Accounting, tax & financial pros
Books and taxes for tax resolution firms.
Case retainers, milestone fees when an offer gets accepted, transcript and filing costs, and representation hours that run long. 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
August made $16,000. The offer in compromise milestone fee from the Delgado case landed this month, I kept it apart from the upfront retainers so you can see it was the case closing, not new client volume.
- New case retainersUpfront retainers
- Delgado case milestone feeMilestone fees
- Case manager payrollStaff wages
- IRS transcript service feeCase filing costs
- Canopy Tax subscriptionPractice management software
Why your books are different
A tax resolution practice's own books go wrong in a few predictable spots.
You spend all day untangling clients from years of bad recordkeeping. Your own firm's books hide the same kind of mess, because a case that takes eight months to resolve does not pay evenly across those eight months.
-
1
Upfront retainers and milestone fees blend together
A client pays a retainer to start a case and another fee when an offer in compromise or installment agreement gets accepted, but if both land in the same revenue line, you cannot tell how much of a good month came from new cases versus old ones finally closing.
What we doKeeps upfront retainers and milestone or success fees in separate lines, so new business and closed cases are easy to tell apart. -
2
A long case makes one month look great and the next look empty
Representation work often runs months on a flat fee agreed at the start, so all the income lands the day the case closes even though the work happened steadily for half a year.
What we doFlags large case fees against how long the case ran, so a strong month reads as the payoff of steady work, not a lucky spike. -
3
Transcript and filing costs get lost in supplies
Fees for pulling IRS transcripts, filing powers of attorney, and processing case documents are small individually but add up fast across a busy caseload, and they usually disappear into a general supplies line.
What we doKeeps case filing and transcript costs in their own category, so the real cost of running a caseload is visible. -
4
Contingent case income gets treated like guaranteed revenue
A fee tied to an accepted offer or a reduced penalty is not guaranteed the day the case opens, but booking it as if it were makes the practice look more predictable than it actually is.
What we doKeeps contingent milestone income separate from steady retainer income, so the dependable base of the practice stays visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a tax resolution practice.
Set up once for how your practice bills and spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Upfront retainersWhat a client pays to open a new resolution case.
- Milestone feesPaid when an offer, installment plan, or penalty reduction is accepted.
- Hourly representation feesAdditional hours billed beyond the case retainer.
- Referral incomeCases sent over by accounting firms or attorneys.
Money out
- Staff wagesCase managers and support staff on payroll.
- Case filing costsIRS transcript pulls, power of attorney filings, and document processing.
- Practice management softwareCanopy Tax or similar case tracking tools.
- Enrolled agent renewal and continuing educationWhat it costs to keep the credential current.
- Professional liability insuranceCoverage for representation work.
- Referral fees paidWhat you pay attorneys or accounting firms who send cases.
What we watch for you
- Retainer versus milestone split
New case income against closed case income, so a strong month is read correctly.
- Case cost per file
Transcript and filing costs against your open caseload, so overhead per case is visible.
- Case age
How long open cases have been running, so income timing makes sense against the work behind it.
- Referral share
How much of the caseload comes from other professionals, so that relationship's value is clear.
Ask Gus
Things tax resolution practice 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.
Not a problem, just worth knowing. I keep milestone fees separate from new retainers, so you can see this was one case paying off, not a jump in new business.
About $600 this month across your open cases. I keep that in its own line so it does not disappear into general supplies.
That one is above my pay grade, it depends on your cash needs and case mix. I can hand the accountant your retainer-versus-milestone split so that conversation starts with real numbers.
The tax side
The tax side of running a tax resolution practice.
Most of what trips up your own return is timing, the same issue you resolve for clients every day, just pointed at your own books instead.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Timing milestone income rightA fee tied to a case outcome is usually earned when the milestone happens, not the day the retainer was collected. Getting that timing right matters more for your own return than it seems.
- 1099s for contract case managersA contract case manager or preparer paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment tax for a solo practiceA sole enrolled agent pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on net profit, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base. Electing S corp status by March 15 changes how much of that profit is taxed that way.
- Solo retirement plan limitsA one-person practice can defer up to $24,500 into a solo 401(k), plus $8,000 more at 50 and older, lowering taxable profit for a strong year.
Deductions tax resolution firms miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Enrolled agent renewal fees
- Continuing education courses
- IRS transcript service fees
- Case management software
- Professional liability insurance
- Power of attorney filing costs
- Secure client document storage
- Home office costs
- Mileage to IRS offices or hearings
- Referral fees paid out
- Phone and fax line for case work
- Continuing education travel
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 tax resolution practice's year, kept every month.
Cases open and close on their own schedule, not the calendar's. Gus keeps your own numbers steady in the background, whatever your caseload looks like this month. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
New year, new cases
Fresh cases open after the holidays, last year's own return gets started, and a set-aside gets planned around your milestone fee patterns.
- April
Your return, filed and closed
Your own return is filed and signed, timed around whatever cases are active, so it does not compete with client deadlines.
- July
Midyear case check
Where the practice stands, how many cases closed on milestone fees, and whether the caseload is paying for itself.
- October
Before the year's last cases close
A look at what to buy or set aside before December, and which open cases are likely to close before the year turns.
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 tax resolution firms. 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 tax resolution practice owners ask first.
Can Gus tell the difference between a retainer and a milestone fee?
Yes. They stay in separate lines, so a big month from a case closing does not get mistaken for new client growth.
We already use Canopy Tax for case tracking. Does anything change?
No. Keep running cases the way you do. Gus works from your practice's bank statement and asks once if a deposit is unclear.
How does Gus handle a case that takes ten months to resolve?
The fee gets flagged against how long the case ran, so a big payout reads as months of steady work paying off, not a lucky month.
I refer some clients to a bankruptcy attorney and get a fee back. Does that count as income?
Yes, and it stays in its own referral income line, separate from case retainers, so you can see what that relationship is actually worth.
My own bookkeeping has been behind since tax season. Is that fixable?
Yes. Case work eats the calendar every year. Send what you have and Gus works through it in the background, with the accountant checking behind him, so you are not starting from zero again next January.
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