Water recreation & marinas
Books and taxes for tubing and river outfitters.
Per-head ticket sales at the put-in, shuttle buses running all day, a tube fleet that punctures every weekend, and a season that lives or dies on river levels. 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 made $18,200. Two shuttle buses got new transmissions this month, so I flagged that as major repair, not routine upkeep, since it's a bigger fix than an oil change.
- Put-in cash box depositPer-head ticket sales
- Square, online prepayPrepaid tube reservations
- Shuttle bus transmission repairShuttle vehicle repair
- River access fee, countyRiver access and permits
- Seasonal crew payrollSeasonal staff wages
Why your books are different
A tubing outfitter's books go wrong in the same handful of places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. This business is cash collected at a put-in point, shuttle buses running loops all day, tubes that puncture constantly, and a river that can shut the whole operation down with no warning. When the books do not know that, the season's real cost per head stays hidden.
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1
Cash at the put-in gets undercounted
A busy Saturday can mean thousands of dollars in cash changing hands at a folding table by the river, and if it is not counted and deposited the same way every day, the books never match what actually happened on the water.
What we doWorks from your deposit records and asks about any gap between cash collected and cash deposited, so the count matches the day. -
2
Shuttle costs disappear into general vehicle expenses
Running buses or vans in loops all day burns fuel and wears out transmissions and brakes fast, but if shuttle costs sit in the same bucket as a single delivery van, nobody can see what moving people actually costs.
What we doKeeps shuttle fuel and repair in its own line, separate from any other vehicle, so the real cost of running the shuttle is visible. -
3
A river closure looks like a bookkeeping problem
Drought, flooding, or a high water advisory can shut the river down for days or weeks with no revenue at all, and a business owner who is not expecting it can panic over a number that has nothing to do with how the season is really going.
What we doTracks closures against the calendar, so a river-level shutdown reads as a known risk of the trade, not a sign something is wrong. -
4
A tube order looks like a bad month
Buying a season's worth of tubes and patch kits in one spring order can make that month look like a big loss, even though it is the normal cost of getting ready for the year.
What we doKeeps tube and gear purchases in a steady line and flags when a stock-up, not a slow season, explains a thin month. -
5
Seasonal crew pay gets mixed with year-round costs
A crew of high school and college staff hired only for the summer can make payroll costs spike in a way that looks alarming if it is lumped in with fixed costs the business carries all year.
What we doKeeps seasonal staff wages in their own line, so the summer payroll spike reads as expected, not as a runaway cost.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a tubing or river outfitter.
Set up once for how the river business gets paid and what it costs to run. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Per-head ticket salesCash and card sales collected at the put-in point.
- Prepaid tube reservationsOnline bookings for groups and busy weekends.
- Group and event bookingsBachelor and bachelorette parties, church groups, and company outings.
- Gear rental add-onsCoolers, dry bags, and life jackets rented separately from tubes.
Money out
- Seasonal staff wagesHourly pay for put-in, take-out, and shuttle crew hired for the season.
- Shuttle vehicle fuelFuel for the buses and vans running loops all day.
- Shuttle vehicle repairBrakes, transmissions, and tires worn down by constant short trips.
- Tubes and patch kitsNew tubes, repair patches, and valve replacements bought each season.
- River access and permitsCounty, state, or federal land access fees for launch and take-out points.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for a business that puts people on moving water.
- Parking and land leaseFees for the put-in and take-out lots the business uses.
What we watch for you
- Cash-to-deposit match
How closely daily cash deposits track ticket counts, so nothing goes missing between the river and the bank.
- Shuttle cost per head
Fuel and repair against the number of riders shuttled. It shows if the loop is priced right.
- Season cash runway
What is saved from peak weekends to cover permits, insurance, and off-season costs.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things tubing outfitter 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.
It is thin, but it is a closure, not a slow season. I noted it against the calendar so it does not throw off how the rest of the year gets read.
I work from your deposit records and flag any day where the cash deposited does not line up with what you sold, so it stays honest without you counting twice.
That is above my pay grade for the payroll setup itself, but I keep their wages in a clean line so the accountant can confirm everything is handled right.
The tax side
The tax side of a tubing or river outfitting business.
Most of what goes wrong here is cash handling and a season that runs hot for a few months and quiet the rest of the year. Getting the categories right during the season makes the return simpler.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Cash income reportingCash collected at the put-in is taxable the same as a card payment, whether or not it is ever deposited. Keeping an honest daily count matters more here than in most trades.
- Seasonal worker classificationSummer crew who work your schedule with your equipment are usually employees, not contractors, even if they are only on payroll for a few months a year.
- Shuttle vehicle depreciationBuses and vans bought for the shuttle fleet can usually be written off in the year they are bought, up to current Section 179 and bonus depreciation limits, or depreciated over time depending on the year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when ticket sales, shuttle costs, and seasonal payroll are tracked correctly all season.
Deductions tubing and river outfitters miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Tubes and repair patches
- Shuttle bus fuel
- River access and land fees
- Liability insurance
- Life jackets and safety gear
- Cash box and register supplies
- Parking lot maintenance
- Uniforms and staff shirts
- Radios for put-in and take-out crew
- Signage and river markers
- Website and booking site fees
- First aid 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 tubing outfitter's year, kept every month.
The season runs hot for a handful of summer months and goes completely quiet the rest of the year. Taxes come on their own 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
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so tax time is already handled before the season opens.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, ahead of the season's opening weekends.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether peak season is on pace to cover the whole year's costs.
- October
Before the season closes
Before the last weekend of the year, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making 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 tubing and river outfitters. 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 tubing outfitter owners ask first.
Most of our money comes in as cash at the river. How does that get handled?
Gus works from your daily deposit records and sorts cash income the same as card sales. It still counts as taxable whether or not it went through a card reader.
The river shut down for two weeks this summer. Does that mess up our numbers?
No. Gus tracks closures against the calendar so a river-level shutdown reads as a known risk of the season, not a mistake in the books or a sign the business is struggling.
We hire a whole new crew every summer. Does that complicate things?
Not for the books. Seasonal wages get their own line so the summer spike in payroll reads as expected, though the business still needs its own payroll setup to handle the hiring correctly.
Can Gus tell us if our shuttle loop is priced right?
He keeps shuttle fuel and repair costs against the number of riders shuttled, so you can see the real cost per head and decide if the ticket price covers it.
Our books are a mess from last season. Can we still start now?
Yes. Send the bank and cash deposit records you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Do you handle our river access permit renewal?
No. Permits with the county, state, or federal land agency are outside the subscription. Gus tracks the cost once it is paid, but not the renewal itself.
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