Equipment & specialty rentals

Books and taxes for camera and film gear rental businesses.

ShareGrid and KitSplit bookings, bundled camera kits, insurance claims on lost or damaged gear, and fast-aging equipment. Gus keeps every piece of gear straight, 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
MarchExample month
$7,300
what you made

March came in at $7,300. A production kept a lighting kit two extra days, so I logged that late return fee apart from the original booking price.

  • ShareGrid payout, net of feeMarketplace bookings
  • KitSplit payout, net of feeMarketplace bookings
  • Late return fee collectedLate return fees
  • Camera body upgrade purchaseGear purchases
  • Gear floater insurance premiumEquipment insurance
Money in$23,400
Money out$16,100
Set aside for taxes$1,900
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Camera gear rental books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business rents out camera bodies, lenses, and lighting that lose value fast, bundles them into kits productions rent as one price, and carries real risk every time gear leaves the shelf. When the books miss that, you cannot tell which piece is earning its keep.

  1. 1

    ShareGrid and KitSplit take their cut before payout

    A booking through ShareGrid or KitSplit pays out less than the production was charged, because the marketplace keeps a cut before the payout lands. Booking only the deposit understates your real rental prices and hides what the marketplace takes.

    What we doBooks the full booking price as income and the marketplace's commission as its own cost, so your real rates and the real cost of the marketplace both show up.
  2. 2

    Bundled kits hide which piece of gear is earning its keep

    A camera body, two lenses, and a lighting kit rented together as one package makes for an easy booking, but if the whole kit lands as one line, you cannot see whether the lenses or the lighting are actually the part productions keep coming back for.

    What we doKeeps a note on kit versus single-item bookings so you can see which gear is driving demand over time.
  3. 3

    A camera body ages out faster than the books expect

    A camera body bought for six thousand dollars can be worth a fraction of that in two years as newer models come out, faster than most rental equipment loses value. Written off on a schedule built for sturdier gear, the loss in value never shows up until the piece is finally sold or retired.

    What we doFlags gear purchases as they happen and lets the accountant weigh in on a depreciation schedule that fits how fast camera technology actually moves.
  4. 4

    Insurance payouts for lost or damaged gear lag behind the loss

    A lens that gets damaged or a drone that goes missing on a shoot often takes weeks or months to get reimbursed by insurance, so the month the gear was lost can look far worse than the month the check actually arrives.

    What we doNotes which claims are still pending so a loss and its eventual reimbursement do not confuse two unrelated months.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a camera and film gear rental 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

  • Marketplace bookingsRentals booked through ShareGrid, KitSplit, or a similar marketplace.
  • Direct production bookingsRepeat production clients who book straight through you.
  • Kit rentalsCamera, lens, and lighting bundles rented as one package.
  • Late return feesCharges when a production keeps gear past the scheduled return.
  • Insurance reimbursementsPayouts for gear that was lost, stolen, or damaged on a shoot.

Money out

  • Gear purchasesNew camera bodies, lenses, drones, and lighting added to the inventory.
  • Equipment insuranceA floater policy covering high-value gear while it is out on rental.
  • Repairs and calibrationLens calibration, sensor cleaning, and drone repairs.
  • Marketplace commissionsWhat ShareGrid or KitSplit keeps from each booking.
  • Storage and casesClimate-controlled storage and protective cases for the inventory.
  • Listing and inventory softwareTools used to track availability and bookings.

What we watch for you

  • Marketplace commission cost

    What ShareGrid and KitSplit keep against what direct production bookings bring in.

  • Gear utilization by kit

    Which pieces of gear get booked most often. It helps decide what to buy next and what to retire.

  • Insurance claims outstanding

    What is owed back from a claim that has not paid yet, so a loss month is not mistaken for a bad one.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe in taxes, tracked booking by booking, so filing season is not a scramble.

Ask Gus

Things camera gear rental 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.

Why does a $900 booking only show $765 landing in the account?

KitSplit kept $135 as its fee. I booked the full $900 as your sale and the $135 as a marketplace cost, so your real rate still shows up right.

A production lost a lens on set and insurance is still processing the claim. What happens to my numbers this month?

I flag the claim as outstanding, so this month is not counted as a loss just because the reimbursement has not landed yet.

I upgraded my camera bodies again this year. Can that all come off my taxes?

Often it can, and camera gear tends to lose value faster than most equipment. I flag every purchase so the accountant picks a depreciation schedule that actually fits how fast this gear ages.

The tax side

The tax side of a camera and film gear rental business.

Most of what goes wrong here is a gear purchase written off on a schedule that does not match how fast camera technology loses value, and marketplace payouts booked at the net amount.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Depreciating fast-aging gearCamera bodies, lenses, and drones are usually depreciable equipment, but they often lose value faster than sturdier gear. Section 179 expensing and 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025 are often available, and the accountant decides the timing.
  • 1099-K from rental marketplacesShareGrid and KitSplit issue a 1099-K at $20,000 and 200 transactions in 2026, but every dollar of rental income is taxable whether or not a form arrives.
  • Insurance reimbursementsA payout for lost or damaged gear is generally not extra taxable income if it just replaces the value of what was lost. Gus tracks it separately so the accountant can confirm how it is treated.
  • Contractor 1099sA technician who calibrates lenses or repairs drones and is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.

Deductions camera and film gear rental businesses miss

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

  • Lens calibration and cleaning
  • Drone repairs
  • Camera body upgrades
  • Marketplace commissions
  • Equipment floater insurance
  • Protective cases and pelican boxes
  • Climate-controlled storage
  • Inventory tracking software
  • Memory cards and batteries
  • Delivery to productions
  • Card processing fees
  • Local production networking events

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 camera gear rental year, kept every month.

Productions book gear on their own schedule, not yours. Your taxes come on a fixed one. Your team keeps you ahead of both. 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 any subcontracted technicians is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so filing season is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and how the year's production season is shaping up.

  4. October

    Before gear upgrades

    Many productions wrap projects before the holidays. Gus looks at gear purchases and moves worth making before December.

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 camera and film gear rental businesses. 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 camera gear rental owners ask first.

Can Gus handle bookings from both ShareGrid and KitSplit?

Yes. Each marketplace's payouts are booked at the full price charged, with its commission tracked as its own cost, so you can compare what each one actually nets you.

My gear loses value faster than I expected. Does that change how it is written off?

It can. Camera bodies and lenses often age out faster than sturdier rental equipment, so Gus flags every purchase and the accountant picks a depreciation approach that fits how fast this gear actually loses value.

A lens went missing on a shoot and insurance is still processing it. How does that show up?

Gus flags the claim as outstanding so the month the gear was lost is not counted as a straight loss before the reimbursement has actually landed.

I rent camera kits as bundles. Does that make the books harder?

No. Gus keeps a note on kit versus single-item bookings, so over time you can see which pieces of gear are actually driving demand.

My books are behind because I only recently started tracking bookings across two marketplaces. Is that a problem?

No. Hand over the bank statements and whatever ShareGrid and KitSplit payout history you can pull. Gus works out the real booking prices from there, the accountant checks it, 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.

More in equipment & specialty rentals

We keep books for the business next door too.

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