Wedding & event vendors
Books and taxes for valet parking companies.
Event contracts that swing from two attendants to six, cash tips collected right from guests, garage liability insurance, and the occasional damage claim. 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
June came in at $7,000. A damage claim on a scratched bumper came out of the deductible, so I kept that apart from your regular insurance premium.
- June 14 wedding valet contractEvent contracts
- Attendant payroll, weekend shiftsValet staffing
- Garage liability insurance premiumInsurance
- Vehicle damage claim payoutDamage claims
- Radios and valet equipmentEquipment
Why your books are different
A valet parking company's books go wrong in the same handful of places.
A generalist sees contract fees and a payroll bill. Your business is cash tips collected right from guests, staffing that swings from two attendants to six, and the occasional scratched bumper. When the books do not know that, real income and real risk both go missing.
-
1
Cash tips get missed or double-counted
Valets often collect cash tips directly from guests on top of the event fee, and if those tips never make it into the books at all, real income disappears, but mixed in with the contract fee, the picture gets muddled the other way.
What we doKeeps tip income in its own line, tracked consistently, apart from event contract fees. -
2
Staffing costs swing with the size of the event
A 300-guest wedding needs six attendants and a small rehearsal dinner needs two, and if attendant pay is not tied to the specific event, you cannot tell which bookings are actually worth the staffing.
What we doTies attendant pay to the event it staffed, so cost per booking stays honest. -
3
A vehicle damage claim looks like a routine insurance cost
A scratched bumper or a curbed wheel means a deductible payout that is different from your regular premium, and if the two get mixed together, you cannot tell how often damage claims are actually costing you.
What we doKeeps damage claim payouts apart from regular insurance premiums. -
4
Equipment looks like a monthly expense
Radios, cones, and key lockboxes get bought periodically rather than every month, and one purchase can make a slow month look like a big expense month.
What we doFlags equipment purchases apart from routine monthly costs. -
5
The deposit is not spending money yet
A venue books a wedding season of valet coverage months ahead and pays a deposit, and if it is treated like this month's earned income, the books overstate what has actually been worked.
What we doFlags booked deposits for events not yet worked, so you always know how much of the balance is spoken for.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a valet parking company.
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
- Event valet contractsThe base fee charged to a venue or couple.
- Tip incomeCash tips collected from guests, tracked consistently.
- Damage waiver feesCharged when guests opt into extra coverage.
- Overtime and extended hoursCharged when an event runs past the contracted time.
- Booking depositsHeld when an event is booked, often months out.
Money out
- Valet staffingAttendant pay, tied to the size of each event.
- Garage liability insuranceThe regular premium covering vehicles in your care.
- Vehicle damage claimsDeductible payouts for scratches, dents, or curbed wheels.
- EquipmentRadios, cones, and key lockboxes.
- UniformsBranded attire for attendants.
- MarketingWebsite and venue partnership costs.
- Payroll taxesEmployer costs if attendants are on payroll.
What we watch for you
- Cost per event
Staffing against what each contract actually billed, so pricing keeps up with real headcount needs.
- Damage claim frequency
How often claims come up, kept apart from your regular premium.
- Tip income tracked
So real income from guests does not quietly disappear.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things valet parking company 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.
Yes, and I keep it in its own line, apart from the event contract fee, so it does not disappear and does not get muddled with what the venue paid you.
Tied to that specific event, so you can see if the staffing cost was actually worth what the booking paid.
No, I keep damage claim payouts apart from your regular premium, so you can see how often claims are really costing you.
The tax side
The tax side of a valet parking company.
Most of what goes wrong here is cash tips that go untracked and staff who look more like employees than contractors.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Cash tip reportingCash tips your attendants receive are taxable income and need to be reported. A deduction for tip income exists for some occupations through 2028, up to $25,000, though it depends on whether the work is on the Treasury's list. The accountant checks whether it applies.
- Employee or contractorAttendants who wear your uniform, work shifts you assign, and use your equipment are usually employees, not contractors, even if paid per event.
- Contractor 1099sAny help not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions valet parking companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Valet attendant wages
- Garage liability insurance
- Uniforms
- Radios and key lockboxes
- Cones and signage
- Website and venue partnerships
- Vehicle damage claim deductibles
- Business cards and branding
- Payroll processing costs
- Continuing training
- Card processing fees
- Phone plan for dispatch
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 valet parking company's year, kept every month.
Weekends fill up fast in spring and fall and go quiet in winter. Your team keeps you ahead of both the calendar and the return. 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, worker classification gets a look, and a monthly set-aside is planned before booking season floods your calendar.
- April
Filed and signed
Your return is filed and signed right as the spring booking rush hits, so tax season never competes with your busiest weekends.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand midyear, what you will owe, and whether this year's event count is on pace.
- October
Before the last fall weekends
The busiest fall dates are still ahead. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December and what the winter months need to cover.
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 valet parking companies. 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 valet parking company owners ask first.
Do cash tips count as income?
Yes. Tip income is tracked consistently in its own line, apart from event contract fees, so it does not go missing.
How is staffing pay tracked for different-sized events?
Each event's attendant pay is tied to that booking, so you can see if the staffing cost was worth what the event paid.
Are damage claims the same as our insurance premium?
No. Damage claim payouts are kept apart from your regular premium, so you can see how often claims are really costing you.
Are my valets employees or contractors?
Attendants who work shifts you assign and use your equipment usually look like employees. Gus flags it so the accountant can look at how you are set up.
My books are behind from a busy season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it. Most owners know where they stand within 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