Creative & production services
Books and taxes for billboard advertising companies.
A landowner lease payment, a vinyl wrap printed for a new campaign, an installation crew paid by the job, and a digital board's electric bill. 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 $13,300. Two boards changed advertisers this month, so the vinyl printing and install crew costs for the swap stayed tied to those specific boards instead of blending into general upkeep.
- Ad space rental, 8 boardsAd space rental income
- Landowner lease paymentLand lease payments
- Vinyl wrap printingVinyl and print production
- Install crew, board swapInstallation crews
- Digital board electricDigital board power and maintenance
Why your books are different
Billboard company books go wrong at the board swap and the land lease.
A generalist sees ad rental income and a maintenance bill. Your business pays landowners to lease the ground under a board, prints and installs new vinyl every time an advertiser changes, and runs digital boards that carry a real power bill. When the books do not track those, you cannot tell which boards actually earn their keep.
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1
A land lease payment looks like routine rent
Payments to landowners for the ground under each board are a fixed cost tied to a specific structure, and if they land in a general rent category, you cannot see what each board's location actually costs you to hold.
What we doKeeps land lease payments in their own line, tracked per board, so you can see the true cost of each location. -
2
A vinyl swap gets buried in general maintenance
Printing and installing new vinyl every time an advertiser changes is a real, recurring cost tied to a specific board and campaign, not routine upkeep, and mixed together it hides how often a board is turning over.
What we doKeeps vinyl and print production costs tied to the board and swap that caused them, so turnover cost is visible. -
3
Install crews paid by the job look like payroll
Crews hired per installation, rather than kept on staff full time, are contractors, and if they get lumped in with payroll, both the labor cost and the 1099 picture get distorted.
What we doKeeps installation crew payments in their own line and tracks what you have paid each contractor toward the 1099 threshold. -
4
Digital board electricity gets mixed with static board costs
A digital board carries a real ongoing power bill that a static vinyl board does not, and if both types of boards share one maintenance category, you cannot compare what each kind actually costs to run.
What we doKeeps digital board power and maintenance separate from static board costs so you can compare true cost per board type. -
5
Permit and structural inspection costs get missed
Local permits and required structural inspections run on their own renewal schedule, separate from routine expenses, and a missed renewal can put a board out of service.
What we doKeeps permit and inspection costs in their own category so renewals do not get lost in the noise.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a billboard company.
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
- Ad space rental incomeWhat advertisers pay to run creative on a board, static or digital.
- Design and production feesVinyl or digital creative design billed apart from rental.
- Rush feesCharged when a campaign needs a faster install turnaround.
- Multi-board package dealsBundled rentals across several boards, billed as one contract.
Money out
- Land lease paymentsPayments to landowners for the ground under each board.
- Vinyl and print productionPrinting costs tied to a specific board's creative change.
- Installation crewsContractors paid per job to install or swap board creative.
- Digital board power and maintenanceElectricity and upkeep specific to digital displays.
- Permits and inspectionsLocal permitting and structural inspection costs per board.
What we watch for you
- Board margin
What each board brings in against its lease, vinyl, and install costs.
- Turnover rate
How often a board changes advertisers, since more turnover means more vinyl and install cost.
- Digital versus static cost
What each board type actually costs to run, worth knowing before adding a new digital board.
- The set-aside
What you will owe across board rental income, tracked every month so April holds no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things billboard company 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.
No, I keep vinyl printing and install costs tied to the specific board and swap, so turnover shows up clearly instead of looking like a random spike.
Yes, digital board power and maintenance stays in its own category, separate from static board costs, so you can compare what each type actually costs you.
If they are not on your payroll and you paid them $2,000 or more in 2026, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31. I have been tracking their payments as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a billboard company.
Most of what goes wrong here is land leases and vinyl swaps mixed into general overhead.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099s for install crewsAny crew member not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the running list all year.
- Depreciation on board structuresBoard structures and digital displays are business equipment and can usually be depreciated, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated billboard companies can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when the books are right all year.
- Local permitting rulesPermit and structural inspection requirements are set locally and vary by jurisdiction, so it is worth confirming what applies to each board's location.
Deductions billboard and out-of-home advertising companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Land lease payments
- Vinyl and print production
- Installation crew fees
- Digital board electricity
- Structural repairs and maintenance
- Permits and inspection fees
- Insurance for structures and liability
- Vehicle and equipment for install crews
- Design software licenses
- Continuing education courses
- Accounting and legal fees
- Business association dues
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
A billboard company's year, kept every month.
Advertiser turnover and permit renewals run on their own schedules. Your books stay current no matter the timing, and the return follows. 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 install crew 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed as spring board turnover picks up. The set-aside covered it since January, so the bill is not a surprise.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how board turnover has moved since January.
- October
Before year end
Gus looks at board upgrades or repairs worth making before December and flags any permit renewals coming up.
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 billboard and out-of-home advertising companies. 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 billboard company owners ask first.
My land lease payments go to a lot of different property owners. Is that hard to track?
No, Gus keeps lease payments tied to each board, so you can see the true cost of every location no matter how many different owners you pay.
A board sat empty between advertisers this month. Does that show up in the books?
Yes, Gus tracks ad space income per board, so a gap between advertisers is visible instead of hidden inside your total rental income.
My install crew is paid differently depending on the job. Does that complicate the 1099?
No, Gus tracks each contractor's total payments across the year no matter how the rate varies job to job.
Digital boards cost more to maintain than I expected. Can Gus help me see that?
Yes. Digital board power and maintenance is kept separate from static board costs, so you can compare what each type really costs to run.
My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements and lease records you have. Gus sorts board income from land leases and vinyl costs 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