Performance marketing & lead gen

Books and taxes for appointment setting agencies.

A retainer plus a bonus per qualified appointment, client holdbacks for no-shows, and setters paid hourly plus commission, some of them overseas. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
NovemberExample month
$8,400
what you made

November came in at $8,400. The three appointments Palmetto Software marked as no-shows got held back from your bonus, so the number reflects what actually landed, not what was booked.

  • Retainer, Palmetto SoftwareRetainers
  • Appointment bonus, confirmed showsPer-appointment bonus
  • Setter wages, hourly baseSetter payroll
  • Setter bonus, batch payoutSetter commissions
  • Apollo and dialer subscriptionSoftware
Money in$33,500
Money out$25,100
Set aside for taxes$2,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Appointment setting agency books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees a retainer and a payroll run. Your business pays a bonus per appointment that a client can hold back for a no-show, pays setters an hourly wage plus commission for the same booking, and often relies on setters working from another country entirely.

  1. 1

    No-show holdbacks and setter bonuses move on different clocks

    A client may hold back payment for an appointment that no-shows, but the setter who booked it was often already paid a bonus for the booking itself, so a no-show can cost the agency twice if the two are not tracked apart.

    What we doTracks client holdbacks and setter bonus payouts as separate events, so a no-show's real cost to the agency is visible instead of buried.
  2. 2

    Setter wages and commissions get lumped into one payroll line

    A setter paid hourly plus a bonus for each qualified appointment looks like plain payroll if the two are not split, which hides what booking appointments actually costs against what those appointments bring in.

    What we doKeeps setter base wages and per-appointment bonuses in separate lines, so labor cost against appointment volume is easy to read.
  3. 3

    A qualified appointment bonus gets booked before the client confirms it

    Clients often only pay full price once an appointment is confirmed as both shown and qualified, and booking the bonus the day it is scheduled instead of once confirmed can overstate a month that gets adjusted down later.

    What we doWaits to book an appointment bonus until the client confirms it counted, and flags any month that relied on an early estimate.
  4. 4

    Overseas setters get the wrong tax paperwork

    A setter working from the Philippines or Latin America does not get a 1099-NEC, and paying her through Deel or Wise the same way you pay a domestic setter leaves no record of why one was skipped.

    What we doFlags overseas setters separately from domestic ones, so the accountant can confirm the right form is on file for each.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an appointment setting agency.

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

  • RetainersMonthly fees for running a client's outbound calling and booking program.
  • Per-appointment bonusesPaid once a client confirms an appointment showed and was qualified.
  • Onboarding and script setup feesOne-time charges for building a client's calling script and target list.
  • Volume bonusesExtra pay for exceeding a client's monthly appointment target.

Money out

  • Setter payrollBase hourly or salary wages for in-house or contract setters.
  • Setter commissionsPer-appointment bonuses paid to setters, tracked apart from base pay.
  • Dialer and CRM softwareApollo, PhoneBurner, or similar tools used to run calling campaigns.
  • Data and list subscriptionsContact data used to build calling and outreach lists.
  • Contractor script writersFreelance help for scripts and objection handling.
  • Payment processing feesWhat a processor keeps before a payment lands.

What we watch for you

  • No-show rate

    What share of booked appointments a client holds back pay for, so pricing and screening can adjust.

  • Setter cost per appointment

    Wages plus commission against appointments actually confirmed, so pay structure keeps up with results.

  • Bonus collection lag

    How long a client takes to confirm an appointment before the bonus is real income.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked against confirmed appointment bonuses every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things appointment setting agency 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.

A client held back pay on three no-shows, but I already paid my setter bonuses for booking them. Where does that show up?

I keep the client holdback and the setter bonus as separate events, so you can see the real cost of those no-shows instead of it disappearing into one number.

My setter in Manila gets paid hourly plus a bonus per booking. Does she get a 1099?

Probably not a 1099-NEC, since she's not a US person. I flagged her file so the accountant can confirm the right paperwork, likely a W-8BEN.

A client hasn't confirmed if last week's appointments were qualified. Do I count that bonus yet?

Not yet. I hold a bonus out of income until the client actually confirms it, so nothing gets counted twice or walked back later.

The tax side

The tax side of an appointment setting agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and paperwork. A bonus booked before it's confirmed, setter pay blended into one line, and a contractor paid without the right form on file.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Setter classificationA setter who works your hours, uses your dialer, and follows your script is usually an employee, whatever the arrangement is called. Getting this wrong gets expensive.
  • Domestic contractor 1099sAny US-based setter or writer not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current all year.
  • Foreign settersA setter working outside the US usually does not get a 1099-NEC. A signed W-8BEN is generally the paperwork instead, and the accountant confirms exactly what applies.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when setter pay and client bonuses are booked at the right time all year.

Deductions appointment setting agencies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Apollo or PhoneBurner subscriptions
  • Contact data and list purchases
  • Contractor script writers
  • Home office or coworking desk
  • Laptop and headset
  • Payment processing fees
  • Business phone and internet
  • CRM software
  • Continuing education and courses
  • Industry conference travel

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 appointment setting agency year, kept every month.

B2B calendars slow down around the holidays more than they swing with weather. Your team keeps you ahead of both the calendar and taxes. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, your 1099 list for domestic setters is ready, and a monthly set-aside begins so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has tracked bonuses net of no-show holdbacks every month since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer calendars slowed appointment volume.

  4. October

    Before the year-end lull

    B2B calendars typically go quiet through the last few weeks of the year. Before that lull hits, Gus looks at what's worth buying or setting aside before year end.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 appointment setting agencies. 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 appointment setting agency owners ask first.

A client held back payment on a no-show appointment my setter already got a bonus for. How is that handled?

Gus keeps the client holdback and the setter bonus as separate line items, so you can see the true cost of a no-show instead of it getting lost in one blended number.

My setters get an hourly wage plus a bonus per qualified appointment. Does that need to be split?

Yes. Keeping base wages and commission apart shows you what booking appointments actually costs against what those appointments bring in, which plain payroll numbers hide.

Do I owe tax on an appointment bonus before the client confirms it counted?

No. Gus only books a bonus once the client confirms it, so an appointment that later gets disputed or marked unqualified does not leave an inflated number in a closed month.

Most of my setters work from outside the US. Does that change their paperwork?

Yes. A setter working outside the US usually needs a signed W-8BEN instead of a 1099-NEC. Gus flags who is overseas so the accountant can confirm what is on file.

Can Gus tell me if a client account is actually worth the setter hours it takes?

He can show setter wages and commissions against what that client pays in retainer and bonuses, so you can see your real margin on the account.

My books are behind since I brought on a second team of setters this year. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank and payroll statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside 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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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