This page is written by Flash, which makes one of the tools described here.
Flash is the CFO layer for compute operators: Bitcoin miners and GPU hosting businesses, side by side. This is a worked example of one month-end close for a Vast.ai host, not a competitor comparison and not a forecast.
Illustrative only. Every dollar figure below is an invented example, chosen so the arithmetic is easy to follow. These are not current Vast.ai rental rates, marketplace fees, a customer result or a forecast. Use your own records.
Related: Vast.ai host accounting software, Flash for GPU operators, and the Vast.ai connection.
What has to stay distinct in the close
Keep three facts apart:
- Earnings, including what the platform kept in fees, reviewed by machine.
- Payouts that have actually arrived, confirmed when the money arrives.
- Profit by site and machine group, after site costs and book depreciation.
The live GPU page states the same split. Manage Vast.ai earnings, fees and payouts by machine. A payout marked sent by the platform may still be on its way. See what the machines earned, what the platform kept in fees, and which payouts have actually arrived. Payouts are checked separately from earnings, so the same income is not counted twice. Missing records stay visible for review.
Vast.ai early access is open to any host. Connect today. Any Vast.ai host can connect today in early access. Add your read-only key to bring in machine inventory, earnings, platform fees and payouts. Review earnings and fees by machine, and confirm each payout when the money arrives. If you import or enter a receipt, review the suggested match by reference and amount.
This page does not claim that Flash splits one payout across machines. For a host-run register, see how to track Vast.ai payouts per machine and per site. For tying a reported payout to a receipt, see how Vast.ai host payouts work, and how to match them.
The illustrative month
One connected Vast.ai host account, two sites, one calendar month:
- Site A, machine group "rack-east"
- Site B, machine group "rack-west"
Power, cooling, hosting and network costs, plus book depreciation from the hardware register, are already allocated in the site columns. That allocation is part of the example, not a recommended formula.
Worked month table (example figures only)
Invented example only. Not a rental rate, not a current Vast.ai fee, not a customer result and not a forecast. The platform-fee amounts are here so you can see the "compute earnings after platform fees" line. Use the platform fees your own records show for the month.
| Line | Site A (rack-east) | Site B (rack-west) | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings | $5,200 | $2,600 | $7,800 |
| Platform fees | $200 | $100 | $300 |
| Compute earnings after platform fees | $5,000 | $2,500 | $7,500 |
| Power, cooling, hosting and network | $1,400 | $900 | $2,300 |
| Book depreciation | $800 | $400 | $1,200 |
| Profit by site and machine group | $2,800 | $1,200 | $4,000 |
Cash, kept on a separate list:
| Payout status | Amount |
|---|---|
| Payouts confirmed when the money arrived (date and reference recorded) | $6,900 |
| Payouts marked sent that are still on their way | $850 |
The $6,900 and $850 cash figures are not a substitute for the $7,500 compute earnings after platform fees, and they do not need to add up to that line. A real month can include cash from an earlier period, or earnings not yet paid. Do not replace the earnings record with $6,900, and do not count the arrived amount as a second $6,900 of income. Agree recognition with your accountant. This example does not assume Flash splits one Vast.ai payout across sites or machines.
Walk the month, line by line
1. Review earnings and fees by machine
Start with what the machines earned and what the platform kept in fees. The live GPU page labels the first economics line Compute earnings after platform fees. Income earned on the platform, before site costs.
In the example, combined earnings are $7,800, platform fees are $300, and compute earnings after platform fees are $7,500. Roll those figures up to each site and machine group, so a strong month in rack-east does not hide a weak month in rack-west. For a per-GPU formula you run yourself, see GPU hosting profitability per GPU.
2. Confirm each payout when the money arrives
Confirm each payout when the money arrives, with the date and reference. A payout marked sent may still be on its way. In the example, $6,900 has been confirmed and $850 has not yet arrived. Keep both visible. Missing records stay visible for review.
If you import or enter a receipt, review the suggested match by reference and amount. It stays a suggestion until you confirm it. The invoice timeline and manual match steps live on the payout matching guide and are not repeated here.
3. Bring in site and operating costs
Subtract the costs you record for the month: power, cooling, hosting and network. In the example those costs are $1,400 at Site A and $900 at Site B, or $2,300 combined.
If vendor bills already sit in QuickBooks, the live GPU page describes bringing mapped QuickBooks costs into the close for review. When ASIC miners and GPU servers share a site, use the same rule. Record a shared bill once, then split it between mining and GPU activity. Company overhead stays separate.
