Wedding & event vendors

Books and taxes for bridal hair and makeup artists.

Trial fees months before the wedding, an assistant team paid out of one bridal party fee, product restocks, and mileage to venues. 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
JuneExample month
$5,500
what you made

June came in at $5,500. The eight-person Delgado bridal party needed two assistants, so I kept their payouts apart from your own take.

  • June 7 wedding party balanceWedding day fees
  • Trial session feeTrial fees
  • Assistant artist payoutTeam payouts
  • Makeup kit restockProduct and kit supplies
  • Travel mileage reimbursementTravel
Money in$14,000
Money out$8,500
Set aside for taxes$1,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A bridal hair and makeup artist's books go wrong in the same handful of places.

A generalist sees deposits and receipts. Your business is a lead artist plus a team paid out of one fee, a trial session that happens months before the actual wedding day, and product restocks that show up in one big order. When the books do not know that, the number they hand you is wrong.

  1. 1

    Team payouts blend into your own pay

    A bridal party of eight needs a lead artist plus two assistants, and if the full fee gets counted as your income before the assistants are paid, your real take-home looks bigger than it is.

    What we doKeeps assistant artist payouts in their own line, apart from your own pay.
  2. 2

    Trial fees look interchangeable with wedding day fees

    A trial session months before the wedding and the wedding day itself are really two different services, and lumped together, you cannot tell if trials are priced to cover the time they take.

    What we doKeeps trial fees in their own line, apart from wedding day service fees.
  3. 3

    Product restocks wreck the month

    Foundation, brushes, and sanitation supplies get bought in bulk periodically, and one big restock order can make an otherwise normal month look like it cost far more than usual.

    What we doFlags larger product stock-ups, so a restock does not distort a single month.
  4. 4

    Travel fees get buried in general costs

    Driving to a venue an hour away for an early call time has real mileage and time cost, and if travel is not tracked apart from your service fee, you cannot tell whether your travel fee actually covers it.

    What we doKeeps travel costs in their own line, so pricing reflects the real distance.
  5. 5

    The deposit is not spending money yet

    A bride books a wedding a year out and pays a deposit, and if it is treated like this month's earned income, the books overstate what has actually been worked.

    What we doFlags booked deposits for weddings not yet worked, so you always know how much of the balance is spoken for.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a bridal hair and makeup business.

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

  • Wedding day service feesThe full fee for hair and makeup on the wedding day itself.
  • Trial session feesBilled apart from the wedding day, often months earlier.
  • Booking depositsHeld when a bride signs, often a year out.
  • Bridal party add-onsExtra faces, hair only, or makeup only bookings.
  • Touch-up kit salesSmall retail sales for touch-up products.

Money out

  • Assistant artist payoutsTeam members brought on for larger bridal parties.
  • Product and kit suppliesFoundation, brushes, and sanitation restocks.
  • Travel and mileageGetting to the bride's home or venue.
  • InsuranceLiability coverage for on-site work.
  • Continuing educationCertification courses and technique workshops.
  • MarketingPortfolio website, Instagram ads, and bridal shows.
  • Sanitation suppliesDisposable tools and cleaning products between clients.

What we watch for you

  • Booked deposits on hand

    How much of the balance belongs to weddings not yet worked, so it is never mistaken for spare cash.

  • Team payout share

    What goes to assistants against what you keep, so your real take-home is clear.

  • Cost per bridal party

    Team pay and product use against what each booking actually billed.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things bridal hair and makeup artists 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.

An eight-person bridal party needed two assistants. How does their pay get tracked?

Kept apart from your own pay, so your real take-home is what is left after the team is paid, not the full fee.

I charge a separate trial fee months before the wedding. Does that count the same as the wedding day fee?

No, I keep trials in their own line so you can see if they are priced to actually cover your time.

I restocked my kit with new foundation shades and brushes. Why does this month look expensive?

That is a bigger one-time buy. I flag stock-ups so a restock does not make the month look worse than it is.

The tax side

The tax side of a bridal hair and makeup business.

Most of what goes wrong here is a team fee that has to be split and a kit that gets restocked in big batches.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Assistant artist 1099sAnyone not on payroll you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, like an assistant artist, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
  • Product and kit suppliesFoundation, brushes, and sanitation supplies are usually deducted as ordinary business expenses. Bigger purchases, like a ring light or a styling chair, may be handled differently, and the accountant sorts out which.
  • Mileage for travel to venuesBusiness mileage driven to a bride's home or a venue is usually deductible at 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile after that.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions bridal hair and makeup artists miss

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

  • Assistant artist payouts
  • Makeup and hair product restocks
  • Sanitation and hygiene supplies
  • Mileage to venues
  • Liability insurance
  • Continuing education courses
  • Portfolio website and hosting
  • Instagram and social ads
  • Bridal show booth fees
  • Styling tools and equipment
  • Kit bags and organization
  • Card processing fees

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 bridal hair and makeup artist's year, kept every month.

Trials happen year-round but wedding day bookings pile up in spring and fall. Gus keeps the return on its own schedule. 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, the 1099 list for assistant artists is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned before trial season floods your calendar.

  2. April

    Filed and signed

    Your return is filed and signed before spring wedding season ramps up, so tax season never competes with your busiest weekends.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand midyear, what you will owe, and whether this year's bookings changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the fall push

    Fall weddings are still coming. Gus looks at a kit restock worth doing before December and what the winter months need to cover.

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 bridal hair and makeup artists. 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 bridal hair and makeup artists ask first.

Can Gus track pay for the assistants I bring on big bridal parties?

Yes. Each assistant's payout is kept in its own line, so your real take-home is clear after the team is paid.

Do trial fees count the same as wedding day fees?

No. They are kept in their own line so you can see if trials are priced to actually cover your time.

I restocked my kit before wedding season. Why does that month look expensive?

It gets flagged as a larger one-time buy, so the restock does not make that month look worse than it is.

Is mileage to a venue deductible?

Usually, yes. Business mileage is deductible at the current federal rate, and Gus keeps a record from your bank activity and any mileage you log.

My books are behind from a busy wedding season. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it. Most artists 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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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