Wedding & event vendors

Books and taxes for corporate event planners.

Reimbursable expenses you front before the client pays you back, unpaid proposal work chasing new contracts, net-60 invoices, and multi-year agreements signed in a single month. 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
MarchExample month
$14,000
what you made

March came in at $14,000 in real planning fees. The venue deposit you fronted for Meridian's conference came back as a reimbursement, so it does not count as profit.

  • Meridian Corp conference invoice paidPlanning fees
  • Client reimbursement receivedExpense reimbursements
  • Venue deposit fronted for clientReimbursable expenses
  • RFP proposal design costsProposal and bid costs
  • Freelance producer feeContract staff
Money in$38,000
Money out$24,000
Set aside for taxes$2,900
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A corporate event planner's books go wrong in the same handful of places.

A generalist sees invoices and expense receipts. Your business is money you front for a client months before you see it again, unpaid proposal work chasing contracts you might not win, and multi-year agreements signed in a single sitting. When the books do not know that, the number they hand you is wrong.

  1. 1

    Fronted expenses look like a loss until reimbursed

    You pay a venue deposit out of pocket for a client's conference and do not get reimbursed for 30 to 60 days, and in the meantime, that spending can make a month look like it lost money when it is really just waiting to come back.

    What we doTies fronted expenses to the reimbursement that follows, so a float does not read as a loss.
  2. 2

    Proposal and bid costs get missed entirely

    Winning corporate contracts often means unpaid proposal work, design mockups, and site visits for clients you do not land, and if that time and cost is not tracked, you cannot tell what it really costs to win new business.

    What we doKeeps proposal and bid costs in their own line, separate from paid project work.
  3. 3

    Net-60 invoices hide when you actually get paid

    Corporate clients often pay 60 days or more after the event, so the month you did the work and the month you got paid can be two calendar quarters apart.

    What we doTracks what is invoiced against what is actually collected, so a slow-paying client does not look like a bad month.
  4. 4

    Contract producers look like payroll

    You bring in a freelance producer or day-of staff for a big activation, paid per project, and if it is treated like a steady payroll cost, you cannot tell which events actually needed the extra hands.

    What we doTies contract staff pay to the project that used them.
  5. 5

    Multi-year contracts get counted all at once

    A three-year master service agreement with a corporate client gets signed in one month, and if the whole contract value is counted as that month's income, the books wildly overstate what has actually been earned.

    What we doKeeps multi-year agreements tied to the work actually completed, not the full contract signed.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a corporate event planning 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

  • Project planning feesYour real fee for a single conference, launch, or corporate event.
  • Retainer feesFlat monthly pay from clients you support year-round.
  • Expense reimbursementsMoney paid back for costs you fronted on a client's behalf.
  • Multi-year contract billingsTied to work completed, not the full agreement signed.
  • RFP win feesFees some clients pay even for the winning proposal itself.

Money out

  • Reimbursable expensesVenue deposits and vendor costs fronted for clients.
  • Proposal and bid costsUnpaid work chasing new corporate contracts.
  • Contract staff and producersFreelance help paid per project.
  • SoftwareCvent and similar event management tools.
  • MarketingPortfolio website and styled shoots.
  • InsuranceProfessional liability coverage.
  • TravelFlights and hotels tied to a specific out-of-town event.

What we watch for you

  • Outstanding invoices

    What corporate clients still owe on net-60 terms, so a slow payer does not look like a bad month.

  • Fronted expenses awaiting reimbursement

    How much of your cash is tied up waiting to come back, so it does not look like it is gone for good.

  • Proposal win rate cost

    What unpaid bid work actually costs against the contracts it wins.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things corporate event planners 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.

I paid a $12,000 venue deposit for a client's conference and won't get reimbursed for 60 days. Does that make this month look bad?

It can look that way at first, but I tie the fronted cost to the reimbursement that is coming, so it does not read as a real loss.

We spent real time and money on a proposal we didn't win. Is that worth tracking?

Yes, kept apart from paid project work, so you can see what it actually costs to go after new business.

A client signed a three-year contract this month. Does the whole thing count as this month's income?

No, I tie it to the work actually completed, not the full contract value, so the books do not overstate what has been earned so far.

The tax side

The tax side of a corporate event planning business.

Most of what goes wrong here is money that moves out before it comes back, and contracts that get signed before the work is done.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Contractor 1099sFreelance producers and other contractors not on payroll get a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
  • Reimbursed expenses are not incomeMoney a client pays back to cover expenses you fronted usually is not counted as your revenue. The accountant confirms this against how your contracts are written.
  • Proposal and bid costsTime and money spent on unpaid proposals are usually ordinary deductible business costs, whether or not you win the contract.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions corporate event planners miss

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

  • Proposal and bid costs
  • Freelance producer fees
  • Event management software
  • Website and portfolio hosting
  • Travel for out-of-town events
  • Professional liability insurance
  • Continuing education and conferences
  • Printed proposals and materials
  • Phone and tablet for site visits
  • Client gifts
  • Card processing fees
  • Trade association dues

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 corporate event planner's year, kept every month.

Conferences, launches, and holiday events all run on different corporate calendars. Gus keeps the return on its own schedule. 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 contract producers is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned before the year's first proposals go out.

  2. April

    Filed and signed

    Your return is filed and signed while spring's conference season ramps up, so tax season never competes with a full calendar.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand midyear, what you will owe, and whether outstanding invoices are catching up to the work you have done.

  4. October

    Before the year-end push

    Corporate holiday events and year-end galas fill the calendar. Gus looks at what is worth buying before December and what next year's retainers look like.

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 corporate event planners. 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 corporate event planners ask first.

Does a fronted expense count as a loss until I am reimbursed?

No. It is tied to the reimbursement that follows, so a float does not read as a real loss.

Is unpaid proposal work worth tracking?

Yes. Proposal and bid costs are kept apart from paid project work, so you can see what winning new business actually costs.

How is a multi-year contract counted?

Tied to the work actually completed, not the full agreement value, so a signed contract does not overstate one month's income.

My corporate clients pay on net-60 terms. Does that complicate things?

No. Gus tracks what is invoiced against what is actually collected, so a slow payer shows up as outstanding, not as a bad month.

My books are behind. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it. Most planners 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