Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for Discord community owners.

Paid server subscriptions, a bot developer on retainer, a volunteer mod team that gets a stipend, and prizes shipped out for a giveaway. Your own bookkeeper 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
DecemberExample month
$5,200
what you made

December came in at $5,200. The giveaway prizes shipped this month went in as marketing costs, since they are what brought in the new paid members.

  • Server subscription payoutPaid roles
  • Bot developer retainerBot development
  • Mod stipend batchCommunity moderation
  • Giveaway prize, gaming headsetMarketing and giveaways
  • Cross-promotion paymentServer partnerships
Money in$9,800
Money out$4,600
Set aside for taxes$1,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A Discord server's books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist sees a payout and calls it revenue. Your server runs on paid role subscriptions, a bot developer paid to keep custom tools running, a mod team spread across several people getting small stipends, and prizes bought and shipped for giveaways that bring in new members.

  1. 1

    Bot development costs disappear into software

    A custom bot that runs verification, moderation, and leveling systems often gets built and maintained by a paid developer, but that cost easily gets lumped in with a subscription bill and lost.

    What we doKeeps bot development pay in its own line, separate from software subscriptions, so the real cost of running the server's tools is visible.
  2. 2

    A mod team paid in small stipends has no running total

    Five or six mods each getting $50 to $150 a month through PayPal adds up to a real cost, but scattered across separate small payments it is easy to lose track of who was paid how much by year end.

    What we doTracks every stipend by person in one line, so the year-end total for each mod is ready instead of pieced together from memory.
  3. 3

    Giveaway prizes look like a random expense

    Buying and shipping a gaming headset or a gift card for a members-only giveaway is really a cost of growing the paid membership, but if it just sits in a catch-all expense line, it is hard to see whether giveaways are worth running.

    What we doBooks giveaway prizes as a marketing cost tied to the growth push they were part of, so the real cost of that growth is visible.
  4. 4

    Cross-promotion payments blur with membership income

    Another server or a brand paying to be featured in an announcement channel looks the same in the bank as a paid role subscription, but only one of those is a steady, recurring number.

    What we doKeeps cross-promotion and sponsorship payments in their own line, separate from paid role income, so the recurring part of the server stands out.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a Discord server.

Set up once for how the server gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Paid rolesServer subscription payouts for premium access or perks.
  • Server partnershipsCross-promotion and sponsorship payments from other servers or brands.
  • Merch salesServer-branded merch sold through a storefront app.
  • Donations and tipsOne-time support from members outside a subscription.

Money out

  • Bot developmentCustom bot building and upkeep, paid to a developer.
  • Community moderationStipends paid to mods and helpers.
  • Marketing and giveawaysPrizes and promotion spent to grow paid membership.
  • Server hosting and toolsBot hosting, verification tools, and analytics add-ons.
  • Design and brandingEmojis, banners, and server art commissioned from artists.

What we watch for you

  • Paid role growth

    Whether subscription income is growing net of members who drop the paid role.

  • Mod team cost

    What total stipends cost against total server income for the month.

  • Giveaway return

    New paid members gained against what a giveaway cost to run.

  • The set-aside

    What will be owed, tracked every month, so a strong sponsorship month does not turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things Discord community 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.

I paid five mods small stipends this month through PayPal. Is that hard to track?

Not on my end. I keep a running total for each of them, and anyone who clears $2,000 this year gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.

I bought a $300 headset for a member giveaway. How does that get booked?

As a marketing cost, since it is what brought in new paid members this month. It is not just a random purchase, so I keep it tied to the growth push.

Another server pays me to post their invite in my announcements. Does that count differently than membership fees?

Yes. I keep that as its own line, separate from paid roles, since it is not the steady, recurring part of your income.

The tax side

The tax side of running a Discord server.

Most of what trips people up here is small payments to several people that add up without a running total, and prizes bought for giveaways with no record.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Paying a mod or developer $2,000 or moreAnyone helping moderate or build bots, not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus tracks each person's running total.
  • Self-employment taxA server owner not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
  • Form 1099-K from payment appsStripe and similar apps send a 1099-K once you cross $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. Server income is taxable whether or not a form arrives.
  • The pass-through deductionMost server-based businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how much applies.

Deductions Discord community owners miss

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

  • Bot development and hosting
  • Mod and helper stipends
  • Giveaway prizes
  • Server art and emoji design
  • Verification and analytics tools
  • Business phone and internet
  • Payment processor fees
  • Business liability insurance
  • Storage for server backups
  • Accounting and legal fees

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 Discord server's year, kept every month.

Members join and cancel every week, all year, not on a tax schedule. Your team keeps the books closed every month. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Set the server's pace

    Last year's return gets started, the mod team's 1099s are prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned so the server's growth never has to pause for taxes.

  2. April

    Filed, server humming

    Filed and signed, no scramble, since a slice of every payout since January has already been tucked into the set-aside.

  3. July

    Server growth pulse check

    Where the server stands, what it will owe, and whether a summer growth push changed the number.

  4. October

    Before holiday giveaways

    Holiday giveaways and partnership pushes tend to spike late in the year. Gus looks at what is planned and anything worth doing 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 Discord community owners. 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 Discord community owners ask first.

Do I owe tax on server subscription income even after Discord takes its cut?

Yes, on whatever actually lands in your bank after Discord's cut. Gus books that net payout as revenue, and the accountant handles the rest at tax time.

I pay my bot developer in one lump sum a few times a year. Does that matter?

Just for tracking the running total. Gus keeps a tally regardless of how often payments happen, so the year-end number is accurate either way.

My mods are volunteers who get free merch instead of cash. Does that count as pay?

It can, at what the merch is worth. Gus flags it so the accountant can decide whether it needs to be treated as compensation.

I run more than one server. Can Gus keep the income separate?

Yes. He tracks revenue and costs by server so you can see what each one actually earns, even while they share one set of books.

My books have never separated subscription income from sponsorships. Can Gus fix that?

Yes. Send the bank and payout statements you have. Gus sorts paid roles from partnership income, 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.

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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