IT & tech services

Books and taxes for CRM implementation consultants.

A fixed-price HubSpot setup project, a Salesforce partner referral commission that posts months later, a training session billed by the hour, and a support retainer once the rollout is done. 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
JanuaryExample month
$13,200
what you made

January came in at $13,200. A Salesforce partner referral commission from a deal you closed back in October finally posted, so I booked it against the month you actually earned it, not this one.

  • HubSpot rollout project, Kessler RetailImplementation project fees
  • Salesforce partner referral commissionReferral commissions
  • Contract consultant, migration supportContractor pay
  • HubSpot partner account feePartner program costs
  • Training session materialsTraining and enablement costs
Money in$39,600
Money out$26,400
Set aside for taxes$3,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

CRM consulting books go wrong at the referral commission and the rollout project.

A generalist sees a project invoice. Your business runs on fixed-price implementation projects, referral commissions from CRM vendors that post months after a deal closes, and training sessions billed separately from the build. When the books blend those, a late commission looks like it belongs to a month it has nothing to do with.

  1. 1

    Referral commissions post long after the deal that earned them

    A Salesforce or HubSpot partner commission for a client you referred months ago can land in your account well after the fact, and if it is not tied back to when the referral happened, it makes an unrelated month look unusually strong.

    What we doBooks referral commissions against the period the referral actually happened, so a late payout does not distort the wrong month.
  2. 2

    A fixed-price rollout project runs long without anyone noticing

    A client's CRM implementation quoted as a flat fee can run well past the hours it was priced for, especially with data migration surprises, and without tracking hours against the fixed price, a project can quietly lose money.

    What we doTracks fixed-price project income against time actually spent, so a project running long shows up before it erodes margin.
  3. 3

    Training sessions get folded into the project fee

    Training a client's staff on a new CRM is often billed separately from the build itself, and if it gets lumped into one project number, you cannot tell whether training work is worth offering as its own service.

    What we doKeeps training and enablement income in its own line, apart from implementation project fees.
  4. 4

    A post-rollout support retainer looks like new project income

    Once a CRM goes live, a smaller ongoing support retainer can start renewing every month, and if it is not tracked as its own recurring income, it gets lost inside new project work for other clients.

    What we doTracks post-rollout support as its own recurring income, so the steady base is visible against new project work.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a CRM implementation consultant.

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

  • Implementation project feesFixed-price or milestone billing for CRM rollouts.
  • Referral commissionsVendor partner payouts for deals you referred, tracked by when they were earned.
  • Training and enablement feesStaff training billed apart from the build itself.
  • Support retainersOngoing help after a CRM rollout goes live.

Money out

  • Contractor paySpecialists brought in for migrations or larger rollouts.
  • Partner program costsFees to maintain HubSpot or Salesforce partner status.
  • Training and enablement costsMaterials and CRM access used to train client staff.
  • Business insuranceGeneral liability and technology errors-and-omissions coverage.
  • Continuing certification costsFees to keep vendor certifications current.

What we watch for you

  • Project margin

    Fixed-price project income against time actually spent, so a project running long shows up before it erodes profit.

  • Referral commission timing

    Commissions tracked against when the referral was earned, so a late payout does not distort the wrong month.

  • Support retainer floor

    Post-rollout support income against total income, the steady base behind new project work.

  • The set-aside

    The set-aside builds from project fees and commissions both, even when a commission posts months late.

Ask Gus

Things CRM implementation consultants 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.

A Salesforce referral commission from months back just posted. Does that count as this month's income?

I booked it against the period you actually earned it, back when the referral happened, so it does not distort this month or that one.

A rollout project is running longer than I quoted. Can you tell me if I am losing money on it?

Yes, I track hours against the fixed price, so a project running long shows up before it quietly eats into your margin.

I brought in a contractor for a data migration and paid her $4,000. Does she need a 1099?

Yes. Once a contractor crosses $2,000 for the year they need one, and she is past that now. I have kept the running total, so her 1099 is ready by January 31.

The tax side

The tax side of a CRM implementation consultant.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing: a late referral commission booked to the wrong month, and a fixed-price project that ran over without anyone tracking the hours against it.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Contractor 1099sAny specialist not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the running list all year.
  • Self-employment tax for solo ownersA solo consultant pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, so the set-aside has to cover both.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when project, commission, and support income are tracked apart all year.
  • Home office deductionA solo consultant working from a dedicated space at home can usually deduct a portion of home costs tied to that space.

Deductions CRM implementation consultants miss

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

  • Vendor partner program fees
  • Certification exam and renewal fees
  • Training materials and access
  • Contractor and migration specialist pay
  • Business insurance
  • Technology errors-and-omissions coverage
  • Home office costs
  • Business phone and internet
  • Conference and networking travel
  • Continuing education courses
  • Proposal and contract software
  • Professional 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 CRM consulting year, kept every month.

Rollout projects and vendor commissions land on their own schedule. Your team stays on the books every month, not just at tax time. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Pipeline reset

    Last year's return gets started, the migration contractor 1099 list is finalized, and a monthly set-aside is planned around project and commission income.

  2. April

    Filed, commissions settled

    Your return is filed and signed, with project fees and referral commissions already booked to the right months.

  3. July

    Halfway through rollouts

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether support retainers are building a steady base.

  4. October

    Before budgets reset

    Gus looks at certifications or tools worth renewing before December and flags any project still running past its quoted hours.

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 CRM implementation consultants. 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 CRM implementation consultant owners ask first.

A vendor referral commission posted months after the deal closed. How does Gus handle that?

It gets booked against the period the referral actually happened, so a late payout does not distort the month it happened to arrive in.

My fixed-price rollout projects sometimes run long. Can Gus warn me before it eats my margin?

Yes. Gus tracks project income against time actually spent, so a project running long shows up before it becomes a real problem.

I bill training sessions separately from the implementation itself. Does that matter for the books?

Yes, it gets its own income line, so you can see whether training work is worth offering as its own service.

Does Gus handle my HubSpot or Salesforce partner program fees?

Gus tracks and categorizes those fees as a cost of doing business, but managing your partner status itself stays with the vendor, not the subscription.

My books are behind because project fees and referral commissions were never separated. Can Gus fix that?

Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts project income from commissions, the accountant checks it, and most owners 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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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