Culinary & hands-on workshops

Books and taxes for cookie decorating businesses.

Shipped decorating kits, private parties, custom wedding orders, and a holiday ingredient stock-up that swamps one month. Gus sorts it all, 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
DecemberExample month
$17,000
what you made

December came in at $17,000. The custom wedding order for the Chens took longer than a normal set, so I flagged it separately from your standard kits.

  • Etsy shop payoutCookie kit sales
  • Private party deposit, ChenPrivate events
  • Restaurant Depot flour orderIngredients
  • Postage, shipping labelsPackaging and shipping
  • Custom cutters, laser shopCutters and molds
Money in$47,000
Money out$30,000
Set aside for taxes$4,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Cookie decorating books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees kit sales and grocery runs. Your business is shipped kits with real packaging costs, custom orders priced the same as simple ones, and a holiday ingredient stock-up big enough to wreck one month's numbers. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what actually pays.

  1. 1

    Shipping and packaging eat into kit sales

    A cookie kit sold on Etsy for $45 ships in a box with dry ice, tissue, and a printed card, and the shipping alone can run $12 to $18. Lumped in as one ingredient cost, you cannot tell if kit sales are actually profitable.

    What we doKeeps shipping and packaging in their own line next to ingredient cost, so you know what a shipped kit really nets you.
  2. 2

    Custom wedding orders are quoted flat but never cost the same

    A five dozen custom wedding order and a five dozen simple holiday order both get invoiced as one flat price, but the wedding order eats far more in specialty icing colors, stencils, and hours. A month of custom work can look like it paid the same as a slow week.

    What we doFlags custom and wedding orders separately from standard sets, so you can see which jobs are worth the price you charge.
  3. 3

    A holiday stock-up wrecks the monthly number

    Flour, sugar, butter, and food coloring bought in bulk before Halloween and Christmas can run into thousands of dollars in a single order. One big supply run makes November look terrible and December look great, when it is really one season.

    What we doKeeps ingredient purchases in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up is the reason a month looks thin.
  4. 4

    Private decorating parties get billed like retail sales

    A birthday or bachelorette decorating party charges a per-person fee plus a deposit, but rung up like a walk-in cookie sale, you cannot see how much of your income actually comes from hosting parties versus shipping kits.

    What we doKeeps party bookings in their own category, separate from kit and retail sales, so you see both sides clearly.
  5. 5

    Specialty icing color and tools blur into groceries

    Gel food coloring, edible luster dust, and specialty piping tips cost far more per ounce than flour and sugar, but bought from the same suppliers they often land in one lump ingredient line, hiding what decorating supplies really cost.

    What we doSplits base ingredients from specialty decorating supplies, so you can see the true cost of a detailed design.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a cookie decorating 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

  • Cookie kit salesDIY decorating kits sold through Etsy or Shopify and shipped nationwide.
  • Private decorating partiesBirthday, bachelorette, and team events, booked by deposit and a per-person fee.
  • Custom and wedding ordersMade-to-order sets for weddings, showers, and corporate gifts.
  • Local pickup and walk-in salesStandard cookie sets sold directly from the shop.
  • Wholesale to cafes and gift shopsStanding orders for local coffee shops and boutiques.

Money out

  • Base ingredientsFlour, sugar, butter, and eggs from Restaurant Depot or a local supplier.
  • Icing color and specialty suppliesGel colors, luster dust, and piping tips.
  • Packaging and shippingBoxes, cellophane, dry ice, and carrier labels for shipped kits.
  • Cutters and moldsCustom laser-cut cutters and stencils for seasonal and custom designs.
  • Kitchen rent and utilitiesStudio lease, ovens, and refrigeration.
  • Etsy and Shopify feesListing and transaction fees on kit and custom order sales.
  • MarketingSocial ads and the photography that sells a kit before it ships.

What we watch for you

  • Kit margin

    Kit price against ingredients, packaging, and shipping, so a shipped kit still pays.

  • Custom order pricing

    Hours and specialty supplies against the quoted price, so wedding orders are not underpriced.

  • Holiday season share

    How much of the year lands in November and December, so slow months are not a surprise.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a scramble.

Ask Gus

Things cookie decorating 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 did November look so bad? We were slammed getting ready for December.

You stocked up on flour, sugar, and food coloring for the holiday rush. I kept it in one steady ingredient line so you can see it was a stock-up, not a slow month.

A wedding order took twice as long as a normal set but we charged the same per dozen. Worth it?

I flagged that order separately from your standard sets, so you can see the real time and supply cost against what you charged.

Do I need to track sales tax on kits I ship to other states?

That is worth a real look, since it varies by state and volume. I am flagging it for the accountant rather than guessing.

The tax side

The tax side of a cookie decorating business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A holiday stock-up that looks like a bad month, and custom orders priced the same as simple ones.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Ingredient and supply costsFlour, sugar, and specialty icing supplies are ordinary deductible costs, tracked as cost of goods, the direct cost of what you sell, against the season they were bought for.
  • Contractor 1099sA helper who decorates or ships for you but is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if you pay them $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
  • Equipment write-offsA commercial mixer, oven, or walk-in refrigerator can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators 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 cookie decorating classes miss

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

  • Flour, sugar, and butter
  • Gel food coloring
  • Edible luster dust
  • Piping tips and bags
  • Custom cookie cutters
  • Shipping boxes and dry ice
  • Etsy and Shopify fees
  • Kitchen rent and utilities
  • Cellophane and packaging
  • Photography for listings
  • Liability insurance
  • Cleaning supplies

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 cookie decorating year, kept every month.

The rush runs from Halloween through Christmas. 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 year

    Last year's return gets started, the season's helper 1099 list is finalized, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

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

  3. July

    The slow build

    Summer is steady but quiet before the rush. Gus looks at what worked last holiday season and what equipment might be worth buying.

  4. October

    Stocking up for the rush

    The big flour, sugar, and packaging orders for Halloween through Christmas land now. Gus keeps them in one steady line so November does not look alarming.

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 cookie decorating classes. 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 cookie decorating owners ask first.

Do you handle sales tax on kits shipped to other states?

Gus keeps your sales organized by where an order shipped, which is what any sales tax review needs. Filing multi-state sales tax is not part of the subscription, and rules vary enough that the accountant should weigh in.

We sell kits on Etsy and custom orders through our own site. Can Gus keep those separate?

Yes. Kit sales, custom orders, and party bookings each get their own category, so you can see what each one actually brings in.

Our biggest ingredient order of the year happens right before Halloween. Won't that make October look terrible?

No. Gus keeps ingredient buys in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not a slow season, is the reason a month looks thin.

Do I need a 1099 for the friend who helps decorate during the holiday rush?

If she is not on payroll and you pay her $2,000 or more in 2026, yes, by January 31. Gus keeps that list running through the busy season.

We just bought a commercial oven for the shop. Can we write it off?

Usually yes, often in the year you buy it. Gus flags the purchase as equipment and the accountant decides how to write it off with your whole year in view.

Our books are behind from a busy holiday season. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, 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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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