Hard goods, dealers & local stores
Books and taxes for tractor and compact equipment dealers.
New tractor sales financed on a floor plan, trade-ins that become lot inventory, a service bay handling manufacturer warranty claims, and a spring rush that carries the year. 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
April came in at $49,400. Two compact tractor trade-ins came in this month, so I logged both as used lot inventory instead of letting them just look like a price cut.
- New tractor sale, cash pmtNew equipment sales
- John Deere Financial payoutFinanced sales
- Warranty claim paybackWarranty reimbursement
- Ag floor plan interest pmtFloor plan financing
- Parts department invoiceService parts
Why your books are different
Tractor and equipment dealer books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and vendor bills. Your business is compact tractors and attachments financed on a floor plan until they sell, trade-ins that become lot stock, a service bay doing manufacturer warranty work that gets paid back later, and a spring planting and mowing season that carries the year. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies.
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1
Floor plan interest hides inside what looks like a loan payment
A dealer financing tractors and implements on a floor plan can lose track of what one unsold unit is really costing to carry, unless that interest is tied to the specific piece of equipment it is financing.
What we doTies floor plan interest and curtailment payments to the specific units they finance, so the true carrying cost of unsold equipment is never a mystery. -
2
A trade-in gets logged as a discount, not a used unit for sale
A customer trades a used compact tractor and loader toward a new model. Treated only as a price cut on the invoice, the traded machine disappears from the books even though it is now parked on the lot as used inventory the dealership still has to sell.
What we doLogs the traded tractor as inventory coming in at a fair value, so the lot's used equipment count matches what the books actually show. -
3
A warranty claim check arrives with no tie back to the repair
A dealership fixes a tractor under manufacturer warranty and gets paid back weeks later in one lump check that can cover several claims at once, with nothing on the deposit noting which repair job it belongs to.
What we doSplits a lump warranty reimbursement back across the service tickets it covers, so the service bay's real earnings are not hidden inside one unlabeled deposit. -
4
Attachments and implements get lumped in with tractor sales
A loader, mower deck, or box blade sold alongside a tractor gets rung up as one price with the machine, so there is no way to see how much of a sale's margin actually came from attachments versus the base unit.
What we doKeeps attachment and implement sales in their own line, so you can see what each part of a deal is actually earning.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a tractor and equipment dealer.
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
- New equipment salesCash and financed sales of new tractors and compact equipment.
- Used and trade-in salesSales of equipment taken in on trade, tracked apart from new units.
- Attachment and implement salesLoaders, mower decks, and implements, kept apart from base machine sales.
- Service and repair laborRepair and maintenance work billed to customers.
- Warranty reimbursementManufacturer payback for warranty repair work.
Money out
- Floor plan financingDraws, interest, and curtailment payments on financed lot inventory.
- New equipment inventory purchaseUnits bought from the manufacturer, net of holdback withheld.
- Service partsEngine, hydraulic, and attachment parts for the service bay.
- Delivery and riggingTrailer, fuel, and rigging costs to move equipment to and from customers.
- Showroom and lot payrollSales staff, service technicians, and yard crew.
- Rent and utilitiesShowroom, service bay, and outdoor lot space.
- Financing and card processing feesWhat the lender or card processor kept before the sale hit the bank.
What we watch for you
- Floor plan balance owed
What is currently financed against unsold equipment, so it never gets mistaken for cash the dealership can spend.
- Gross margin, new versus used
New equipment and reconditioned trade-ins rarely earn the same margin, and lumping them together hides which side is carrying the dealership.
- Service labor margin
What the service bay earns after parts and technician time, apart from equipment sales.
- The set-aside
What the dealership will owe, tracked month by month so filing season is never a scramble.
Ask Gus
Things tractor and equipment dealers 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. I log the traded unit as used inventory coming in at a fair value, so what is parked on your lot matches what the books actually say.
That is normal for financed inventory. I keep the interest against the specific units it is financing, so you can see what carrying each one unsold is really costing.
I split it back across the tickets it covers, so your service bay's earnings show up accurately instead of one unlabeled lump deposit.
The tax side
The tax side of a tractor and equipment dealer.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and financing. A trade-in booked wrong, floor plan interest buried in overhead, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldWhat was actually paid for the tractors and equipment sold during the year, not just what was spent restocking, is what counts against sales. Trade-ins and floor-planned units on the lot at year end need a fair value on the books.
- Floor plan financing interestInterest paid to finance equipment on a floor plan is usually deductible as a cost of doing business, but it can affect other deductions available on those same financed units. This is one for the accountant to look at with the whole picture in view.
- Section 179 on service and shop equipmentDiagnostic equipment, shop tools, and delivery trailers can usually be written off in the year you buy them, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income. Getting the number right depends on attachments and warranty work being tracked apart from the base machine all year.
Deductions tractor and compact equipment dealers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Floor plan financing fees
- Delivery trailer and rigging equipment
- Service bay tools and diagnostic equipment
- Financing and card processing fees
- Local advertising and dealer signage
- Business liability and inventory insurance
- Damaged or unsellable trade-in write-downs
- Uniforms for service technicians
- Point of sale and service scheduling software
- Lot and yard upkeep
- Manufacturer training and certification
- Trade show and dealer meeting travel
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 tractor and equipment dealer year, kept every month.
Spring planting and mowing season carries the year, but the team is on the books every month, not just when the rush hits. 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 floor plan balance is reviewed with the lender, and a monthly set-aside is planned before spring selling begins.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed as spring selling season ramps up, with the set-aside already covering what the dealership owes.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how spring planting and mowing season changed the number.
- October
Before winter stocking
Before the winter equipment and attachment stocking season, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing 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 tractor and compact equipment dealers. 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 tractor and equipment dealer owners ask first.
How does Gus handle equipment we finance on a floor plan?
He keeps floor plan interest and curtailment payments in their own line against the inventory it is financing, so you can see what carrying an unsold unit is really costing.
Does a trade-in just count as a discount on the new tractor?
No. Gus logs the traded unit as used inventory coming in at a fair value, so your lot's used equipment count matches what the books actually show instead of the trade-in just vanishing.
A warranty check came in covering several repair jobs at once. Can Gus untangle that?
Yes. He splits a lump warranty reimbursement back across the specific service tickets it covers, so your service bay's real earnings do not get hidden inside one deposit.
We sell a lot of attachments alongside the base tractor. Does that need its own tracking?
Yes. Gus keeps attachment and implement sales in their own line, so you can see what each part of a deal is actually earning.
Our books are behind from a busy spring season. Can Gus catch up?
Most dealerships get a clear answer within a week. Send over the bank statements you have, and Gus sorts through the backlog while the accountant checks his work.
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