Passenger transportation
Books and taxes for water taxi and ferry operators.
Ticket sales through FareHarbor, charter buyouts, dockage fees, and marine fuel that swings with every crossing. 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 $17,200. Peak season is running full schedules, and I logged the dry dock inspection as equipment upkeep, not a repair.
- FareHarbor payoutTicket sales
- Private charter, Hensley partyCharter buyouts
- Marina dockage feeDockage and slip fees
- Diesel, harbor fuel dockMarine fuel
- Deckhand payrollCrew wages
Why your books are different
A water taxi or ferry operator's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees ticket sales and fuel bills. Your business runs on vessels regulated by the Coast Guard, a captain's license that has to stay current, and a season that brings most of the year's traffic in a few busy months. When the books do not know that, the return misses what it should catch.
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1
Dry dock inspections get filed like routine repairs
A required haul-out for hull inspection and maintenance can cost thousands of dollars and easily gets lumped in with regular engine work, hiding a cost that should be planned for and possibly capitalized.
What we doKeeps required dry dock and inspection costs in their own line, separate from routine engine and deck maintenance. -
2
Charter buyouts and scheduled ticket sales blend together
A private group that buys out the whole boat pays very differently than the steady stream of individual ticket sales, and lumped together, you cannot tell which part of the business is actually driving revenue.
What we doKeeps charter buyouts and scheduled ticket sales in separate categories, so you can see what each brings in. -
3
Off-season costs disappear against a thin revenue month
Dockage, insurance, and loan payments on a vessel keep running through the winter even with a reduced schedule, and a quiet month can look like a loss instead of the normal off-season it is.
What we doKeeps fixed vessel costs visible through the slow season, so a quiet month reads as expected, not alarming. -
4
A vessel purchase gets buried with engine repairs
A used passenger vessel can cost as much as a building, and if it lands in the same category as routine engine work, the month looks extreme and the return misses a depreciation deduction it should get.
What we doLogs vessel purchases as equipment the month they show up and flags them for the accountant's call on how they get written off. -
5
A deckhand paid by the trip looks like a contractor
A deckhand who works your scheduled runs and follows your captain's direction is usually an employee even if paid a flat rate per trip instead of an hourly wage.
What we doFlags crew who work like employees regardless of how the pay is structured, and brings in the accountant before it becomes a pattern.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a water taxi or ferry operator.
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
- Ticket salesScheduled runs booked through FareHarbor or a similar ticketing system.
- Charter buyoutsPrivate groups that book the whole vessel for an event or crossing.
- Commuter and contract runsStanding arrangements to run a set schedule for a business or municipality.
- Freight and cargo feesWhere a vessel also carries goods alongside passengers.
Money out
- Crew wagesPayroll for captains and deckhands, kept apart from any subcontracted crew.
- Marine fuelDiesel or gas that swings with the number of crossings run each month.
- Vessel maintenanceEngine work, hull upkeep, and routine deck maintenance.
- Dry dock and inspectionsRequired haul-outs and Coast Guard inspections, kept apart from routine repairs.
- Dockage and slip feesMarina and terminal fees for keeping the vessel berthed.
- Vessel loans and leasesMonthly payments on the boat or ferry.
- Marine insuranceHull and liability coverage required to carry passengers.
- Ticketing software feesWhat FareHarbor or a similar system keeps from each ticket sold.
What we watch for you
- Cost per crossing
Fuel, dockage, and crew pay against ticket sales, so you know what a run actually costs.
- Occupancy rate
Passengers carried against seats available, so a quiet run gets noticed early.
- Off-season fixed costs
Dockage, insurance, and loan payments that keep running through the slow months.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked through the season, so April is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things water taxi and ferry 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 keep it separate. Dry dock and inspection costs are their own line, so you can see that cost clearly instead of it blending into routine upkeep.
Yes, for this business. I keep those fixed costs visible year-round, so a quiet season reads as expected, not a crisis.
I logged it as equipment, not a repair. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for vessels acquired after January 19, 2025, but the accountant makes the final call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a water taxi or ferry business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A dry dock cost filed like a repair, a vessel purchase buried in maintenance, and crew paid like contractors for work that looks like employment.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Vessels and depreciationA passenger vessel bought for the business can usually be depreciated, and bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for vessels acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Crew classificationA captain or deckhand who runs your scheduled trips is usually an employee, not a contractor, even if paid a flat rate per trip.
- Contractor 1099sA subcontracted captain or crew member you bring on for extra runs, if not on payroll and paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, which comes out right when vessel costs and crew pay are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions water taxi and ferry operators miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Marine fuel
- Dockage and slip fees
- Vessel maintenance parts
- Marine insurance
- Ticketing software fees
- Dry dock inspection costs
- Life jackets and safety gear
- Captain license renewal
- Radios and navigation equipment
- Deck and hull cleaning
- Crew uniforms
- Vessel documentation fees
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 water taxi and ferry year, kept every month.
Peak season brings most of the year's crossings, and your team stays on the books through the busy months and the quiet ones. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Chart the season ahead
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for any subcontracted crew is ready, and a monthly set-aside gets planned ahead of the season.
- April
Filed before the season
Your return is filed and signed just as spring schedules ramp up, with no surprise bill because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Peak season numbers
A look at how peak season is performing, what you will owe, and whether fuel costs are eating more of the margin than expected.
- October
Before the slow season
Schedules taper as the weather turns. Gus looks at dry dock timing and any vessel work 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 water taxi and ferry operators. 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 water taxi and ferry owners ask first.
Can Gus keep our required dry dock costs separate from routine repairs?
Yes. Dry dock and inspection costs get their own category, so you can see that cost clearly instead of it disappearing into general maintenance.
We sell tickets through FareHarbor. Do we need to change how we use it?
No. Keep selling the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and if a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Winter dockage and insurance bills keep coming with almost no revenue. Is that a problem for the books?
No. Gus keeps those fixed costs visible year-round, so the slow season reads as the normal part of the business it is.
Does a deckhand paid per trip count as a contractor?
Usually not. If they work your scheduled runs under your captain, they are usually an employee. Gus flags crew who look like employees and the accountant sorts out what it means.
Do I write off a new vessel all at once?
Often you can. Vessels bought for the business can usually be depreciated, and the accountant decides how much to take now based on your whole year.
Our books have not been kept since last season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send over whatever statements you have from the off-season. Gus sorts them out and most owners know exactly where the business stands before the next season starts.
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 passenger transportation
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Airport shuttle services
- Charter bus companies
- Pedicab companies
- Private jet charter brokers
- School bus contractors
- Senior & wheelchair transportation
- Wine tour & brewery tour shuttles
- Limousine & black car services
- Non-emergency medical transport (NEMT)
- Box truck businesses
- Car haulers
- Cold storage warehouses
- Customs brokers
- Expedited freight (sprinter vans)
- Final-mile delivery companies
- Freight forwarders
- Furniture delivery & white glove delivery
- Heavy haul & oversize transport
- Hot shot trucking
- Livestock haulers
- Local courier services
- Medical courier services
- Aerial applicators & crop dusters
- Aircraft detailing
- Aircraft maintenance shops (MRO)
- Aircraft sales brokers
- Boat detailing & bottom cleaning
- Boat repair & marine mechanics
- Boat shrink wrapping services
- Boat transport companies
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