Music, art & performing arts businesses
Books and taxes for casting agencies.
A per-project casting fee from a production company, session fees that pass straight through to background actors, a subscription to the casting database, and audition space rented by the day. 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
April came in at $6,800. The Meridian ad campaign paid our full casting fee, and I kept the background actors' session pay separate since that money was never really ours.
- Meridian campaign, casting feeCasting service fees
- Actors Access renewalCasting database subscriptions
- Session pay, background talentTalent session pay pass-through
- Audition studio rentalAudition space rental
- Casting director payStaff and casting director pay
Why your books are different
Casting agency books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a production company's payment and books the whole thing as revenue. Much of what runs through a casting agency is session pay owed to actors, not the agency's own earnings. When the books do not separate that, the agency looks like it makes far more than its actual casting fee.
-
1
Session pay for talent gets counted as agency revenue
A production pays $8,000 that includes $6,500 in session fees owed to background actors and only $1,500 for the agency's casting work. Booked as $8,000 of income, the agency looks far bigger than it is.
What we doBooks the casting fee kept as agency revenue and the session pay owed to talent as a pass-through, so the real number is clear. -
2
Per-project and retainer clients get mixed together
One production pays a flat fee for a single casting job, while another retains the agency monthly for ongoing work. Combined in one column, you cannot tell which kind of client is actually worth more to the business.
What we doKeeps per-project fees separate from retainer income, so you can see which relationships are steadiest. -
3
Casting database subscriptions get lost in general costs
Monthly fees for casting databases and submission tools add up across several services, but buried in general expenses, it is hard to tell if all of them are still worth paying for.
What we doTracks casting database and subscription costs on their own, so you can see what tools are actually earning their keep. -
4
Principal and background rates get blurred together
A principal actor's day rate and a background actor's session fee are very different numbers, and lumping them into one category makes it hard to see the true cost structure of a project.
What we doKeeps principal and background pay in separate lines, so project costs are clear against what the client actually paid.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a casting agency.
Set up once for how projects get billed and what actually belongs to the agency. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Casting service feesThe agency's own fee for casting a project, kept apart from talent pay.
- Retainer client feesRecurring monthly fees from a production company on an ongoing basis.
- Extras placement feesFees for placing background actors, separate from their session pay.
- Workshop and class feesPaid audition workshops offered to actors by the agency.
Money out
- Talent session pay pass-throughMoney collected from a client that is owed straight to actors, not the agency.
- Casting database subscriptionsActors Access, Casting Networks, or similar submission tools.
- Audition space rentalStudio space rented by the day for casting sessions.
- Staff and casting director payPay for casting directors and assistants running sessions.
- Marketing to production companiesOutreach to build relationships with new productions and ad agencies.
- Office and storageSpace for headshot files, equipment, and day-to-day operations.
What we watch for you
- Casting fee kept
What the agency actually earns per project, against the full client payment.
- Pass-through balance
Talent session pay collected but not yet paid out, so nothing owed to actors gets lost.
- Retainer versus per-project mix
How much revenue comes from steady retainer clients versus one-off projects.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked against the casting fee kept every month, so filing season is no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things casting 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.
No, your income is the casting fee you actually kept. I logged the rest as owed to the talent, so the agency's number reflects real earnings, not pass-through money.
That is worth checking with the accountant against your state's rules and any contract terms, since some places set a deadline for passing along session pay.
Usually yes, as ordinary business tools. I track each one separately so you can also see which ones are actually worth keeping.
The tax side
The tax side of a casting agency.
Most of what goes wrong here is treating pass-through session pay as agency revenue, and keeping principal and background costs straight for each project.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Pass-through income is not agency revenueSession pay collected from a client on behalf of actors is generally not the agency's income. Only the casting fee kept should count as revenue.
- Contractor 1099sCasting directors or assistants paid as contractors rather than employees may need a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
- Self-employment taxA sole proprietor or partner running a casting agency owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on net profit, on top of income tax.
- The pass-through deductionMost casting agency 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 casting agencies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Casting database subscriptions
- Audition studio rental
- Casting director and assistant pay
- Office rent and utilities
- Marketing to production companies
- Headshot and file storage systems
- Business liability insurance
- Continuing casting industry association dues
- Travel for on-location casting
- Website and submission tools
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 casting agency year, kept every month.
Production schedules drive the work, not a fixed calendar. Your taxes come on a schedule, and 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
The project year begins
Last year's return gets started, pass-through balances are reconciled, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed, project closed
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because every casting fee kept since January has been feeding the set-aside.
- July
Midyear project check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how the mix of retainer and per-project clients is running.
- October
Before award season projects
Award season and holiday commercial casting often picks up. Gus looks at what is 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 casting 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 casting agency owners ask first.
How do you keep session pay for actors from counting as our revenue?
Gus tracks the full client payment, then separates out the portion owed to talent as a pass-through. Only the casting fee the agency actually keeps counts as income.
We work with some clients on retainer and others project by project. Does that need separate tracking?
Yes, it helps to see which is more valuable. Gus keeps retainer income separate from one-off project fees so you can compare them clearly.
Are casting database subscriptions a deductible expense?
Usually yes, as ordinary tools for running the business. Gus tracks each one so you can also see which ones are worth keeping.
Do I need to hold session pay for actors in a separate account?
It is worth checking with the accountant on what your state or contracts require. Gus tracks it as money owed to talent either way, so it never gets mistaken for agency income.
Some casting directors we use are contractors, not staff. Does that change anything?
It means tracking their pay for a 1099 if they cross $2,000 for the year and are not on payroll. Gus keeps that running total so nothing gets missed.
Our books from last year's award season are behind. Can you still take this over?
Yes. Send the bank statements and any project records you have. Gus sorts it, 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.
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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