Arts & music education
Books and taxes for acting studios.
Term tuition, an agent showcase night, guest coach honorariums, and a self-tape room you rent out between classes. 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
May came in at $10,000 once the guest coach's fee and this term's showcase costs were counted. I kept the agent showcase money separate from regular tuition, so you can see if the industry night paid for itself.
- Studio Director tuition draftTerm tuition
- Showcase participation feesShowcase revenue
- Self-tape booth rentalRoom rental income
- Guest coach honorariumGuest coach pay
- Backstage listing renewalMarketing
Why your books are different
Acting studio books go wrong in the same five places.
A generalist sees term tuition and a rent payment. Your studio runs a showcase for agents, brings in guest coaches for a single workshop, and rents its self-tape room out between classes. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which part of the studio is actually paying for itself.
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1
Showcase costs disappear into regular rent
A showcase night for agents and managers means a bigger venue, invitations, and sometimes food for industry guests, and when that cost lands in the same line as your regular classroom rent, you cannot tell whether the showcase is worth what it costs to run.
What we doKeeps showcase income and costs in their own line, so you can see whether the industry night paid for itself. -
2
One-day guest coach fees slip past the 1099 threshold unnoticed
A studio that brings in three or four working actors or casting directors for single-day workshops across the year can end up paying any one of them $2,000 or more without anyone tracking it, since each payment looks small on its own.
What we doKeeps a running total for every guest coach paid across the year, so the studio knows before January who is owed a 1099-NEC. -
3
Headshot referral fees get booked as full revenue
A studio that refers students to a local photographer for a package deal and takes a cut often deposits the whole payment, then pays most of it out to the photographer later. Booked as full income, it overstates what the studio actually earned from the referral.
What we doBooks only the studio's share of a referred headshot package as income, with the rest passed through and kept out of revenue. -
4
Self-tape room rentals blend into class tuition
Renting the self-tape booth to outside actors between classes brings in steady side income, but if it lands the same way as tuition, the studio loses track of whether the room is worth what it costs to keep equipped.
What we doKeeps room rental income in its own category, separate from tuition, so you can see what the space earns on its own. -
5
A term's tuition gets counted the day it's paid
Families and adult students pay for an eight-week term up front, and counted all in the first week, that week looks strong while the rest of the term looks like the studio is quiet.
What we doRecognizes term tuition across the weeks it covers, so the monthly number reflects the classes actually taught.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an acting studio.
Set up once for how your studio gets paid and what it spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Term tuitionEight-week scene study and on-camera term payments, recognized across the weeks they cover.
- Showcase revenueParticipation fees students pay to perform in front of invited agents and managers.
- Room rental incomeThe self-tape booth or rehearsal room rented to outside actors between classes.
- Headshot referral feesThe studio's cut of a package deal with a local photographer, kept apart from what gets passed through.
- Guest workshop feesOne-day masterclasses taught by a visiting industry professional, billed apart from term tuition.
Money out
- Guest coach payHonorariums for working actors, directors, or casting directors teaching a single workshop.
- Studio rentLease for classroom and rehearsal space.
- Showcase venue and outreachA bigger venue, invitations, and hosting costs for the agent showcase.
- Camera and lighting gearCameras, monitors, and lighting kits for on-camera classes and self-tape auditions.
- Casting site listingsBackstage and similar listing fees for posting classes and workshops.
- MarketingLocal ads and referral incentives before each new term.
- Payment processing feesWhat the processor keeps on card and autopay tuition drafts.
What we watch for you
- Active student count
The base your term tuition rests on. A steady count matters more than one strong term.
- Showcase net
Participation fees minus venue and outreach cost. It tells you if the showcase paid for itself.
- Guest coach cost
What visiting coaches cost against what their workshops bring in, tracked term by term.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things acting studio 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 a running total for each one across the year, so you will know before January whether any of them crossed $2,000 and needs a 1099-NEC.
Not a problem, just its own category. I keep showcase income separate so you can see whether the night is worth what it costs to run.
Only your share counts as your income. I book your cut as revenue and keep the rest that gets passed through out of your books.
The tax side
The tax side of an acting studio.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and who owes a form: term tuition counted too fast, a guest coach's small fees adding up past the 1099 line, and camera gear filed like a routine supply.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Employee or contractorA staff teacher on a set weekly schedule usually counts as an employee. A visiting coach brought in for a single workshop, paid a flat honorarium, usually counts as a contractor.
- Contractor 1099sAny guest coach or contractor paid $2,000 or more across the year who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps a running total for each one.
- Camera and lighting equipmentCameras, monitors, and lighting kits for on-camera classes can usually be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost studio owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions acting classes and studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Showcase venue rental
- Guest coach honorariums
- Camera and lighting gear
- Backstage listing fees
- Scene study scripts and sides
- Studio liability insurance
- Self-tape room equipment
- Continuing education for staff
- Marketing and local ads
- Payment processing fees
- Website hosting
- Classroom cleaning and upkeep
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
An acting studio year, kept every month.
Your terms run eight weeks and end with a scene or a showcase. Your taxes come on a schedule. 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, the winter term begins, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while the spring term builds toward its showcase. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring showcase and any guest workshops changed the number.
- October
Before the winter term
Before fall term enrollment and the next showcase cycle, Gus looks at camera or lighting gear 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 acting classes and studios. 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 acting studio owners ask first.
Do guest coaches who teach one workshop need a 1099?
If any single coach is paid $2,000 or more across the year and is not on payroll, yes, by January 31. Gus tracks a running total for each guest coach so nobody crosses that line unnoticed.
Does showcase income count differently than tuition for taxes?
It is taxable revenue either way, but Gus keeps it in its own line so you can see whether the showcase itself is worth its venue and outreach costs, separate from regular tuition.
We take a fee for referring students to a headshot photographer. How is that counted?
Only your referral fee counts as your income. Gus books your share as revenue and keeps the portion that gets passed through to the photographer out of your books.
Can we write off cameras and lighting for our on-camera classes?
Usually, yes, in the year you buy them. Gus logs camera and lighting gear as equipment and the accountant confirms how to write it off.
Our self-tape room brings in rental income from outside actors. Does that count as tuition?
No, it is kept in its own category. That way you can see what the room earns on its own, apart from what classes bring in.
Our records are a term behind. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts a term's worth of tuition, showcase costs, and guest coach pay, and most studio owners know where they stand within 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