Security & life safety
Books and taxes for executive protection firms.
Day-rate details, monthly retainers, travel that gets billed back to the client, and agents you call in for a last-minute assignment. 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
September came in at $16,500. The Lang travel detail reimbursed its own flights and hotel, so I kept that pass-through separate from your day-rate fee.
- Corporate retainer, Q3Monthly retainer billing
- Lang detail, day rateAssignment day-rate billing
- Lang detail, travel reimbursementClient travel pass-through
- Subcontracted agent, out-of-state detailSubcontracted agent fees
- Hotel and airfare, Lang detailClient travel pass-through
Why your books are different
Executive protection books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and travel receipts. Your business is day rates, monthly retainers, travel that the client reimburses dollar for dollar, and agents you bring in from another state for a single detail. When the books do not know that, your real fee gets lost inside the client's own expenses.
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1
Client travel reimbursement looks like income
A client wires money to cover a detail's flights and hotel, and if that gets counted as your fee, your revenue looks inflated and your margin looks thin, when really the money passed straight through.
What we doBooks travel pass-through as its own category on both sides, so your actual day-rate fee is what shows up as income. -
2
Retainers and one-off details blur together
A standing monthly retainer and a short-notice single-day assignment are both just deposits if nobody separates them, and you cannot tell which part of the business is steady and which is a good month.
What we doKeeps retainer billing and one-off assignment billing on separate lines, so you can see what you can count on. -
3
Subcontracted agents look like your own payroll
When a detail needs an agent licensed in another state, you often bring in a subcontractor for that one job. Paid like a regular hire, it hides who is actually on your payroll versus who works job to job.
What we doKeeps subcontracted agent fees apart from staff wages, so your real headcount cost is clear. -
4
Non-disclosure work leaves a thin paper trail
Client confidentiality means invoices are often vague on purpose, and a vague invoice with no note attached is hard to reconcile months later.
What we doKeeps a plain internal note on every deposit, kept separate from anything shared with the client, so the books stay clear without breaking confidentiality.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an executive protection firm.
Set up once for how you bill and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Monthly retainer billingStanding corporate or private client retainers.
- Assignment day-rate billingYour fee for a single detail or short assignment, apart from travel costs.
- Client travel pass-throughFlights, hotels, and per diem the client reimburses dollar for dollar.
- Advance and planning feesFees for site surveys and advance work before a principal arrives.
Money out
- Agent wagesPay for staff protective agents.
- Subcontracted agent feesAgents brought in for out-of-state or overflow details.
- Client travel pass-throughThe same flights and hotels billed back to the client, kept mirrored on both sides.
- Firearms and equipmentLicensed agent gear, communications equipment, and armored transport where used.
- Liability insuranceCoverage scaled to close protection risk.
- Licensing and certificationState licensing and continuing certification for principals and agents.
What we watch for you
- Retainer share
Standing retainers against total revenue. Shows how much of the business you can count on month to month.
- Pass-through balance
Client travel billed in against travel billed out. Should net near zero if reimbursement is tracked right.
- Subcontracted agent cost
Fees paid to outside agents against total labor. High and rising can mean it is time to hire staff for that region.
- The set-aside
What you will owe on retainer and detail income, tracked monthly so April is no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things executive protection 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.
Most of that was flight and hotel reimbursement passing through, not your fee. I split it out so your real day-rate income is clear.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on your payroll, they need a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running.
No. I keep a plain internal note on every deposit for our own records, separate from anything shown to the client, so the books stay clear either way.
The tax side
The tax side of an executive protection firm.
Most of what goes wrong here is travel pass-through and agent classification. Get those two right and the rest is timing.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Subcontracted agent classificationAn agent who sets their own schedule, uses their own gear, and works detail to detail is usually a legitimate contractor. One who works your schedule under your direction is usually an employee.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, such as an out-of-state subcontracted agent, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Travel expense pass-throughTravel a client reimburses dollar for dollar is usually not taxable profit the way your day-rate fee is, but it still needs to be tracked and matched on both sides for the return.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, calculated on your real fee, not the travel a client reimburses. It comes out right when pass-through is kept separate all year.
Deductions executive protection firms miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Agent liability insurance
- Communications equipment
- State licensing and certification
- Continuing education and range time
- Armored transport costs
- Advance work travel not billed to a client
- Background check fees for new agents
- Secure phone and encrypted messaging plans
- Office space for planning and scheduling
- Professional membership 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 executive protection year, kept every month.
Details come up on short notice any month of the year. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Details planned, year ahead
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for subcontracted agents is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Return filed, retainers steady
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since travel pass-through and your real fee have been tracked apart all year.
- July
A midyear travel check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer travel details changed the number.
- October
Before year-end retainers renew
Retainer contracts often reset in the new year. Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making 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 executive protection 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 executive protection owners ask first.
Can Gus keep client travel reimbursement out of my income numbers?
Yes. He books travel pass-through separately from your day-rate fee, so your real income and margin are not inflated by money that just moved through.
How does Gus handle a subcontracted agent for a single detail?
The fee gets booked apart from staff wages, and if you pay that agent $2,000 or more in the year, Gus keeps them on the 1099 list so it is ready by January 31.
My invoices don't say much because of client confidentiality. Does that cause problems?
No. Gus keeps a plain internal note on every deposit for the books, kept apart from anything shared with the client, so nothing has to be spelled out on paper you send them.
Is a monthly retainer taxed differently than a one-off day-rate job?
No, both are ordinary business income. Gus just keeps them on separate lines so you can see how much of your revenue is steady versus assignment by assignment.
My books are behind from travel season. Is that a problem?
No. Send whatever statements you have, retainer deposits and travel reimbursements included. Gus sorts out what is your fee and what is pass-through, usually 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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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