Accounting and tax for Santa Cruz restaurants, hotels and other hospitality businesses

Sound familiar?

• Sales arrive from several systems.

  Point-of-sale, card processors, booking platforms and delivery apps all report differently. Monthly reconciliation brings them into one set of books you can trust.

• Busy seasons and quiet ones.

  When revenue swings through the year, current financial statements show how each month actually performed and help you plan for the slower stretch.

• Margins that are hard to see.

  Food, labor, supplies and occupancy costs move fast. Regular reporting shows where the money goes while you can still act on it.

• Bars and liquor sales

  Liquor inventory and pour cost are the figures that show what the drinks a bar pours cost against what they sell for.

Your situation isn’t on this list? Tell us about it — every engagement starts with a conversation.

How we help.

• Monthly accounting

  Current books and financial statements.

• Business and owner returns

  Prepared together.

Services and starting prices.

• 01

  Monthly Accounting

  From $400/mo

  Transaction categorization, account reconciliations, financial statements and regular accounting support.

• 02

  Accounting + Tax + Planning

  From $900/mo

  Monthly accounting and reporting, business and owner tax returns, proactive tax planning and year-round CPA access.

  Founding Client Rate: $825/month for your first 12 months when you engage by March 31, 2027. Terms

Starting prices. Your scope and price are agreed in writing before work begins.

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Santa Cruz at a glance

• 237

  restaurants with paid employees in the ZIP codes 95060, 95062 and 95064 that serve Santa Cruz

  Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023

• 13.8

  hotels per 10,000 tax returns filed in its ZIP codes

  Source: derived by Tucker from Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 and IRS Statistics of Income ZIP code data, tax year 2022

• 62.7

  restaurants per 10,000 tax returns filed in its ZIP codes

  Source: derived by Tucker from Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 and IRS Statistics of Income ZIP code data, tax year 2022

Tax offices for Santa Cruz hospitality businesses

• City of Santa Cruz Finance Department, Revenue Division

  City business tax and licenses.

  1200 Pacific Avenue, Suite 290, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

  Phone 831-420-5070

  Official website

• Santa Cruz County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector (Treasury-Tax Collector)

  County property tax collection.

  701 Ocean Street, Rm. 150, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

  Phone (831) 454-2510

  Official website

• California Franchise Tax Board (income tax)

  State tax and revenue agency.

  Phone 800-852-5711

  Official website

• IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center - San Jose

  Federal tax help in person.

  55 S. Market St., Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95113

  Phone (669) 229-1506

  Official website

In Santa Cruz County, California, the contact for property tax is Santa Cruz County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector (Treasury-Tax Collector), which collects property tax. For local taxes in the city, the office is City of Santa Cruz Finance Department, Revenue Division.

California Franchise Tax Board (income tax) covers the state level, and IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center - San Jose covers the federal level.

Santa Cruz works out to 62.7 restaurants and 13.8 hotels per 10,000 tax returns filed in its ZIP codes, Tucker CPA's estimate from Census business counts and IRS return counts.

Brent Tucker, CPA, reconciles lodging payouts from booking channels with restaurant sales and prepares business and owner returns.

Source: each office's official website, checked October 16, 2026.