Apparel, resale & collectibles
Books and taxes for uniform and scrubs stores.
Walk-in scrub sales, a hospital account billed net-30, school uniform pre-orders every August, and embroidery logo fees on nearly every ticket. 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
August came in at $12,000. The elementary school's uniform pre-order finally shipped and got invoiced, so that balance moved from an open order into a real sale.
- Walk-in register salesRetail sales
- Hospital account paymentBusiness account sales
- Embroidery logo feesEmbroidery services
- Scrub wholesaler invoiceWholesale inventory
- Embroidery patch restockEmbroidery supplies
Why your books are different
Uniform store books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees walk-in retail sales. Your business bills hospitals and companies on net-30 terms, takes school uniform pre-orders months before the first bell, and adds a logo or name embroidery to almost every ticket. When the books do not know that, an unpaid business account looks like lost income and a big pre-order looks like it appeared from nowhere.
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1
Net-30 business accounts get counted as cash the day they are billed
A hospital or company account is invoiced for a bulk uniform order but does not pay for 30 days. Counted as income the day it is billed, the store looks like it has cash it will not actually see for a month.
What we doTracks business account invoices as money owed until payment actually lands, so cash on hand is never a guess. -
2
School uniform pre-orders sit as an open order for months
A school's uniform pre-order is collected in the spring but does not ship until August, and if the deposit is booked as a sale early, the store still owes a finished order against money already counted as income.
What we doKeeps pre-order deposits as money owed until the uniforms ship, so the sale only counts once it is real. -
3
Embroidery logo fees get buried inside the garment price
A scrub top or polo sold with a hospital logo or a child's name embroidered on it rings through as one ticket, and the store cannot tell how much margin actually comes from the embroidery add-on.
What we doKeeps embroidery and logo fees in their own category, separate from garment sales, so the add-on's real value shows up. -
4
A bulk seasonal buy wrecks the monthly number
A large order of scrubs or school uniforms placed ahead of back to school or a hospital contract renewal lands as one invoice, even though it will sell over the following weeks.
What we doKeeps bulk wholesale buys visible against what has actually sold from them, so a big order does not read as a bad month.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a uniform and scrubs store.
Set up once for walk-in sales and business accounts. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail salesWalk-in scrub and uniform sales rung through the register.
- Business account salesHospital, clinic, and company net-30 invoiced orders.
- School pre-ordersUniform pre-orders collected before the school year, tracked until shipped.
- Embroidery servicesLogo and name embroidery fees, billed apart from the garment.
Money out
- Wholesale inventoryScrubs and uniform apparel bought from apparel wholesalers.
- Embroidery suppliesThread, patches, and embroidery machine maintenance.
- Rent and utilitiesThe storefront lease and its utilities.
- PayrollSales staff and embroidery operators, kept apart from owner draw.
- Alterations suppliesHemming and sizing adjustment supplies for fittings.
- MarketingSchool and hospital account outreach and local ads.
- Card processing feesWhat the card processor keeps before payout.
What we watch for you
- Business account receivable
What net-30 accounts owe but have not yet paid, so cash on hand is never a surprise.
- Pre-order backlog
School uniform orders collected but not yet shipped, tracked apart from finished sales.
- Embroidery attach rate
How often a garment sale also includes embroidery, to see if the add-on is offered enough.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things uniform store 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 yet. I am tracking that as owed to you, not cash in hand, so your real balance stays accurate until the payment lands.
I was holding those deposits as an open order until the uniforms shipped, so the sale only counted once it was actually delivered.
If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099 by January 31. I am keeping that total as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a uniform and scrubs store.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing between an invoice, a pre-order, and money actually landing.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goodsWhat was paid for scrubs and uniforms actually sold during the year, not just what was spent buying, is what counts against sales. Unsold pre-order stock at year end changes what the return shows as profit.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for embroidery or alterations work gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all 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 net-30 accounts and pre-orders are counted in the right month.
- Self-employment taxAn owner running the store alone, as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, on earnings up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
Deductions uniform and scrubs stores miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Embroidery machine maintenance
- Thread and patch supplies
- Alterations and hemming supplies
- Storefront rent and utilities
- School and hospital account outreach
- Racks and fitting room fixtures
- Card processing fees
- Business liability insurance
- Signage and window displays
- Shipping for bulk orders
- Steamers and garment care
- Business licenses and permits
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 uniform store's year, kept every month.
Back to school and hospital contract renewals come every year on their own schedule. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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 1099 list for embroidery and alterations help 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 school pre-orders are on track to ship on time.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Back to school season has wrapped and hospital account renewals often land here. Gus looks at what the season will owe.
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 uniform and scrubs stores. 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 uniform store owners ask first.
How does Gus handle a hospital account billed on net-30 terms?
He tracks the invoice as money owed until the payment actually lands, so your books never show cash you have not been paid yet.
Do school uniform pre-orders count as sales when I collect the deposit?
No. Gus holds them as an open order until the uniforms ship, so the sale only counts once it is actually delivered.
Does embroidery get tracked separately from the garment sale?
Yes. Gus keeps logo and name embroidery fees in their own category, so you can see how much margin the add-on service is really bringing in.
I have several business accounts that pay on different schedules. Can Gus keep them straight?
He works from your bank statement and what has actually landed, so each account's payment shows up when it happens rather than needing you to track it separately.
My books have not been touched since our last hospital contract renewal. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the statements covering that stretch, business account invoices included. Gus separates what has actually been paid from what is still owed, and most owners get a clear picture 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.
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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