Performance marketing & lead gen

Books and taxes for email and SMS marketing agencies.

Flow build fees, a percentage of what Klaviyo or Attentive credits to your campaigns, carrier registration fees for texting, and sending tool costs that grow with a client's list. Gus 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
JanuaryExample month
$6,400
what you made

January came in at $6,400. Verity Skincare's Klaviyo-attributed revenue number got double-checked against their own sales before your share was booked, since multi-touch credit tends to run high.

  • Flow build fee, Verity SkincareFlow build fees
  • Attributed revenue shareRevenue share
  • 10DLC carrier registrationSMS compliance fees
  • Klaviyo subscription, list tierSending tool costs
  • Contractor email designerContent contractors
Money in$21,000
Money out$14,600
Set aside for taxes$1,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Email and SMS agency books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees a retainer and a software bill. Your business runs on flow build fees, a share of revenue a sending tool credits to your campaigns, carrier fees just to be allowed to text people, and a subscription bill that grows every time a client's list does.

  1. 1

    Attributed revenue share gets taken at face value

    Klaviyo and Attentive both like to credit a sale to more than one email or text that touched the customer along the way, so a rev share based on the tool's own attributed revenue number can run well above what the client actually believes you drove.

    What we doFlags attributed revenue against the client's own sales data before booking a share of it, so the number reflects something both sides agree on.
  2. 2

    SMS carrier fees get lumped in with software

    10DLC registration and per-message carrier fees are a cost of being allowed to text at all, separate from what you pay for the sending tool itself, and mixed together, you cannot see what compliance actually costs against your sending tool bill.

    What we doKeeps SMS carrier and registration fees in their own line, apart from sending tool subscriptions, so both costs are visible on their own.
  3. 3

    Sending tool costs jump when a client's list grows

    Klaviyo and Attentive both price by contact count, so a client's list doubling can double what you pay for their account, and if that increase is not tied to the client it came from, it looks like your own costs got away from you.

    What we doTies sending tool costs to the client account they serve, so a price jump reads as list growth, not a mystery increase in overhead.
  4. 4

    Flow builds and ongoing campaigns get billed as one thing

    A one-time flow build and a monthly campaign retainer are different products with different margins, and blended into one revenue line, you cannot tell which kind of work is actually worth taking on more of.

    What we doKeeps one-time flow fees separate from ongoing campaign retainers, so you can see which one is really paying off.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an email and SMS agency.

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

  • Flow build feesOne-time charges for building welcome, abandonment, and post-purchase flows.
  • Campaign management retainersMonthly fees for ongoing email and SMS campaigns.
  • Revenue shareA percentage of attributed revenue, confirmed against the client's own sales data.
  • List growth project feesOne-time charges for pop-up, giveaway, or opt-in campaigns.

Money out

  • Sending tool costsKlaviyo, Attentive, or Postscript, priced by a client's contact list size.
  • SMS compliance fees10DLC registration and carrier fees for text messaging.
  • Contractor designers and copywritersFreelance help for email and SMS content.
  • List growth incentive costsDiscount codes or giveaways used to grow a client's list.
  • Payment processing feesWhat a processor keeps before a payment lands.

What we watch for you

  • Attributed versus confirmed revenue

    How far a sending tool's own attribution runs above what a client actually confirms, so rev share stays honest.

  • Tool cost per client

    Sending tool cost against that client's retainer, so list growth does not quietly eat your margin.

  • Flow versus retainer mix

    How much of your revenue is one-time build work against ongoing campaign management.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked against flow fees and confirmed rev share every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things email and SMS agency 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.

Klaviyo says our flows drove $40,000 in attributed revenue, but the client thinks it's lower. Who's right?

I don't book a rev share off the tool's own number alone. I flag it against what the client confirms in their sales, so your share is based on something you both agree on.

My Klaviyo bill for one client jumped $200 this month. Did I misconfigure something?

Probably not. I tied that cost to the client's account, and their list grew, which is usually why the price moves, not a setup problem.

I just paid a 10DLC registration fee to be able to text on behalf of a new client. Is that deductible?

Yes. I keep carrier and registration fees in their own line, separate from your sending tool subscription, so both costs are clear.

The tax side

The tax side of an email and SMS agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is what a number actually measures. Attributed revenue treated as confirmed, and compliance fees blended into a software bill.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Attributed revenue needs confirmationA sending tool's own attributed revenue figure often runs higher than a client's actual sales lift. A rev share should be confirmed against the client's own numbers before it counts as income.
  • Contractor 1099sAny US-based designer or copywriter not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current all year.
  • SMS compliance costs10DLC registration and carrier fees are ordinary costs of running text campaigns, deductible as their own category apart from your sending tool subscription.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when attributed revenue and tool costs are sorted correctly all year.

Deductions email and SMS marketing agencies miss

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

  • Klaviyo, Attentive, or Postscript
  • 10DLC and carrier registration fees
  • Contractor designers and copywriters
  • List growth incentive costs
  • Home office or coworking desk
  • Laptop and monitors
  • Payment processing fees
  • Business phone and internet
  • Industry conference travel
  • Continuing education and courses

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 email and SMS agency year, on the books every month.

Ecommerce clients live and die by the holiday quarter, but taxes still run on a calendar. Your team keeps you ahead of both. 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, your 1099 list for domestic designers is ready, and a monthly set-aside begins so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has tracked flow fees and confirmed rev share every month since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a spring list growth push changed the number.

  4. October

    Before send volume spikes

    Flow and campaign send volume typically jumps fast once the holiday shopping season begins. Before that spike lands, Gus looks at what's worth setting aside 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 email and SMS marketing agencies. 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 email and SMS agency owners ask first.

Klaviyo's attributed revenue number seems high. Should my rev share be based on that?

Gus flags the tool's attributed number against what the client confirms in their own sales before booking your share, since multi-touch attribution tends to run higher than what a client will agree actually came from your work.

Why did my sending tool bill for one client jump this month?

Most likely their contact list grew, since Klaviyo and Attentive both price by list size. Gus ties that cost to the client's account, so the jump reads as their growth, not a mistake on your end.

Are 10DLC and carrier fees a real business deduction?

Yes. They're the cost of being allowed to text on a client's behalf, and Gus keeps them in their own line, separate from your sending tool bill, so both are clearly deductible.

I build flows for some clients and run ongoing campaigns for others. Does that matter for the books?

Yes. Gus keeps one-time flow fees and ongoing retainers separate, so you can see which kind of engagement is actually worth taking on more of.

My email designer works as a contractor from Portugal. Does she get a 1099?

Probably not a 1099-NEC, since she is based in Portugal and is not a US person. Gus flags her file so the accountant can confirm the right paperwork, likely a W-8BEN.

My books are behind since I added SMS services to what used to be an email-only shop. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have, SMS costs included. Gus sorts email and text activity into their own lines from there, 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.

More in performance marketing & lead gen

We keep books for the business next door too.

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