear they will use into March, and if the whole payment counts as November income, the months the gear is actually in use show almost nothing.
What we doSpreads season rental income across the months of the season, so each month reflects the actual rental period. -
2
Retail inventory gets bought long before the season sells it
New boards, boots, and outerwear often get ordered and paid for in late summer, months before winter sales start, and that timing gap can make a summer month look like a big loss for no visible reason.
What we doKeeps retail inventory purchases in their own line and matches their cost to the sales they eventually generate. -
3
Tuning and wax services disappear into retail sales
A tune-up or hot wax is a service charge, not a product sale, and if it rings up the same as a retail purchase, you cannot tell how much of your income is bench labor versus gear sales.
What we doKeeps tuning and service income separate from retail sales, so you can see what the tune bench is actually worth. -
4
The off season makes the year look worse than it is
A shop that earns almost everything between November and March can look like it is losing money every single month from April through October if nobody accounts for the season as a whole.
What we doTracks the season as a whole and tells you what the winter actually banked after costs, so the quiet months read as expected, not alarming.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a ski and snowboard shop.
Set up once for how rentals, retail, and tuning get paid. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Deferred rental incomeSeason-long rental packages, recognized across the winter months.
- Daily rental incomeSingle-day and weekend rentals paid at the counter.
- Retail salesSkis, boards, boots, and outerwear sold at the shop.
- Tuning and service incomeWax, edge tuning, and boot fitting labor.
- Repair and warranty workBinding adjustments and manufacturer warranty repairs.
Money out
- Retail inventorySkis, boards, boots, and apparel bought wholesale for resale.
- Rental fleetSkis, boards, and boots bought and replaced for the rental program.
- Shop equipmentTune benches, edge grinders, and wax equipment.
- Staff wagesSeasonal sales, rental, and tuning staff.
- Shop rent and utilitiesRent, power, and heat for the storefront.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for rentals and shop operations.
- Marketing and season pre-sale promotionAds and early season rental package deals.
- Point of sale and payment processing feesCard processing on both retail and rental transactions.
What we watch for you
- Deferred rental balance
How much season package money is still owed in rental months not yet used.
- Retail margin by category
What skis, boards, and apparel actually net after wholesale cost, useful for planning next season's orders.
- Off season cash cushion
How much cash carries from winter into the quiet months, since income is concentrated in one season.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked all winter, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things ski and snowboard shop 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.
That money covers a winter of rentals customers haven't fully used yet, so I'm spreading it across the season. You'll see it land steadily through the winter instead of all in November.
The purchase shows up now as inventory, and I'll match its cost to the sale once it actually sells, so this month doesn't look artificially bad for stocking up.
No, I track the season as a whole so the quiet months read as expected, not alarming. Your winter is what carries the year, and the report shows that clearly.
The tax side
The tax side of a ski and snowboard shop.
Most of what trips up a ski shop is timing season rental income and matching inventory cost to when it actually sells.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Season rentals are earned over the seasonSeason-long rental package money collected up front is deferred income, recognized across the months of the winter season rather than the month collected.
- Inventory versus equipmentRetail skis, boards, and boots bought to resell are inventory matched to the sale. Tune benches and grinders are equipment, usually depreciated instead.
- Seasonal staff classificationRental, sales, and tuning staff working your posted shifts under your direction are usually employees, even for a short winter season.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, which comes out right when a concentrated winter season is tracked accurately.
Deductions ski and snowboard shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Tune bench and edge grinder maintenance
- Rental fleet replacement gear
- Wax and tuning supplies
- Liability insurance premiums
- Seasonal staff wages
- Shop rent during the off season
- Point of sale system fees
- Retail fixtures and displays
- Marketing for season pre-sales
- Boot fitting tools and supplies
- Uniforms for shop staff
- Warranty repair parts
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 ski shop year, kept every month.
Almost everything happens between November and March, and the rest of the year has to be planned around that stretch. Your team keeps you ahead of it. 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 based on how last winter's rental and retail income actually landed.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed as the season winds down and end-of-year clearance sales start.
- July
Off season check
A look at where the shop stands with the quiet months in view, and what next season's wholesale orders should look like.
- October
Before the season opens
Inventory received, rental fleet readiness, and equipment worth buying before the winter rush.
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 ski and snowboard shops. 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 ski and snowboard shop owners ask first.
We sell season rental packages in the fall for gear used all winter. How does Gus handle that timing?
He holds season package money as income owed until it is used, then spreads it across the winter months, so the numbers match how the rentals actually get used, not just the day someone paid.
Our wholesale inventory orders land months before the season starts selling. Will that make late summer look terrible?
No, Gus matches inventory cost to the sale, so buying stock early does not make a slow summer month look worse than it is.
We're basically closed from spring to fall. Is that a problem for the books?
No, that is expected seasonality for this trade. Gus tracks the winter season as a whole so the quiet months read as normal, not as a business in trouble.
Do rentals and tuning services get mixed in with our retail sales?
No, rental income and tuning service income stay in their own categories, separate from retail sales, so you can see what each part of the shop actually earns.
Can Gus tell me which gear categories are actually worth stocking next season?
He keeps retail margin visible by category, so you can see what skis, boards, and apparel actually net after wholesale cost before placing next year's order.
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