4. Include book depreciation
Cash in the account can hide the cost of the GPUs that earned it. Keep depreciation in the monthly picture. In the example, book depreciation is $800 at Site A and $400 at Site B, or $1,200 combined. Record the GPU equipment cost, in-service date and useful life in the fleet register. Cards stay components, so they do not become extra billed machines.
The schedule and journal entries are on GPU server depreciation. Choose the useful life and accounting treatment with your accountant. Flash includes scheduled book depreciation in the monthly close and prepares journal entries for QuickBooks.
5. Read profit by site and machine group
The live GPU page states the result as compute earnings after platform fees, minus power, cooling and hosting, minus hardware depreciation, equals profit you can explain by site and machine group.
In the example, $7,500 minus $2,300 minus $1,200 is $4,000 combined: $2,800 for rack-east and $1,200 for rack-west. Review that month and, once you are satisfied, lock it. Later corrections are recorded, so the version you shared stays intact.
6. Hand the reviewed month to QuickBooks
QuickBooks remains the general ledger in this walkthrough. Bring mapped QuickBooks costs into the close for review. Review the month and lock it, then sync the reviewed entries to QuickBooks in one click. Connect QuickBooks, review and lock the month, then sync the reviewed entries in one click. Closing the month is free; choose a plan for QuickBooks export, accounting files or a lender pack.
Share a pack your lender can check, with every figure labelled by source, or give your accountant read-only access.
This page does not add QuickBooks features beyond that live description. For the wider software choice, see best accounting software for a GPU hosting business.
Tax records (general information)
GPU rental income is generally taxable in the US whether or not a form arrives. Keep the month's records of earnings, platform fees, payouts, arrived amounts, site costs, in-service dates and depreciation. Details: GPU rental income and taxes. This is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice.
Questions
What is a Vast.ai host monthly close?
A month-end review that keeps earnings and platform fees, arrived payouts, site costs and book depreciation in one place, then shows profit by site and machine group. Once reviewed, the month can be locked and the entries synced to QuickBooks. Flash is one option for that close. Vast.ai remains the marketplace source, not the general ledger.
Are earnings the same as arrived payouts?
No. Earnings are what the machines earned on the platform, after you account for platform fees where they apply. A payout marked sent may still be on its way. Confirm each payout when the money arrives. Payouts are checked separately from earnings, so the same income is not counted twice.
Does Flash split one Vast.ai payout across machines?
No. This page does not claim that Flash splits one payout across machines. You can review earnings and fees by machine, and you can see profit by site and machine group. Those are not the same as splitting a single marketplace payout across sites or machines.
How does Flash connect to Vast.ai?
The Vast.ai connection is in early access, and any host can connect today. Add a read-only key to bring in machine inventory, earnings, platform fees and payouts. Review earnings and fees by machine, and confirm each payout when the money arrives. If you import or enter a receipt, review the suggested match by reference and amount.
How does the QuickBooks handoff work at month end?
Connect QuickBooks, bring mapped QuickBooks costs into the close for review, review and lock the month, then sync the reviewed entries in one click. Closing the month is free. Choose a plan for QuickBooks export, accounting files or a lender pack.
Why include depreciation if it never appears in a payout?
Cash can look fine while the hardware that earned it is being used up. The live GPU page keeps scheduled book depreciation in the monthly picture, so profit by site and machine group includes that cost. Set the useful life with your accountant. See GPU server depreciation.
Are the figures in the table real host results?
No. Every figure is an invented example for one illustrative month. It is not a rental rate, a current Vast.ai fee, a customer result or a forecast.
Get started
Vast.ai early access is open to any host. Connect today. Review earnings and fees by machine, confirm each payout when the money arrives, and close the month with profit by site and machine group, then sync reviewed entries to QuickBooks.
Related: Flash for GPU operators · Vast.ai host accounting software · Vast.ai connection · How Vast.ai host payouts work · Track payouts per machine · GPU hosting profitability per GPU · GPU server depreciation
Sources
All checked 10 November 2026 (Europe/Warsaw).
- Flash for GPU operators
- Flash Vast.ai connection
- Vast.ai host accounting software
- How Vast.ai host payouts work, and how to match them
- How to track Vast.ai payouts per machine and per site
- GPU hosting profitability per GPU
- GPU server depreciation
- GPU rental income and taxes
- Best accounting software for a GPU hosting business