Advisors, lenders & money services
Books and taxes for equipment financing brokers.
A funding commission from a finance company, a referral fee owed to the equipment dealer who sent the buyer, a lease-end buyout fee on a deal closed three years ago. Your own bookkeeper sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
April brought in $11,300. Two lease-end buyout fees closed from deals funded back in 2023, so I kept them apart from this month's new fundings.
- Finance company commissionFunding commissions
- Lease-end buyout feeBuyout fees
- Dealer referral fee paidDealer referral fees
- UCC filing costsFiling costs
- Credit application softwareOrigination software
Why your books are different
An equipment financing broker's books go wrong in a few particular spots.
A generalist bookkeeper sees a commission and calls the deal closed and done. Your business runs on referrals from equipment dealers who expect a cut, and a deal funded years ago can still pay a fee today when the lease finally ends.
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1
A lease-end buyout fee looks like new business
A deal funded three years ago can generate another fee today when the customer exercises a buyout option, and if that fee gets mixed in with fresh fundings, the month looks like it had more new business than it actually did.
What we doKeeps lease-end buyout fees in their own line apart from new funding commissions, so growth is measured against real new deals. -
2
Dealer referral fees get missed or double counted
An equipment dealer who sends a buyer to the broker often expects a referral fee on the funded deal, and without a clear link between the deal and the dealer who sent it, that payout either gets forgotten or paid twice.
What we doTies every dealer referral fee to the specific funded deal, so payouts happen once, correctly, and the dealer relationship's value is visible. -
3
Filing costs get treated as the broker's own expense
A UCC filing fee to record a lender's security interest in the financed equipment is often collected from the deal and passed straight to the filing service, and counting it as the broker's own cost overstates what the deal actually cost to run.
What we doKeeps filing costs that pass through to a deal separate from the broker's own ongoing operating expenses. -
4
Different finance companies pay on different schedules
A broker working with several finance companies, one for trucks, another for medical or manufacturing equipment, gets paid on different timelines and rates, and blending all of it into one commission line hides which lender relationships are actually worth the most.
What we doKeeps commissions labeled by finance company, so you can see which lender relationships are producing the best return.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an equipment financing brokerage.
Set up once for how the brokerage earns fees across new deals and old ones coming due. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Funding commissionsFees paid by a finance company once a new equipment deal funds, tracked by lender.
- Buyout feesFees earned coordinating a lease-end buyout on a deal closed in prior years.
- Documentation feesFlat fees charged to the buyer for preparing financing paperwork.
- Referral incomeFees received for sending a deal to another lender or broker.
Money out
- Dealer referral feesPayouts to the equipment dealer who sent the buyer to the broker.
- Filing costsUCC filing fees that pass through on behalf of a specific funded deal.
- Origination softwareCredit application and file preparation tools.
- Licensing and registrationState broker registration renewals across the states the brokerage funds deals in.
- InsuranceErrors and omissions coverage sized for equipment deal volume.
- Contract laborContract processors or account managers paid outside payroll.
What we watch for you
- Commission by lender
Which finance company relationships actually produce the best return.
- Buyout fee share
How much of income is from old deals maturing versus fresh fundings.
- Dealer referral cost
What each equipment dealer relationship costs against the deals it produces.
- The set-aside
What the brokerage will owe across new deals and old buyouts, tracked all year.
Ask Gus
Things equipment financing brokers 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. It stays in its own buyout fee line, separate from new fundings, so this month's real new business is not overstated.
I tie the fee to that specific deal, so it is clear whether it has been paid, and you can see what each dealer relationship is worth over time.
No, that passes straight through to the filing service. I keep it separate from your own commission so your real income is accurate.
The tax side
The tax side of an equipment financing brokerage.
Most of what matters here is keeping new commissions, old buyout fees, and pass-through costs separated, since the underlying tax rules are otherwise routine.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Buyout fees are income in the year they are earnedA lease-end buyout coordination fee is generally taxable in the year the buyout closes, not the year the original lease funded. Gus tracks both dates so the accountant applies the right year.
- Pass-through filing costs are not the broker's incomeA UCC filing fee collected from a deal and paid to a filing service is not revenue the broker earned, and should not be reported as such on the broker's own return.
- Combined commission profit and the S corp questionNew funding commissions and older buyout fees add up to one profit figure, taxed at 15.3 percent for self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base for 2026, worth weighing against an S corp election due March 15.
- 1099s for dealer referrals and contract staffA dealer or contract processor paid a referral fee gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if paid $2,000 or more in 2026 and not on payroll.
Deductions equipment financing brokers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Origination and credit application software
- UCC filing service fees
- State broker registration fees
- Dealer referral fees paid out
- Errors and omissions insurance
- Continuing education courses
- Office rent
- Phone and data plans
- Marketing and dealer relationship costs
- Conference and trade show travel
- Laptop and office equipment
- Background checks for contract staff
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 equipment financing brokerage's year, kept every month.
New deals fund all year while old leases mature on their own schedule. Your team keeps the brokerage's own books current through both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Year planned
Equipment purchases often pick up as businesses plan the year's capital spending, 1099s go out for dealers and contractors, and last year's return gets started.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with new commissions and old buyout fees kept in their own lines all year, so the total is accurate.
- July
Halfway check
Where the brokerage stands, what it will owe, and how many older leases are coming up on their buyout window.
- October
Before year end
A look at which dealer relationships are worth expanding, and equipment or software worth buying 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 equipment financing brokers. 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 equipment financing brokers ask first.
A lease I funded years ago just paid a buyout fee. Does Gus count that as new business?
No. Buyout fees stay in their own line apart from new fundings, so this month's real new business is not overstated by an old deal maturing.
I owe referral fees to several equipment dealers. Can Gus keep those straight?
Yes. Each dealer's referral fee gets tied to the specific deal it came from, so you can see what each relationship is worth and confirm every payout happens once.
Does Gus help me find finance companies or negotiate rates for buyers?
No. Gus and your bookkeeper only keep the brokerage's own books, what it makes and spends. Sourcing lenders and negotiating terms stays entirely with you.
I work with different finance companies for trucks versus manufacturing equipment. Can Gus track those separately?
Yes. Commissions get labeled by finance company, so you can see which lender relationships are actually the most valuable.
The UCC filing fee I collect from a borrower, is that part of my revenue?
No. It passes through to the filing service and stays separate from your own commission, so your real fee income is accurate.
My books have not kept old buyout fees separate from new deals. Can Gus fix that going forward?
Yes. Send the bank statements and deal records you have, and Gus separates old buyout fees from new commissions so the trend is clear going forward.
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