Performance marketing & lead gen

Books and taxes for CRO agencies.

Retainers, audit project fees, lift bonuses that depend on a test reaching statistical significance, and testing tool licenses billed on a client's own traffic tier. 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
FebruaryExample month
$7,700
what you made

February came in at $7,700. The checkout test on Larkspur Goods hadn't hit significance yet, so its lift bonus stayed out of the books until the result was actually confirmed.

  • Retainer, Larkspur GoodsRetainers
  • UX audit, one-time projectProject fees
  • Optimizely license, traffic tierTesting tool licenses
  • User testing panel incentivesResearch participant fees
  • Contractor UX researcherContractor researchers
Money in$24,500
Money out$16,800
Set aside for taxes$1,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

CRO agency books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees a retainer and a software bill. Your business runs on bonuses tied to a test result that is not real until it reaches significance, tool licenses that are priced off a client's traffic rather than your own usage, and small incentive payments to real people who took a survey or a usability test.

  1. 1

    A lift bonus gets booked before a test reaches significance

    An early read on a checkout test might show a 12 percent lift, but if the test has not run long enough to be statistically reliable, booking that bonus can leave a strong-looking month walked back once the real result comes in flat.

    What we doHolds a lift bonus out of income until the test reaches significance and the client confirms it, so an early read never gets counted as final.
  2. 2

    Testing tool costs move with a client's traffic, not yours

    A tool like Optimizely or VWO often prices its license by the client's monthly visitor volume, so your own software bill can jump when a client's traffic grows, even though nothing about your own usage changed.

    What we doTies testing tool costs to the client account they serve, so a price jump reads as that client's traffic, not a mystery increase in overhead.
  3. 3

    Participant incentive payments look like payroll

    Paying twenty people $25 each to sit through a usability test is a real research cost, and if those small payments land in the same bucket as contractor pay, it gets confused with wages instead of counted as research spend.

    What we doKeeps research participant incentives in their own line, separate from contractor and staff pay, so research cost against a project's fee is clear.
  4. 4

    Project audits and ongoing retainers blur together

    A one-time UX audit and a monthly testing retainer are different products with different margins, and mixed into one revenue line, you cannot tell which kind of engagement is actually worth taking on more of.

    What we doKeeps one-time project fees separate from ongoing retainers, so you can see which type of work is really paying off.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a CRO agency.

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

  • RetainersMonthly fees for ongoing testing programs.
  • Project feesOne-time charges for a UX audit or heuristic review.
  • Lift bonusesPaid once a test reaches significance and the client confirms the result.
  • Workshop and training feesCharges for teaching a client's team to run their own tests.

Money out

  • Testing tool licensesOptimizely, VWO, or Hotjar, often priced by a client's traffic tier.
  • Research participant feesIncentive payments to people who take part in usability tests and surveys.
  • Contractor researchers and designersFreelance UX researchers and designers paid outside of payroll.
  • Analytics and heatmap softwareTools used to observe user behavior on a client's site.
  • Payment processing feesWhat a processor keeps before a payment lands.

What we watch for you

  • Retainer versus project mix

    How much of your revenue is steady testing work against one-time audits, so you can see which is growing.

  • Tool cost per client

    Testing tool license cost against that client's retainer, so a traffic-driven price hike does not go unnoticed.

  • Bonus confirmation lag

    How long a test takes to reach significance before a lift bonus is real income.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things CRO 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.

Our checkout test is showing a 12 percent lift after four days. Can I count that bonus now?

Not yet. I hold a lift bonus out of income until the test actually reaches significance and the client confirms it, so an early read doesn't get counted as final.

My Optimizely bill jumped because a client's traffic doubled. Is that on me?

No. I tied that cost to the client's account, so the increase reads as their traffic growing, not a random jump in your own overhead.

I paid twenty people $25 each for a usability study. How does that get logged?

As research participant fees, kept apart from contractor pay, so it's clear that cost is research spend, not wages.

The tax side

The tax side of a CRO agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and what a small payment actually is. A bonus counted before a test is real, and participant fees mistaken for payroll.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Lift bonuses and timingA bonus tied to a test result should be recognized once the test reaches significance and the client confirms it, not on an early read that might reverse.
  • Contractor 1099sAny US-based researcher or designer not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current all year.
  • Research participant paymentsSmall incentive payments to research participants are a legitimate business expense, tracked separately from contractor and staff pay so the records hold up.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when lift bonuses and tool costs are booked at the right time all year.

Deductions CRO agencies miss

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

  • Optimizely or VWO licenses
  • Hotjar or heatmap software
  • Research participant incentives
  • Contractor researchers and designers
  • Home office or coworking desk
  • Laptop and monitors
  • Payment processing fees
  • Business phone and internet
  • Industry conference travel
  • Continuing education and courses

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 CRO agency year, on the books every month.

Testing cycles run on their own clock more than the season, but taxes still run on a calendar. 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, your 1099 list for domestic researchers is ready, and a monthly set-aside begins so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has tracked confirmed lift bonuses every month since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a spring testing cycle changed the number.

  4. October

    Before holiday traffic

    Ecommerce clients often want checkout tests locked in before the holiday rush. Before it hits, Gus looks at what's worth buying or setting aside 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 CRO 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 CRO agency owners ask first.

Can I count a lift bonus as soon as I see a test winning?

Gus waits until the test actually reaches significance and the client confirms the result, so an early read that later flattens out doesn't leave a number you have to walk back.

My testing tool bill changes based on a client's traffic. Is that a normal cost swing?

Yes. Gus ties that cost to the client account it serves, so a jump reads as their traffic growing rather than a random change in your overhead.

How do small payments to usability test participants get handled?

As their own category, research participant fees, separate from contractor or staff pay, so it's clear that cost is research spend rather than wages.

I do one-time UX audits and also run ongoing testing retainers. Does that matter for the books?

Yes. Gus keeps project fees and retainers in separate lines, so you can see which kind of work actually drives your margin.

My UX researcher works as a contractor from Canada. Does she get a 1099?

Probably not a 1099-NEC, since she is a Canadian contractor rather than a US person. Gus flags her file so the accountant can confirm whether a W-8BEN or something else applies.

My books are behind since I added a second testing tool this year. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank and tool subscription statements you have. Gus separates what belongs to each testing tool and client, 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 performance marketing & lead gen

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