Creative & production services
Books and taxes for drone photography businesses.
A construction site flight day, an aviation liability premium, a crashed drone replaced mid-season, and a real estate client who pays by the listing. 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
June came in at $8,500. The Marchetti Construction site survey ran three flight days instead of the usual one, so I billed that as a multi-day job, not a single flat fee.
- Marchetti Construction surveySite survey jobs
- Real estate listings x8Per-listing jobs
- Replacement drone, DJIEquipment
- Aviation liability premiumInsurance
- Battery packs and propsFlight equipment and parts
Why your books are different
Drone business books go wrong at the crash replacement and the insurance premium.
A generalist sees a camera business. Your business flies aircraft, carries aviation liability coverage most photographers never touch, replaces damaged equipment on no schedule at all, and prices work by the site, the listing, or the flight day. When the books do not track those, the return misses what it should catch.
-
1
A crashed drone looks like routine gear maintenance
A drone lost or damaged mid-job is a real equipment loss, not a repair bill, and lumping the replacement cost in with battery packs and props hides how often equipment actually needs replacing.
What we doLogs drone replacements as their own equipment purchase, separate from routine parts, so you can see true equipment turnover. -
2
Aviation liability insurance looks like a generic business expense
Coverage for flying aircraft over property and people costs more and matters more than ordinary liability insurance, and mixed in with a general insurance line it is easy to lose track of what you are actually paying for and why.
What we doKeeps aviation and equipment insurance in its own line so the cost of flying legally and safely is always visible. -
3
A multi-day site survey gets priced like a single flight
A construction site that needs three days of flights across a project's progress is a different job than a quick single-flight listing shot, but both can get billed as one flat line if the invoice does not separate them.
What we doTracks multi-day jobs by the flight day so a longer survey shows its real size instead of looking like one oversized invoice. -
4
Per-listing real estate work gets buried in a lump sum
Eight real estate listings shot in a week for different agents can land as one deposit from a shared payment app, hiding which agent and which listing actually paid.
What we doKeeps per-listing income broken out so you know which realtor relationships are actually worth the flight time. -
5
Registration and certification renewals get missed
Aircraft registration and recurring certification costs run on their own schedule, separate from software subscriptions, and a lapse can ground a paying job.
What we doKeeps registration and certification costs in their own category so renewals do not get lost in the noise.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a drone photography 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
- Site survey jobsConstruction and agriculture site flights, often billed by the day.
- Per-listing jobsReal estate flights billed per property.
- Event and inspection flightsOne-off jobs like roof inspections or event coverage.
- Licensing and usage feesWhen a client wants extended rights to aerial footage.
Money out
- EquipmentDrones and gimbals, logged so they get written off right.
- Flight equipment and partsBatteries, propellers, and routine replacement parts.
- InsuranceAviation liability and equipment coverage.
- Registration and certificationAircraft registration and recurring pilot certification costs.
- Editing softwareVideo and photo editing licenses for aerial footage.
- Travel to job sitesMileage and travel for site surveys and listings.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What a survey or listing brought in against replacement gear and travel costs.
- Equipment turnover
How often drones need replacing, so you can price jobs to cover it.
- Per-listing average
What each real estate listing actually nets after costs, worth knowing before a volume discount.
- The set-aside
What you will owe on flight and survey income, tracked monthly so April holds no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things drone business 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.
No, I log a lost or destroyed drone as its own equipment loss, separate from routine parts, so you can see how often you are really replacing aircraft.
Yes, it stays in its own insurance line either way, so you can see the real cost of flying legally and track it against your income.
Yes, I break out per-listing income so you can see which realtor relationships are actually worth the flight time.
The tax side
The tax side of a drone photography business.
Most of what goes wrong here is equipment losses filed as repairs and insurance mixed into a general expense line.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Drones and flight equipmentBusiness equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025, which applies to most drone purchases.
- Mileage to job sitesDriving to construction sites or listings in a personal vehicle can be deducted at the standard mileage rate, 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated drone businesses can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when the books are right all year.
- Self-employment tax on solo incomeA one-pilot business pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, so the set-aside has to cover both.
Deductions drone photography and videography businesses miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Drones and gimbals
- Replacement batteries and props
- Aviation liability insurance
- Registration and certification fees
- Editing software licenses
- Travel and mileage to job sites
- External drives and cloud backup
- Portfolio site hosting
- Continuing education courses
- Case and transport gear
- Camera and gimbal repairs
- Client contract and waiver tools
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 drone business year, kept every month.
Construction seasons and listing volume both move with the weather. Your books stay current no matter the season, and the return follows. 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 as flight season ramps back up, and a monthly set-aside means April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed as flight season picks back up. The set-aside covered it since January, so the bill is not a surprise.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring construction season changed the number.
- October
Before the season slows
Flight days often dip in colder months. Gus looks at equipment you might buy while work is still steady and moves worth making before December.
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 drone photography and videography 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 drone business owners ask first.
I lost a drone in a crash this year. How does that get handled in the books?
Gus logs it as an equipment loss, separate from routine battery and prop replacements, so you can see how often aircraft actually need replacing.
My aviation insurance costs more than a typical liability policy. Is that still deductible?
Yes. Insurance for the business is an ordinary deduction, and Gus keeps it in its own line so you can track the real cost of flying legally.
I get paid through a mix of checks, Venmo, and invoices depending on the client. Does that matter?
No, Gus sorts every payment by the job it was for no matter which way the money arrived.
A construction client needs flights across several months for one project. How does that get billed?
Gus tracks multi-day and multi-month site surveys by the flight day, so a long project shows its real size instead of looking like one lump invoice.
My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements and flight invoices you have. Gus sorts survey and listing income from equipment costs, 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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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