Pet products & breeding
Books and taxes for custom pet portrait businesses.
A commission deposit for a painting three months out, a Printful payout for merch made from your art, a rush fee nobody billed, and a canvas order that covers the next ten pieces. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
December came in at $6,000. The canvas and ink order covers the next several commissions, so I booked it as supplies on hand, not a one-time hit.
- Etsy commission depositsCommission deposits
- Printful merch payoutPrint-on-demand sales
- Giclee ink and canvas orderArt supplies
- Framed original shippingShipping originals
- Instagram boosted postsMarketing
Why your books are different
A pet portrait artist's books go wrong in a handful of specific spots.
A generalist sees Etsy deposits and an art supply bill. Your business runs on a commission queue paid in deposits, print-on-demand orders someone else fulfills, and rush requests that often go unbilled. When the books miss that, your real hourly rate stays a mystery.
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1
Commission deposits get counted as income too soon
A customer pays a deposit to join the queue for a painting that will not be finished for months, and if that deposit is booked as income the day it lands, a busy booking week can make the month look far better than the actual finished work does.
What we doHolds commission deposits until the piece is delivered, then moves the full price to income. -
2
Originals and prints get priced into one bucket
A one-of-a-kind original painting and an unlimited print of the same piece bring in very different money for very different amounts of work, and if both land in the same sales line, it is hard to tell which side of the business actually pays for the hours.
What we doKeeps original artwork sales separate from print and reproduction sales, so each shows its own real value. -
3
Print-on-demand margins hide inside the payout
A service like Printful charges its own base cost for each mug or shirt before the merch payout lands, so the deposit looks like pure profit when a real production cost was already taken out before you ever saw it.
What we doBooks the print-on-demand payout net of its base cost, so the real margin on merch is clear, not assumed. -
4
Rush fees and extra revisions go unbilled and untracked
A customer who wants the piece done in two weeks instead of the usual queue, or who asks for a third round of changes, often gets that extra work thrown in for free, and without a rush or revision fee tracked, the real time cost of a commission disappears.
What we doFlags commissions with rush requests or extra revisions, so pricing can catch up to what the work actually took. -
5
A bulk supply order gets expensed all at once
A large order of canvas, giclee ink, or archival paper can cover the next dozen commissions, and if it is booked as a straight cost the month it is bought, that month looks like a loss compared to the quiet months that follow when nothing else is bought.
What we doBooks bulk supply orders as inventory on hand, so the cost spreads across the pieces it actually goes into.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pet portrait business.
Set up once for how the business gets paid and what it spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Commission depositsQueue deposits and final balances for custom paintings.
- Print-on-demand salesMerch payouts from Printful or Printify, net of their base cost.
- Print and reproduction salesUnlimited prints of a piece, sold separate from the original.
- Rush and revision feesExtra charges for expedited work or added revision rounds.
Money out
- Art suppliesCanvas, giclee ink, archival paper, and paint.
- Studio equipmentPrinters, scanners, and a graphics tablet.
- Shipping originalsFraming and freight for one-of-a-kind pieces.
- MarketingInstagram ads and Etsy promoted listings.
- Software subscriptionsDesign and photo editing tools.
- Marketplace feesWhat Etsy and payment processors keep before the payout lands.
What we watch for you
- Commission backlog
Deposits collected for pieces not yet delivered, so income is not counted before the work is done.
- Merch margin
What print-on-demand orders actually earn after the base production cost, tracked so pricing keeps up.
- Original versus print sales
Which side of the business is actually paying for your time, tracked so you know where to focus.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things pet portrait artists 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.
Not yet. I hold it until the piece is delivered, then it moves to income. That way a busy booking week doesn't make a slow painting month look better than it was.
No, Printful takes its production cost before the payout lands. I book it net of that cost, so what you see reflects your real margin on merch.
I flag commissions like that so you can see how often rush work happens without a rush fee. Whether to start charging for it is your call, but at least you'll have the pattern in front of you.
The tax side
The tax side of a pet portrait business.
Most of what matters here is timing and supplies. Bulk art supplies are not a deduction all at once, and marketplace payouts are taxable whether or not a form arrives.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goodsCanvas, ink, and paper bought in bulk are not deductible the day they are bought. They become a cost as they go into a finished piece, which is why an accurate supply count matters at tax time.
- Marketplace reportingEtsy or a print-on-demand service sends a 1099-K once sales cross $20,000 and 200 transactions, but every dollar sold is taxable whether or not a form arrives.
- Equipment write-offsA printer, scanner, or graphics tablet bought for the business can often be written off in the year it is bought. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for equipment acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost profitable owner-operated art businesses 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 custom pet portrait businesses miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Canvas and archival paper
- Giclee ink and paint
- Graphics tablet and stylus
- Framing supplies
- Etsy listing and transaction fees
- Print-on-demand base costs
- Shipping mailers and boxes
- Design software subscriptions
- Business liability insurance
- Instagram and Etsy ad spend
- Studio lighting and camera gear
- Website hosting
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 pet portrait business year, kept every month.
Commissions come in waves, especially around the holidays. Your team keeps you ahead of the queue and the return. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how originals, prints, and merch have each performed so far.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Ahead of the busiest gift-giving commission season, Gus looks at supply stock and pricing worth adjusting before year end.
What you get
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 custom pet portrait businesses. 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 pet portrait artists ask first.
How does Gus handle deposits for commissions I have not finished yet?
He holds the deposit until the piece is delivered, then moves the full price to income. That keeps a busy booking month from looking better than the finished work actually was.
Should I track original paintings differently from prints of the same piece?
Yes. They get separate lines, so you can see which side of the business, the one-of-a-kind original or the unlimited print, is actually paying for your time.
My Printful payout looks like pure profit. Is it?
No. Printful and similar services take their production cost before the payout lands, and Gus books it net of that cost so your real merch margin is clear.
I keep saying yes to rush jobs without charging extra. Does that show up anywhere?
Gus flags commissions with rush requests or extra revision rounds, so you can see the pattern and decide whether it is time to charge for it.
I bought a big batch of canvas and ink this month. Does that wreck the month's numbers?
No. It gets booked as supplies on hand, so the cost spreads across the pieces it actually goes into instead of hitting all at once.
My records are just Etsy and Printful reports I have never organized. Can Gus start from there?
Yes. Send what you have and Gus will separate commission deposits from print-on-demand payouts. Most artists see a clear picture within a cycle.
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 pet products & breeding
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Aquarium & tropical fish stores
- Bird shops & aviaries
- Cat breeders
- Freeze-dried pet treat makers
- Licensed dog breeders
- Pet treat bakeries
- Raw pet food brands & stores
- Reptile shops & breeders
- Pet apparel brands
- Pet supply boutiques
- Canine fitness & dog swimming pools
- Canine massage & rehab
- Cat groomers
- Dog agility & sport training facilities
- Dog behaviorists
- Invisible & electric dog fence installers
- Off-leash dog parks with bars
- Pet cremation & aftercare
- Pet photographers
- Pet relocation services (international)
- Pet taxi & pet transport
- Protection dog trainers
- Service dog trainers
- Exotic animal vets
- Holistic & integrative vets
- In-home pet euthanasia services
- Low-cost spay/neuter & vaccine clinics
- Veterinary dental specialists
- Veterinary rehab & hydrotherapy
- Board-and-train programs
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