Consumer photography & video
Books and taxes for event photographers.
A deposit for a gala booked a year in advance, a travel fee for an out-of-town party, and a second shooter for a crowd too big for one camera. Gus keeps each one straight, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November brought in $14,500. Three deposits landed this month for events booked next spring, so I held those separate from what November's actual coverage earned.
- HoneyBook event depositAdvance deposits
- Corporate gala coverage payoutHourly coverage fees
- Hotel and flight, out-of-town eventTravel and lodging
- Second shooter pay, galaSecond shooter pay
- USB and gallery delivery suppliesDelivery and packaging
Why your books are different
An event photographer gets paid months before the work happens.
A generalist sees deposits and hourly invoices. Your business is a deposit collected a year before a gala, travel costs that come and go with the calendar, and a second shooter booked only for the biggest crowds. When the books do not know the timing, a slow booking month can look busier than it is.
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1
A deposit lands a year before the event
A corporate client books and pays a $1,500 deposit for a gala scheduled a full year out. Counted as income the month it lands, the books show revenue for an event that has not happened, and might not happen for another twelve months.
What we doHolds event deposits against the event date, so income counts in the month the coverage actually happens, not when the deposit arrived. -
2
Travel and lodging get mixed into coverage fees
An out-of-town event brings flight, hotel, and mileage costs on top of the coverage fee, but if those costs and the fee land in one lumped number, you cannot tell whether the travel was actually worth what you charged for it.
What we doKeeps travel and lodging in its own line, separate from the coverage fee, so you can see what an out-of-town booking really nets. -
3
Second shooters look like a flat cost every month
A second shooter booked only for large weddings-adjacent galas or big corporate parties can look like a random expense some months and not others, hiding the fact that it tracks directly with your biggest, highest-paying bookings.
What we doTies second shooter pay to the specific event it was booked for, so the cost is never a mystery next to the revenue it supported. -
4
A gear upgrade before a big season gets filed as supplies
A second camera body or a new flash system bought ahead of a heavy event season can run several thousand dollars. Filed as a supply purchase, it wrecks the month it was bought and understates the quieter months around it.
What we doLogs the purchase as equipment as soon as it happens, so the accountant can weigh how to write it off against your full year of bookings. -
5
A tip or cash gratuity never makes it into the books
A cash tip handed over after a great night of coverage is easy to pocket and forget, but it is still taxable income like any other payment for the work.
What we doAsks about cash tips and gratuities so they get logged, rather than left off the return by accident.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an event photography business.
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
- Advance depositsBooking deposits held against the actual event date, sometimes a year out.
- Hourly coverage feesThe balance paid for event coverage on the day itself.
- Travel fee reimbursementsClient payments toward flights, hotel, or mileage for out-of-town events.
- Album and print ordersPrints, albums, or wall art ordered after the event.
- Gratuities and tipsCash or card tips given for event coverage.
Money out
- Travel and lodgingFlights, hotels, and mileage for out-of-town coverage.
- Second shooter payHelp booked for the biggest or busiest events.
- Camera and lighting gearBodies, lenses, and flash systems logged so they get written off right.
- Editing and gallery softwareEditing subscriptions and client gallery delivery.
- Delivery and packagingUSB drives, boxes, and shipping for physical deliverables.
- Liability insuranceCoverage often required by venues before you can shoot there.
- Marketing and referralsAds and vendor referral relationships that bring in bookings.
What we watch for you
- Deposit backlog
Deposits held for events not yet covered, so a big booking month is not mistaken for a big earning month.
- Travel cost per booking
What out-of-town events really cost against what they pay, before you book another one far away.
- Second shooter cost share
How second shooter pay tracks against your biggest events, useful before pricing the next large booking.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, even with big bookings still months away.
Ask Gus
Things event photographers 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.
Because the work has not happened yet. I am holding it against next October's event and will count it as income then.
Yes, tips are taxable just like the rest of the payment. I keep a line for them so they do not get left off the return.
I already keep them separate, so you can see whether a far-off booking actually pays for the travel it takes to get there.
The tax side
The tax side of an event photography business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing on deposits and keeping travel visible against what it earns. Getting both right keeps the monthly number honest.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Advance deposits and revenue timingA deposit collected far ahead of an event usually belongs to the month the event actually happens, not the month it was paid, which matters for an accurate monthly and annual picture.
- Business travel to eventsMileage to a local event is tracked at 72.5 cents a mile January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile July through December 2026. Flights and hotels for out-of-town events are deductible business travel costs.
- Second shooter 1099sA second shooter or assistant paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Tips and gratuitiesCash or card tips received for event coverage are taxable income and should be tracked the same as any other payment received.
Deductions event photographers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Camera bodies and flash systems
- Second shooter pay
- Travel and lodging costs
- Editing software
- Gallery delivery tools
- USB drives and packaging
- Liability insurance
- Mileage to events
- Vendor referral marketing
- Continuing education
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 event photography year, kept every month.
Bookings come in a year ahead of the work itself. Your team keeps deposits and coverage sorted all year, not just at tax time. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Set next year's pace
Last year's return gets started, the second shooter 1099 list is finalized, and a monthly set-aside is planned around the year's booked events.
- April
Filed, deposits still ahead
Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering what you owe since January, no matter what is still booked out.
- July
A summer standing check
A look at how the year's covered events compare to what is still booked ahead, and what that means for what you will owe.
- October
Holiday event season
Corporate parties and galas book up fast. Gus keeps deposits and travel costs sorted as the season's biggest bookings land.
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 event photographers. 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 event photographers ask first.
How does Gus handle deposits for events booked a year out?
He holds the deposit against the event date and counts it as income the month the coverage actually happens, so your monthly number reflects real work.
Do I need to report cash tips from event coverage?
Yes. Tips are taxable income just like the rest of the payment, and Gus keeps a line for them so nothing gets left off the return.
Should travel costs for out-of-town events be tracked separately?
Yes. Gus keeps travel and lodging in its own line, separate from the coverage fee, so you can see what a far-off booking really nets.
My second shooter is only booked for the biggest events. Is that a problem?
No. Gus ties that pay to the specific event it supports, so it is never a mystery next to the revenue it helped bring in.
Do I write off a new camera or flash system all at once?
Often, yes. A camera or flash system bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy it, but the accountant weighs that against the rest of your year first.
My books are behind after a busy event season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send whatever statements you have and Gus works through the backlog, sorting deposits and coverage fees by the event they belong to.
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