Legal

Books and taxes for elder law attorneys.

Medicaid planning fees, guardianship work that needs court approval before it is paid, VA benefits consultations, and an adult child paying for a parent's plan. Gus 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
FebruaryExample month
$10,500
what you made

February came in at $10,500. The Ferris guardianship fee finally cleared after the judge signed off on it, so I booked it the month it was actually approved, not the month the hours were billed.

  • Medicaid planning fee, OkaforMedicaid planning fees
  • Ferris guardianship fee, approvedCourt-approved guardianship pay
  • VA benefits consultationVA benefits work
  • Probate court filing feeCourt and filing fees
  • Legal research subscriptionLegal research
Money in$26,000
Money out$15,500
Set aside for taxes$2,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Elder law books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist bills for hours and expects to get paid. Your business is guardianship fees a judge has to approve before they clear, a family member paying for a parent who is the actual client, and planning work that keeps coming back as health and finances change.

  1. 1

    Guardianship fees need a judge's approval before they are paid

    Fees for representing a protected person in a guardianship or conservatorship matter are often subject to court approval, so the hours get billed on one timeline and the actual payment can land months later once a judge signs off.

    What we doBooks guardianship fee income when it is actually approved and paid, not when the hours were originally billed, so the timing matches how the money really moves.
  2. 2

    The payer is not always the client

    An adult child often pays the bill for a parent's Medicaid or long-term care planning, and if the books do not distinguish who paid from who the plan is actually for, it gets confusing to track which family relationship is generating the work.

    What we doTracks each fee against the matter it belongs to, regardless of which family member's card or check paid it, so the picture of your caseload stays accurate.
  3. 3

    Medicaid planning work is priced differently than a simple will

    Asset spend-down and Medicaid eligibility planning takes real analysis and ongoing attention as rules and a client's health change, and if it is billed the same as a routine estate planning package, the firm can end up underpricing genuinely complex work.

    What we doKeeps Medicaid planning fees in their own line, separate from simpler flat fee work, so the firm can see what this more demanding work is actually worth.
  4. 4

    VA benefits consultations get folded into general planning fees

    Helping a veteran or a surviving spouse navigate VA aid and attendance benefits is its own specialized service, and if it disappears into a general planning fee, it is hard to tell whether that offering is worth marketing on its own.

    What we doKeeps VA benefits work in its own line, so you can see whether it is worth building out as its own service.
  5. 5

    A client's plan comes back for updates as circumstances change

    Unlike a one-time estate plan, elder law clients often need updates as health declines or a care situation changes, and if that follow-up work is not tracked as its own category, it is easy to lose track of ongoing client relationships.

    What we doKeeps update and follow-up work visible as its own kind of billing, separate from a brand-new client's first engagement.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an elder law practice.

Set up once for how each kind of work gets paid. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Medicaid planning feesAsset spend-down and long-term care eligibility planning work.
  • Court-approved guardianship payGuardianship and conservatorship fees paid once a judge signs off.
  • VA benefits workConsultations and filings for VA aid and attendance and related benefits.
  • Flat fee estate documentsWills, powers of attorney, and health care directives billed at a set price.

Money out

  • Court and filing feesGuardianship, conservatorship, and probate court costs.
  • Legal researchElder law and Medicaid-specific research services.
  • Staff and paralegal wagesThe people who track filings and follow-up care plan changes.
  • Malpractice insuranceAnnual or quarterly professional liability premiums.
  • Document drafting softwareEstate and elder law specific drafting tools.
  • Marketing and referral outreachOutreach to care facilities, financial advisors, and community groups.

What we watch for you

  • Guardianship approval lag

    How long it typically takes a court to approve a guardianship fee after the work was billed.

  • Medicaid planning share

    How much of the month is complex Medicaid work versus simpler flat fee documents.

  • Repeat client rate

    How much income is coming from past clients returning for plan updates.

  • The set-aside

    What the firm will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.

Ask Gus

Things elder law attorneys 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.

The Ferris guardianship fee finally got approved this month, but we billed those hours back in October. Which month counts?

February, since that is when the judge actually approved it and the money cleared. I book it on the timeline the payment really followed, not when the hours were first billed.

An adult daughter is paying for her mother's Medicaid planning. Does that change how it gets booked?

No, I track the fee against the mother's matter since that is whose plan it is, regardless of whose card or check actually paid it.

Do I owe our care consultant a 1099 this year?

If you paid them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on your payroll, that is a 1099-NEC due January 31, and I have been keeping that list current.

The tax side

The tax side of an elder law practice.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing between when guardianship hours are billed and when a court actually approves the fee, plus telling apart who paid from whose matter the work belongs to.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Court-approved fees count when actually paidGuardianship and conservatorship fees become income once a judge approves them and payment clears, which can be well after the underlying hours were billed.
  • A busy Medicaid planning year can hit the deduction ceilingMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit, but law counts as a specified service trade, so a strong year of Medicaid planning and guardianship work can push taxable income above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, where the deduction begins to shrink.
  • 1099s for care consultants and contract staffA contract paralegal or care consultant who helps with plans, paid $2,000 or more in 2026 and not on payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • Solo 401(k) after a strong planning yearA solo elder law attorney with no other full-time employees can defer up to $24,500 into a solo 401(k), plus an $8,000 catch-up at 50 and over, in a year Medicaid planning and guardianship work runs strong.

Deductions elder law attorneys miss

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

  • Bar dues and CLE
  • Malpractice insurance
  • Document drafting software
  • Legal research subscriptions
  • Court and filing fees on the firm's own matters
  • Mileage to court and client visits
  • Payment processing fees
  • Office rent and utilities
  • Referral outreach to care facilities
  • Case management software
  • Printing and binding for signed documents
  • Answering or intake service 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

An elder law year, kept every month.

Guardianship approvals and care needs move on their own timeline, not the calendar. Gus keeps the set-aside steady either way. 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 help is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned around a mix of flat fee and court-approved work.

  2. April

    Filed, court approvals and all

    Your return is filed and signed, counting guardianship fees the court approved this year and Medicaid planning work alike. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where the firm stands, how guardianship approvals are trending, and whether the set-aside still fits.

  4. October

    Before year end

    A look at any equipment or software worth buying before December, and a check on which past clients may need a plan update.

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 elder law attorneys. 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 elder law attorneys ask first.

Why does Gus wait to book a guardianship fee until it is court approved?

Because that is when the payment actually clears. Guardianship fees are often subject to court approval, and booking income when the hours were billed instead would not match when the firm actually got paid.

An adult child pays for a parent's Medicaid planning. Whose matter does that count as?

Gus tracks the fee against the parent's plan, since that is whose matter it actually is, regardless of which family member's card or check paid the bill.

We do a lot of Medicaid asset planning, which takes more work than a simple will. Can Gus show that?

Yes. Medicaid planning fees stay in their own line, separate from simpler flat fee documents, so you can see what this more demanding work is actually worth to the practice.

Clients come back years later for plan updates as their health changes. Does Gus track that?

Yes, follow-up work stays visible as its own kind of billing, so you can see how much of the month is returning clients versus brand new engagements.

Our income depends on court schedules we cannot control. Does that hurt our taxes?

No. Gus builds the set-aside around fees as courts actually approve and pay them, so waiting on a judge's calendar does not leave the firm short when April comes.

Can Gus show me whether Medicaid planning or guardianship work is actually worth the most?

Yes. The two stay in separate lines, so over time you can see which kind of engagement is actually bringing in the most for the hours it takes.

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