Senior care & aging services
Books and taxes for small assisted living facilities.
Room and board, level of care fees, a move-in deposit that is only partly yours, and round-the-clock staffing. Your own bookkeeper keeps it straight, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one clear number each month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June cleared $27,000. A new resident's move-in fee came in, but I only counted the non-refundable half as earned this month.
- Resident room and board ACHRoom and board
- Move-in fee, new residentMove-in fee
- Payroll, care staffCare staff wages
- US Foods deliveryDietary supplies
- State licensing renewalLicensing and survey fees
Why your books are different
A small assisted living facility's books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees rent and payroll. Your business runs on a fixed census, a move-in fee that is not entirely yours, and level of care fees that are supposed to track what staffing actually costs. When the books do not know that, a couple of empty beds look worse than they should, or a lot better than they are.
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1
The move-in fee gets booked as income on day one
A move-in fee is collected up front, and if it is treated as revenue the moment it lands, but part of it is refundable if the resident leaves within a set window, the month looks better than it really was.
What we doHolds the refundable portion of a move-in fee separate until the refund window passes, so the month reflects what was actually earned. -
2
Level of care fees get folded into room and board
A resident's monthly bill often blends a flat room and board rate with a separate charge for the hands-on care she needs, and if it all lands as one deposit booked as one number, you cannot see whether care fees are keeping pace with staffing cost.
What we doSplits room and board from level of care fees, so you can see whether what you charge for care matches what it costs to give it. -
3
Overnight and weekend staffing swings the payroll number
A facility staffed around the clock has overnight and weekend shifts that pay a premium, and lumped into one wage total, a month with more overnight coverage can look like a labor problem instead of a scheduling one.
What we doKeeps shift differentials visible so a heavier overnight schedule reads as a scheduling choice, not an unexplained cost jump. -
4
A few empty beds hit harder than expected
A facility built for capacity has mostly fixed costs, staff and food do not shrink much when a resident leaves, so losing two or three residents can wipe out a month's profit even though spending barely changed.
What we doTracks occupancy against those fixed costs so you can see how close the facility runs to breakeven at any given census.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a small assisted living facility.
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
- Monthly room and boardThe base rate paid by residents or their families each month.
- Level of care feesAdditional charges tied to how much hands-on help a resident needs.
- Move-in feeA one-time fee collected at move-in, sometimes partially refundable.
- Second-person feesAn add-on charge when two residents share a unit.
- State assistance paymentsA state supplement for residents who qualify, where the state offers one.
Money out
- Care staff wages and overtimeRound-the-clock shift coverage, including nights and weekends.
- Payroll taxes and workers compThe cost of employing care staff, not just paying them.
- Dietary and kitchen suppliesMeals served three times a day plus snacks.
- Facility rent, mortgage, or leaseThe cost of the building itself.
- Utilities and maintenanceRepairs, groundskeeping, and housekeeping supplies.
- Activities and programmingAn activities director, outings, and entertainment.
- Licensing and survey feesState renewal and inspection costs.
- Liability and property insuranceCoverage for the building and the care provided in it.
What we watch for you
- Occupancy
Residents in the building against total capacity, the number fixed costs are measured against.
- Care fee coverage
Level of care fees collected against what staffing that care actually costs.
- Cost per resident day
Food, staffing, and overhead spread across residents, tracked to catch a slow creep.
- Move-in fee liability
How much of collected move-in fees is still refundable and not yet truly earned.
Ask Gus
Things assisted living 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.
Most of your costs, staff and food, stay about the same whether you have eighteen residents or twenty. I track occupancy against those fixed costs so a small drop in census does not surprise you.
Only the part that is no longer refundable. I hold the refundable portion separate until the window passes, so the month is not overstated.
That is worth a real conversation with the accountant about shift premiums and scheduling. I keep the overnight cost visible so you both have the numbers when you talk about it.
The tax side
The tax side of a small assisted living facility.
Most of what goes wrong here is what depreciates on a long schedule versus what can be written off now, and who counts as staff.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Facility improvements as real propertyImprovements to the building itself, ramps, fire systems, flooring, usually depreciate over a longer schedule than furniture and equipment, where Section 179 and bonus depreciation can apply instead.
- Section 179 for furnishings and equipmentFurniture, kitchen equipment, and mobility aids bought outright can usually be expensed the year purchased, up to $2,560,000, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Caregiver and aide classificationStaff working scheduled shifts under your supervision are employees, not contractors, no matter how a facility labels weekend or overnight coverage.
- 1099s for outside helpAn activities director, dietitian, or entertainer who works independently for more than one facility, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions small assisted living facilities miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Dietary and kitchen supplies
- Housekeeping supplies
- Activities and entertainment costs
- Facility maintenance and repairs
- Liability and property insurance
- Staff uniforms
- Continuing education for aides
- Background checks per hire
- Licensing and survey fees
- Groundskeeping and landscaping
- Laundry service or equipment
- Furnishing replacements
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 small assisted living facility's year, kept every month.
Tours and move-ins come any week of the year. Rate changes and 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
Rates and budgets reset
Annual rate increases for room and board and level of care usually take effect in January, so the team confirms the new numbers before billing continues.
- April
Filed before spring tours
Your return is filed and signed ahead of the spring season families often tour in. The set-aside running since January already covers it.
- July
Halfway on census
A look at census and cost per resident day against the year's budget, and whether staffing still fits where occupancy landed.
- October
Before the holiday tour season
Families often tour and decide on a move before the holidays. Before that rush, the team looks at staffing 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 small assisted living facilities. 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 assisted living owners ask first.
Is the move-in fee we collect all profit?
Only the part that is no longer refundable. Gus holds the refundable portion separate until the window passes, so a month is not overstated.
We lost a couple of residents and profit dropped more than expected. Why?
Most of your costs stay fixed whether the building is at full census or a few beds light. Gus tracks occupancy against those fixed costs so the swing makes sense.
Do level of care fees actually cover what extra staffing costs?
That is exactly what Gus tracks. He keeps care fees separate from room and board so you can see if what you charge is keeping up with what it costs to staff.
Our overnight shifts pay a premium. Does that get lost in payroll?
No. Gus keeps shift differentials visible, so a heavier overnight schedule reads as a scheduling choice, not an unexplained cost jump.
Can Gus help with our state licensing survey?
No, that runs through your facility's own compliance process. Gus keeps the books and cost side straight so licensing fees and related spending are accounted for.
My books are a mess from a past bookkeeper. Can you still help?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus rebuilds occupancy and move-in fee history from what is there, and most owners see a clear picture 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 senior care & aging services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Adult day care centers
- Geriatric care managers
- Medical alert system dealers
- Residential care homes (board & care)
- Respite care providers
- Senior dental & mobile care
- Senior home safety assessments
- Senior living placement advisors
- Senior move managers & downsizing specialists
- Companion care services
- Memory care communities
- Home health agencies (skilled)
- Hospice providers
- Non-medical home care agencies
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