Dealer accounting lives or dies on per-unit costing. A vehicle carries an acquisition cost, reconditioning, transport, and accruing floor plan interest, and if those are not attached to the unit then front-end gross is a guess and aged inventory is invisible. Add fees collected at delivery that belong to the state rather than the dealership, and finance and insurance income that arrives as a chargeback-prone reserve, and a single sale touches four different accounting treatments.
Costed per unit
Recon, transport, and floor plan interest attached to the vehicle.
Front and back gross
Reported separately on every deal, as they should be.
Fees as liabilities
State collections held, never counted as income.
Floor plan ties
Payoff reconciled to units sold, every month.
What we handle
- Per-unit inventory costing including reconditioning, transport, and floor plan interest
- Front-end and back-end gross reported separately for every deal
- Title, registration, and fee collections held as liabilities rather than counted as income
- Finance and insurance reserve income tracked with chargebacks accrued against it
- Floor plan payoff reconciled to units sold, so the lender balance always ties
Common problems we fix
- Reconditioning expensed to the shop instead of costed to the unit that carried it
- State fee collections recorded as revenue, overstating income and the tax on it
- F&I reserve taken to income in full with no allowance for chargebacks
- Aged units with no visible carrying cost, so nobody knows what holding them costs
Why your state matters here
Bookkeeping for auto, powersports and marine dealers is not the same in every state. Sales tax rates and what is taxable, registration and licensing, payroll rules, and filing cadence all vary — and for this industry those differences change real work, not just a number on a form. Pick your state below for specifics.
We keep the books. You run the business.
Categorization, reconciliation, month-end close, and clean financial statements — with nothing left for you to chase.
View pricingHow It Works
Free review
We look at how your auto, powersports and marine dealers books are set up today.
Fix the structure
Chart of accounts rebuilt around how your industry actually earns and spends.
Catch up
Anything behind gets cleaned up at a fixed quoted price.
Close monthly
Current, reconciled books every month — ready for your CPA.
Auto, Powersports & Marine Dealers Bookkeeping by State
Sales tax nexus and taxability, licensing, payroll rules, and filing cadence differ by state. Pick yours for a state-specific guide.
Auto, Powersports & Marine Dealers — Frequently Asked Questions
Do you understand auto, powersports and marine dealers specifically?
+
Do you work in my existing accounting file?
+
Can you help if I am months behind?
+
Related
Bookkeeping built for auto, powersports and marine dealers
Book a free consultation and we will tell you what your books need — and what it costs.
- Done-for-you
- Solo or group
- Nationwide
Book Online
Share your details and preferred availability.