IT & tech services

Books and taxes for ERP and NetSuite consultants.

A NetSuite rollout billed across four project milestones over six months, a consultant staffed onto a client's finance team for the go-live, a license resale commission, and a post-launch support contract. Your own bookkeeper 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
$19,300
what you made

February came in at $19,300. The go-live milestone for the Fenwick Manufacturing rollout was the third of four payments on that project, so I counted only the phase of work actually finished this month.

  • Fenwick Manufacturing milestone 3Milestone billing
  • NetSuite license resale commissionLicense commissions
  • Staff augmentation consultant, go-live weekContractor pay
  • Consultant payrollWages
  • NetSuite partner program feePartner program costs
Money in$74,500
Money out$55,200
Set aside for taxes$4,800
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

ERP consulting books go wrong at the milestone and the go-live week.

A generalist sees a big client invoice. Your business runs on rollout projects billed across months of milestones, consultants staffed directly onto a client's team during a go-live crunch, and commissions on the licenses you resell. When the books blend those, a single large payment can hide months of work still owed.

  1. 1

    A milestone payment covers work spanning several months

    An ERP rollout billed in four milestones over six months can pay out a large sum at the start of a phase, but if all of it is counted as earned the day it lands, the books say you made money on work you have not finished yet.

    What we doRecognizes milestone income against the phase of work actually completed, so a large payment does not overstate what was earned.
  2. 2

    A staffed consultant during go-live week looks like a plain expense

    Placing a consultant directly onto a client's finance team for an intense go-live week is a different kind of engagement than your usual project work, and if that consultant's pay is not tied to the project it supported, you cannot tell if the crunch week actually paid for itself.

    What we doKeeps staff augmentation billing and the consultant pay behind it tied to the specific project, apart from regular payroll.
  3. 3

    License resale commissions get mixed with project fees

    A commission earned for reselling ERP licenses to a client is a different kind of income than the consulting work itself, and if it is lumped into project billing, you cannot tell how much of your revenue depends on license sales versus your own labor.

    What we doKeeps license resale commissions in their own line, separate from milestone and project billing.
  4. 4

    A post-go-live support retainer hides inside new billing

    After a NetSuite rollout goes live, a smaller monthly support retainer often starts, and if it is not tracked on its own, it disappears inside milestone billing for whatever big rollout comes next.

    What we doTracks post-go-live support retainers on their own, so the steady income behind past rollouts stays visible even as new projects start.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an ERP and NetSuite consultant.

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

  • Milestone billingPayments tied to rollout phases, tracked against work completed.
  • License commissionsPayouts for reselling ERP or NetSuite licenses.
  • Support contractsOngoing help after a rollout goes live.
  • Staff augmentationConsultants billed directly onto a client's own team.

Money out

  • WagesPay for consultants on staff, kept apart from contractor pay.
  • Contractor paySpecialists brought in for go-live weeks or large rollouts.
  • Partner program costsFees to maintain vendor partner and certification status.
  • Business insuranceGeneral liability and technology errors-and-omissions coverage.
  • Continuing certification costsFees to keep ERP certifications current.

What we watch for you

  • Earned versus billed

    Milestone payments already collected against the phase of work actually completed, so income is never overstated.

  • Support contract floor

    Post-launch support income against total income, the steady base behind long rollout cycles.

  • Contractor spend

    What outside consultants are paid, tracked toward the 1099 threshold and tied to the project.

  • The set-aside

    The set-aside builds against milestones as they are actually earned, so a long rollout never leaves April short.

Ask Gus

Things ERP and NetSuite consultants 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.

A client paid a big milestone for a rollout phase that runs another two months. Is that all counted as income now?

Only the part actually earned so far. I hold the rest against the phase of work still ahead, so the number stays honest.

I staffed a consultant directly onto a client's team for their go-live week. Does that count differently than our usual work?

I keep staff augmentation billing and that consultant's pay tied to the same project, so you can see if the crunch week paid for itself.

I brought in a specialist for a go-live and paid her $7,200. Does she need a 1099?

Once someone outside payroll crosses $2,000 in a year they need one, and $7,200 is well past that line. I have the running total ready, so her form goes out by January 31.

The tax side

The tax side of an ERP and NetSuite consultant.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing: long rollout milestones counted too early, and license commissions blended into consulting fees instead of tracked as their own income.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Contractor 1099sAny consultant or specialist not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the running list all year.
  • Recognizing milestone incomePayments covering a rollout phase spanning several months are often better tracked against the work actually completed rather than counted all at once, so the books reflect what is truly earned.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when milestone, commission, and support income are tracked apart all year.
  • Equipment write-offsConsultant workstations and equipment bought for the business can usually be written off the year they are bought.

Deductions ERP and NetSuite consultants miss

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

  • Vendor partner program fees
  • Certification exam and renewal fees
  • Contractor and specialist pay
  • Business insurance
  • Technology errors-and-omissions coverage
  • Consultant travel to client sites
  • Training materials and vendor access
  • Business phone and internet
  • Conference and networking travel
  • Continuing education courses
  • Proposal and project management tools
  • Professional association dues

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 ERP consulting year, kept every month.

Rollouts run for months on their own schedule, not the calendar. Your team stays on the books every month, not just at tax time. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    New year, new rollouts

    Last year's return gets started, the consultant 1099 list is finalized, and a monthly set-aside is planned around this year's rollout milestones.

  2. April

    Filed, phases settled

    Your return is filed and signed, with each rollout's milestones already matched to the work completed.

  3. July

    Midway through the rollout

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this year's rollouts are staying on their milestone schedule.

  4. October

    Before next year's scope

    Gus looks at certifications or tools worth renewing before December and flags any milestones still owed against work already done.

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 ERP and NetSuite consultants. 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 ERP and NetSuite consultant owners ask first.

A rollout milestone paid out for work that spans several more months. How does Gus handle that?

Only the portion of work actually completed gets counted as earned, so a large milestone payment does not overstate what the month really brought in.

I staff a consultant directly onto a client's finance team during go-live week. Does that change the books?

It gets tracked as staff augmentation, tied to that project, so you can see whether the crunch week actually paid for itself.

I earn a commission when a client licenses NetSuite through me. Is that tracked separately from consulting fees?

Yes. License commissions get their own income line, so you can see how much of your revenue depends on license sales versus your own labor.

Does Gus handle the vendor certification renewals my consultants need?

Gus tracks the cost of certifications as a business expense, but renewing and maintaining them stays with you and the vendor.

My books are a mess of old milestone invoices, license commissions, and go-live staffing costs never sorted out. Can Gus untangle that?

Yes. Send what you have, even a year of tangled rollout invoices. Gus sorts milestones from commissions and staffing costs, the accountant checks it, 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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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