Indoor entertainment
Books and taxes for trampoline parks.
Jump passes, birthday parties, jump socks at the counter, and pads that wear out on a schedule. 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
July came in at $19,200. The foam pit refill order got logged as equipment upkeep, not general supplies, since it is a bigger job than a normal restock.
- ROLLER payoutJump passes
- Birthday party depositParty packages
- Trampoline supplier orderPad and mat replacement
- Foam pit supplierEquipment upkeep
- Liability insuranceInsurance
Why your books are different
Trampoline park books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees admission and a big insurance bill. Your business is square footage full of equipment that wears out fast, parties that book weeks ahead, and jump socks sold at every register. When the books do not know that, safety spending and pricing both get guessed at.
-
1
Party deposits count before the party happens
A family books a birthday party for a date six weeks out and pays a deposit today. Counted as income the day it lands, this month looks stronger than it was and the party month looks weaker.
What we doHolds the deposit as money owed until the party actually happens, then moves it into that month's income. -
2
Pad and mat replacement gets buried in general supplies
Trampoline mats, wall pads, and safety netting wear out on a real schedule and get replaced in batches that can cost thousands. Lumped into general supplies, a replacement month looks like a bad month instead of routine safety upkeep.
What we doKeeps pad and mat replacement in its own line so a restock does not read as a slump. -
3
A new attraction reads like a supply purchase
A ninja course addition, a new foam pit, or a rebuilt dodgeball court can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Filed as supplies, it wrecks the month and hides that it is a long-term asset that should be depreciated.
What we doFlags a big attraction purchase the month it happens, books it as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on writing it off. -
4
Jump socks and admission ring through one line
Every jumper needs grip socks sold at the counter alongside admission, and mixed into one number, you cannot see how much of the day's money came from add-on sales versus the ticket itself.
What we doKeeps jump socks and other counter add-ons in their own category apart from admission.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a trampoline park.
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
- Jump passesHourly and day admission sold through ROLLER, CenterEdge, or a similar system.
- Party packagesBirthday party bookings, deposited weeks ahead of the actual date.
- Group and school bookingsCamps, teams, and school field trips booked by headcount.
- Jump socks and add-onsGrip socks and other counter sales apart from admission.
- Membership passesMonthly or season passes sold to regular jumpers.
- Concession salesSnack bar food and drinks.
Money out
- Pad and mat replacementTrampoline mats, wall pads, and safety netting on a wear schedule.
- Equipment upkeepFoam pit refills, springs, and structural repairs.
- WagesCourt monitors, party hosts, and front desk staff.
- Liability insuranceCoverage built for a high-activity, high-injury-risk facility.
- Rent and utilitiesA large single-story building with real electricity and HVAC costs.
- Booking softwareROLLER, CenterEdge, or a similar reservation system.
- MarketingGroupon fees, local ads, and social media promotion.
What we watch for you
- Pad replacement cost
What safety mats and padding cost against admission revenue, on a real wear schedule.
- Party conversion
How many party deposits turn into a completed, paid-out party.
- Labor share
Wages against revenue, since court monitor staffing runs heavier on weekends.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things trampoline park 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.
Not the way I book it. I keep pad replacement in its own line, so you can see it was a planned safety cost, not a drop in business.
I logged it as equipment, not supplies. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent right now on new equipment, and the accountant makes the final call with your whole year in view.
If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of a trampoline park.
Most of what goes wrong here is treating equipment and safety spending like ordinary supplies, and party staff like contractors when they work like employees.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Attraction equipmentTrampoline courts, foam pits, ninja courses, and similar attractions can usually be written off up to $2,560,000 under Section 179 in the year bought, and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA freelance party host, DJ, or maintenance contractor who is not on payroll and is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Employee or contractorCourt monitors and party hosts who work your posted schedule and wear your uniform are usually employees, even if paid per shift.
- 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 trampoline parks miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Trampoline mats and springs
- Wall pads and safety netting
- Foam pit refills
- Booking software fees
- Liability insurance
- Court monitor certifications
- Party supplies and decorations
- Grip sock inventory
- Groupon and daily deal fees
- Card processing fees
- First aid and safety supplies
- Signage and wayfinding
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 trampoline park year, kept every month.
School breaks and summer bring the crowds, and birthday parties fill weekends year-round. Your team keeps you ahead of both, and of taxes on their own schedule. 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 1099 list for contract staff is 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 the summer rush changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday season
Corporate party and holiday break bookings ramp up. Gus looks at pad and equipment upkeep 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 trampoline parks. 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 trampoline park owners ask first.
Can Gus keep party packages separate from daily admission?
Yes. Party deposits get held as money owed until the party date, then counted as income that month, and kept apart from walk-in jump passes so each shows its own number.
Do we need to switch off ROLLER for this to work?
No, ROLLER stays your booking system. Gus reads your bank deposits alongside it, and if a deposit does not obviously match a party or pass sale, he asks you once and remembers the pattern going forward.
Do I write off a full court rebuild at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
How does Gus handle jump sock and snack bar sales?
He keeps them in their own categories apart from admission, so you can see how much of a day's money comes from add-ons versus the ticket itself.
Our books are a year behind. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people 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.
More in indoor entertainment
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Arcades
- Axe throwing venues
- Billiards halls
- Board game cafes
- Cat cafes
- Comedy & magic clubs
- Dinner theaters
- Duckpin bowling & social gaming venues
- Esports & LAN gaming centers
- Haunted houses & haunted attractions
- Ice skating rinks
- Indoor go-kart tracks
- Kids play cafes
- Laser tag arenas
- Murder mystery companies
- Rage rooms
- Roller skating rinks
- Sensory-friendly play spaces
- VR arcades
- Bowling alleys
- Escape rooms
- Family entertainment centers
- Indoor playgrounds
- Ninja warrior & obstacle gyms
- Pickleball entertainment venues
- Cave & cavern tours
- Drive-in theaters
- Gemstone mining & panning attractions
- Ghost tours
- Helicopter tours
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