Small manufacturers & fabricators
Books and taxes for taxidermists.
A drop-off deposit at hunting season, a tannery invoice, a manikin form order, and freezer storage for capes waiting their turn. Your own bookkeeper stays on it all year, 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 $5,300. This month's drop-off deposits are held as work still owed, since most of these mounts won't finish until spring.
- Drop-off deposits, week 2Drop-off deposits
- Finished mount pickupFinished mount payments
- Tannery invoice, hide batchTanning services
- Manikin form orderForms and supplies
- Freezer electricityCold storage
Why your books are different
Taxidermy books go wrong across a backlog that outlasts the hunting season.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your shop takes a deposit when a hunter drops off a cape in November, freezes it for months while a form and tanning are ordered, and does not finish the mount until well into the next year. When the books do not track that backlog, a busy drop-off season looks like a great month and the quiet mounting months that follow look like a loss.
-
1
A drop-off deposit looks like a finished sale
A hunter pays a deposit the day a cape is dropped off, but the mount itself might not be finished for six months or more, and if that deposit is counted as income right away, the season looks better than it is while the real backlog of work goes unseen.
What we doHolds drop-off deposits as money still owed until the mount is finished and picked up, then moves it to income so the timeline matches reality. -
2
Tannery costs get bought months before the mount is built
A hide sent out for tanning comes back weeks or months later, and the tanning bill hits long before the finished mount is ever sold, making an early month look expensive for work that has not paid off yet.
What we doTracks tanning costs against the specific mount they belong to, tracked as work in progress until the piece is finished. -
3
Freezer storage cost is treated like a fixed bill
A freezer full of capes waiting through a long backlog costs real electricity, and during a heavy season that cost climbs, but it is easy to let it sit in general utilities where nobody notices the swing.
What we doKeeps cold storage cost on its own line so a backlog's real carrying cost is visible. -
4
Standard mounts and competition pieces blend together
A standard shoulder mount and a detailed competition entry take very different time and material, and lumped into one number neither shows what it really costs to build.
What we doKeeps competition and specialty mounts separate from standard work, so each shows its true cost.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a taxidermist.
Set up once for how deposits and finished mounts get paid and what a mount costs to build. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Drop-off depositsHeld as money owed until a mount is finished and picked up.
- Finished mount paymentsThe balance due once a mount is complete.
- Rush and priority feesThe premium charged to move a mount ahead of the backlog.
- Repair and restoration workSmaller jobs on existing mounts.
Money out
- Tanning servicesOutside tannery invoices, tracked by the mount they belong to.
- Forms and suppliesManikin forms, eyes, clay, and hide paste.
- Cold storageFreezer electricity and maintenance for capes awaiting work.
- Equipment loan or leasePayments on airbrush equipment and mounting tools.
- Shop rent and utilitiesBuilding costs apart from freezer power draw.
- Painting and finishing suppliesAirbrush paint, clear coat, and detail materials.
- ShippingFreight for hides or forms sent to and from outside services.
What we watch for you
- Deposit backlog
The value of deposits held for mounts not yet finished, so a busy drop-off season is not mistaken for a strong month.
- Work in progress by mount
Tanning and form cost tied to a specific piece, so a slow-looking month is not really a loss.
- Cold storage cost
What the freezer actually costs to run through a heavy backlog season.
- Turnaround time
How long a mount sits from drop-off to pickup, the number that decides how big a backlog gets.
Ask Gus
Things taxidermist 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.
No, and I don't book it that way. I hold deposits as money you still owe until each mount is finished, so the season's real profit only shows once the work is done.
The tannery bills for this season's hides landed already. I track that cost against each mount, so it will balance out once the finished pieces sell.
If she is not on payroll and you pay her $2,000 or more this year, she gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a taxidermy business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing on deposits and keeping tannery and form costs tied to the right mount through a long backlog.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Shop equipmentAirbrush equipment and mounting tools can usually be written off, often in the year they are bought. Section 179 covers up to $2,560,000 and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Drop-off depositsA deposit taken when a cape is dropped off is money you owe the customer, not income, until the mount is finished and picked up.
- Forms and supplies on handManikin forms and supplies bought ahead and sitting in the shop at year end get valued and matched against what actually sold, rather than expensed the day they were bought.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when drop-off deposits and tannery cost are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions taxidermists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Manikin forms
- Tanning service fees
- Glass eyes and clay
- Airbrush paint and clear coat
- Freezer maintenance
- Shipping for hides and forms
- Safety gear and gloves
- Trade show and competition entry fees
- Reference photography
- Small hand tools
- Shop insurance
- Detail brushes and supplies
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 taxidermy year, kept every month.
Hunting season fills the freezer, but the mounting work runs for months after. Your taxes still run on their own schedule. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Backlog planned
The season's backlog and deposits get sorted, last year's return gets started, and your monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Backlog year filed
The accountant files and signs your return. Since the set-aside has been running since January, a season buried in freezer backlog does not turn into an April surprise.
- July
Midyear backlog check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how the backlog from last hunting season is clearing.
- October
Ahead of the rush
Gus looks at any mounting equipment buy worth making before the drop-off rush and December, and flags it for the accountant's call on depreciation.
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 taxidermists. 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 taxidermists ask first.
How does Gus handle a deposit when a hunter drops off a cape?
He holds it as money you still owe the customer, not income, until the mount is finished. That keeps a busy drop-off season from overstating what you have actually earned.
Do we have to change how we quote a mount?
No. Keep quoting mounts however you already do. Gus reads it off your bank statement, and if a deposit is unclear he asks once and remembers your answer.
Can Gus track what the freezer is actually costing us during a busy backlog?
Yes. Cold storage cost gets its own line, so you can see what a heavy backlog season is really costing to hold.
We do some competition mounts alongside standard work. Should those be tracked separately?
It helps. Gus keeps competition and specialty work apart from standard mounts so you can see whether the extra time is worth what you charge for it.
My books are behind after a busy hunting season. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts drop-off deposits and tannery costs apart, the accountant checks the result, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Do I write off new mounting equipment all at once?
Often you can. Mounting or airbrush equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted the year it is bought, though sometimes spreading it out fits a shop's year better. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
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