Pet health
Books and taxes for veterinary dental specialists.
Referral-only cases, dental radiograph and CBCT imaging, anesthesia on every procedure, and a final bill that grows once the mouth is actually open. 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
October came in at $16,700. The new dental CBCT unit is in there, so I logged it as equipment, not supplies.
- Cornerstone daily depositProcedure fees
- Client payment, referred caseReferral cases
- Patterson Veterinary invoiceAnesthesia and dental supplies
- CareCredit payoutFinanced procedures
- AVDC certification renewalCertifications and training
Why your books are different
A dental referral practice's books go wrong in places a general clinic never sees.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Every one of your patients arrives as a referral, every procedure needs full anesthesia, and the final bill often grows once extractions are found that were not on the original estimate. When the books do not know that, the real cost of a procedure gets lost.
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1
An estimate is not the final bill
A referring vet sends a case in for a suspected extraction or two, but once the patient is under anesthesia and imaging is done, the count often changes, and the final invoice can run well past the original estimate.
What we doTracks the deposit against the estimate and the final balance once the procedure is done, so the revenue reflects what was actually performed, not just what was quoted. -
2
Anesthesia and OR time are the real cost driver
Unlike a routine exam, every single procedure here requires full anesthesia and dedicated OR time, and if that cost is lumped into general supplies, it hides what actually drives your cost per case.
What we doKeeps anesthesia and dental supply costs in their own line, apart from general pharmacy stock, so the real cost per procedure stays visible. -
3
Imaging equipment is a major capital cost, not a supply run
A dental radiograph unit and a CBCT scanner for advanced imaging can cost more than most equipment a general practice ever buys, and filed as supplies, that purchase wrecks the month and muddles the deduction.
What we doCatches imaging equipment purchases the day they clear, books them as equipment rather than a supply cost, and leaves the deduction amount to the accountant. -
4
Referral relationships get lost without their own line
Since every case comes from another practice, it is easy to treat referral income like ordinary client revenue, which hides which referring practices are actually filling your schedule.
What we doTracks referral-sourced cases as their own line, so you can see which relationships are carrying the caseload.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a veterinary dental referral practice.
An estimate and a final bill are two different numbers here, so Gus tracks them as two different things.
Money in
- Procedure feesDental procedure charges, billed after the case is complete.
- Referral casesEvery case arrives through a referring general practice, tracked by relationship.
- Imaging feesDental radiograph and CBCT charges billed on their own.
- Financed proceduresThe final procedure balance, with CareCredit's cut booked separately as a fee.
Money out
- Doctor and staff payWages for the specialist and dental-trained technicians.
- Anesthesia and dental suppliesAnesthesia drugs, extraction instruments, and dental materials from Patterson Veterinary.
- Outside lab feesPathology on extracted material sent to an outside lab.
- EquipmentDental radiograph units and CBCT scanners, logged so they get written off right.
- Facility and utilitiesRent or mortgage, power, and water for the surgical suite.
- Certifications and trainingBoard certification and continuing education for dental specialty practice.
- Financing and card feesThe cut CareCredit or the card reader took on financed and card-paid procedures.
What we watch for you
- Estimate-to-final variance
How final bills compare to original estimates, so pricing stays realistic case to case.
- Anesthesia cost per case
Anesthesia and dental supply cost against procedure revenue, the real driver of your margin.
- Referral case share
How much of your caseload comes from each referring practice.
- The set-aside
The tax reserve, recalculated once final bills replace their original estimates.
Ask Gus
Things dental referral practice 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.
I track the original deposit against the estimate and the final balance once the procedure wraps, so the extra work shows up as the extra revenue it actually was.
I keep referral cases tracked by relationship, so I can show you that breakdown any month you want it.
Usually a lot of it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a veterinary dental referral practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Estimates counted as revenue too early, equipment filed as supplies, 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.
- Equipment write-offsA dental radiograph unit or a CBCT scanner can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA relief specialist or an IT contractor paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Self-employment taxAn owner-specialist not paid through payroll owes 15.3 percent of profit toward Social Security and Medicare, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- The pass-through deductionFinal bills, not original estimates, are what count as revenue, and most owner-specialists can deduct up to 20 percent of the resulting profit before it is taxed.
Deductions veterinary dental specialists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Anesthesia and dental supplies
- Extraction instruments
- Reference lab fees
- Board certification and continuing education
- Malpractice insurance
- Equipment lease payments
- Practice software subscriptions
- Marketing and website costs
- Card and financing fees
- Scrubs and clinical uniforms
- State license renewal
- Association and society dues
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 dental referral practice's year, kept every month.
Referral volume moves on its 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, any relief specialist's 1099 is listed, and a monthly set-aside begins based on final bills, not original estimates.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return goes in filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering it since January, no scramble over a heavy month of extractions.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether estimates have been running close to final bills.
- October
Before the holiday case backlog
Before referring practices send their year-end backlog of cases, Gus looks at equipment worth buying 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 veterinary dental specialists. 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 dental referral practice owners ask first.
How does Gus handle a final bill that grows past the original estimate?
He tracks the initial deposit against the estimate and the final balance once the procedure is complete, so the extra work shows up as the extra revenue it actually was, not lost in a single flat number.
Can Gus show us which referring practices send us the most cases?
Yes. Referral-sourced cases are tracked as their own line, so you can see which relationships are actually filling your schedule.
Does anesthesia cost get tracked differently than at a general clinic?
Yes. Since every procedure here needs full anesthesia, Gus keeps anesthesia and dental supply costs in their own line, apart from general pharmacy stock, so the real cost per case stays visible.
Do we write off imaging equipment all at once?
In most cases, at least a large share of it. A CBCT scanner or dental radiograph unit can usually be deducted the year you buy it, though the accountant may spread part of it out depending on your year.
Does board certification count as a deductible expense?
Board certification and its continuing education requirements are usually deductible. Gus keeps those renewal costs in their own line so the accountant can confirm they apply to your practice.
Our books have never separated referral cases from general revenue. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts out referral-sourced cases going forward, and most owners 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.
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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