Software, SaaS & apps

Books and taxes for Chrome extension developers.

A Stripe payout for pro licenses, a Chrome Web Store one-time registration fee, a refund from a customer who could not get past their company firewall, and a contractor invoice. Your own bookkeeper sorts 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
FebruaryExample month
$9,100
what you made

February made $9,100. A batch of refunds came in from a company that blocked the extension at the firewall level, so I kept those separate from the processing fee line.

  • Stripe payout, pro licensesLicense and subscription sales
  • Paddle payoutLicense and subscription sales
  • Refund batchRefunds
  • Upwork, icon and UI workContract design
  • Chrome Web Store developer feeStore account fees
Money in$14,200
Money out$5,100
Set aside for taxes$2,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Chrome extension books go wrong in a few very specific places.

A generalist bookkeeper sees a Stripe deposit and calls it done. Your extension is free to install through the Chrome Web Store but the actual money moves through your own checkout, on your own terms, with license keys and team seats to track. When the books miss that split, you cannot tell what is really selling.

  1. 1

    The Chrome Web Store itself never touches your money

    Since the store stopped handling paid listings, your extension is free to install and the real sale happens through Stripe or Paddle on your own site. A generalist bookkeeper looking for store payouts finds nothing and misses the actual revenue entirely.

    What we doTracks your Stripe or Paddle payouts as the real revenue source, since the store itself is a distribution channel, not a payment processor.
  2. 2

    Team licenses and single-seat licenses look identical in the deposit

    A five-seat team license and a single personal license both show up as one Stripe charge, so without a note on which is which, you cannot tell whether growth is coming from individuals or from teams adopting the extension.

    What we doKeeps a note on license type where your checkout data shows it, so team and individual sales are visible separately.
  3. 3

    Refunds cluster around browser and policy changes

    A Chrome policy update, a corporate firewall blocking the extension, or a permissions change can cause a wave of refund requests that has nothing to do with the product itself, and lumped in with normal fees, it looks like a quality problem.

    What we doSeparates refunds from processing fees so a policy-driven wave of cancellations reads as what it is, not a mystery drop in revenue.
  4. 4

    A rejected update looks like a normal expense month

    Time spent resubmitting a rejected update, or paying a contractor to fix a manifest version issue, shows up as an ordinary dev cost with nothing marking it as store compliance work rather than new features.

    What we doNotes when a dev cost is tied to store compliance or a rejected submission, so it is not confused with feature work.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a Chrome extension developer.

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

  • License and subscription salesStripe or Paddle charges for pro licenses and subscriptions.
  • Team and seat licensesMulti-seat sales to companies, kept apart from individual licenses.
  • Lifetime deal salesOne-time purchases sold through AppSumo or a similar site.
  • Affiliate or referral revenueCommissions from tools recommended inside the extension.

Money out

  • RefundsKept separate from fees so a refund wave is visible for what caused it.
  • Contract design and developmentUpwork, Fiverr, or a direct invoice for UI or feature work.
  • Store account feesThe one-time Chrome Web Store developer registration fee.
  • Hosting and backend servicesAny server-side component the extension talks to.
  • Processing feesWhat Stripe or Paddle kept before you got paid.
  • Marketing and listing toolsScreenshot tools, landing page hosting, and paid promotion.

What we watch for you

  • Payout trend

    Total Stripe and Paddle money in month over month, the plainest read on growth.

  • Refund rate

    Refunds against total sales, a useful early flag for a policy change or a broken update.

  • Team versus individual mix

    How much of your revenue comes from team licenses versus single users, where the data allows it.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month from your Stripe and Paddle license sales, so a refund wave never throws off the number.

Ask Gus

Things Chrome extension developers 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.

The Chrome Web Store dashboard does not show any money. Where is our revenue tracked?

The store itself never touches your payments now. Your real revenue is the Stripe or Paddle payout from your own checkout, and that is what I book.

We got a wave of refund requests after a Chrome update. Is that a bad sign?

I kept those separate from your processing fees so you can see it was a cluster tied to one event, not a steady quality problem.

Do team licenses count differently than personal ones for tax purposes?

Not for tax purposes, but I keep them noted separately in the books so you can see whether teams or individuals are driving your sales.

The tax side

The tax side of running a Chrome extension business.

Most of what matters here is tracking revenue that never touches the Chrome Web Store itself, and keeping contractor and tool costs sorted from ordinary refunds.

What your return has to get right

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

  • 1099-K from payment processorsStripe and Paddle report payment volume once it crosses $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year, but every dollar earned through license sales is taxable whether or not a form arrives.
  • The pass-through deductionAn extension sold through your own checkout, run as a sole proprietorship or LLC, can usually deduct up to 20 percent of qualified business income before it hits your personal return.
  • Self-employment taxRunning the extension as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC means paying 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, since there is no employer splitting it with you.
  • 1099-NEC for UI and icon workA freelancer paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for icon sets, UI polish, or a manifest fix, and not on payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that running total all year.

Deductions Chrome extension developers miss

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

  • Contract design and development
  • Chrome Web Store developer fee
  • Hosting for backend services
  • Processing fees
  • Landing page hosting
  • Screenshot and listing tools
  • Home office, business share
  • Business phone and internet share
  • Developer conference tickets
  • Course and community memberships
  • Business insurance
  • Accounting and legal 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 Chrome extension year, kept every month.

Browser updates and policy changes land on no schedule at all. Your taxes come on a schedule. 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 extension year

    Last year's return gets started, the contractor 1099 list is finalized, and a monthly set-aside gets planned for the new year.

  2. April

    Filed before the next fix

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

  3. July

    Halfway license check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a spring Chrome update changed your refund rate or license sales enough to matter.

  4. October

    Before the year wraps

    A look at any tools or licenses worth buying before December, and whether the set-aside still matches how the year is actually going.

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 Chrome extension developers. 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 Chrome extension developers ask first.

The Chrome Web Store does not show revenue numbers. How does Gus track what I actually made?

From your Stripe or Paddle payouts, since that is where the real money moves. The store dashboard only shows installs and reviews, not payments.

I sell through both my own site and a lifetime deal marketplace. Does that get mixed together?

No. Gus keeps lifetime deal sales in their own category, separate from your regular license and subscription revenue, so you can see which is actually carrying the business.

A corporate customer bought fifty seats at once. Is that treated differently?

For the books, Gus notes it as a team license sale where the data allows it, so you can see how much of your revenue comes from teams versus single users.

I do not have an LLC yet. Can Gus still handle my books?

Yes. Plenty of solo developers run as a sole proprietor while they get started. Gus books it that way and the accountant tells you if a different structure would help later.

My refunds spiked after a bad update. Should I be worried?

Gus keeps refunds separate from fees so you can see whether it was a cluster tied to one event or a steady pattern worth a closer look.

I have been tracking everything in a spreadsheet myself. Can you take over from there?

Yes. Send your bank and processor statements. Gus picks up from wherever your spreadsheet leaves off, and most developers 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