Consumer photography & video

Books and taxes for family history and legacy videographers.

A deposit at the contract, a payment at the rough cut, and a final payment months later when the film is delivered. Gus keeps each one straight, 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
DecemberExample month
$8,300
what you made

December earned $8,300. A family project split its final payment between three siblings, so I logged each payment against the one project rather than three separate jobs.

  • Project deposit, Thompson familyProject deposits
  • Final payment, sibling 2 of 3Milestone payments
  • Archival digitizing serviceDigitizing costs
  • Freelance editor, rough cutEditing and production
  • Interview travel, assisted living visitTravel and mileage
Money in$19,500
Money out$11,200
Set aside for taxes$1,700
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A legacy video project earns its money over months, not one afternoon.

A generalist sees deposits and final payments. Your business is a single project billed across a deposit, a rough cut milestone, and a final delivery, sometimes months apart, sometimes split between several family members. When the books do not track the project as one whole, no single month makes sense on its own.

  1. 1

    A project's payments get treated like separate jobs

    A family history project might collect a deposit in September, a rough cut payment in November, and a final payment in January, for one continuous piece of work. Booked as three unrelated payments, you cannot see what any single project actually earned.

    What we doTies every payment to the one project it belongs to, so you can see the full value of a project once it wraps, not just a scattered payment here and there.
  2. 2

    Sibling-split payments look like several small clients

    Adult children often split the cost of a parent's legacy film between two or three siblings, each paying their share separately. Logged as unrelated small payments, the books lose track of which family and project those payments actually belong to.

    What we doKeeps split payments tied to the single family project they are funding, so nothing gets miscounted as several smaller, unrelated jobs.
  3. 3

    Archival digitizing costs get buried in general supplies

    Sending old film reels, photographs, or tapes out to a digitizing service is a real, project-specific cost that can vary a lot from one family's archive to another, but it often gets lost in a general supplies category where nobody can see what it actually costs per project.

    What we doKeeps digitizing costs tied to the project that needed them, so you can see what archival work really costs against what a project charges.
  4. 4

    Freelance editors paid by the project look inconsistent

    A freelance editor brought in for a heavier project can make one month's costs look unusually high compared to a month with no big editing project, when nothing about the business itself has actually changed.

    What we doTies editor pay to the specific project it supports, so a heavier editing month is never mistaken for a problem.
  5. 5

    Long project timelines blur when income was actually earned

    A project that runs from an interview in the fall to a delivered film the following spring makes it easy to lose track of whether income belongs to the month it was paid or the months the actual work happened.

    What we doTracks milestone payments against the stage of work they were paid for, so income reflects the project's actual progress.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a legacy video 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

  • Project depositsThe initial payment collected when a family history project is booked.
  • Milestone paymentsPayments collected at a rough cut or other project stage before final delivery.
  • Final delivery paymentsThe closing payment made when the finished film is delivered.
  • Sibling-split paymentsIndividual payments from family members funding the same shared project.
  • Digitizing add-on feesCharges for converting old film, photos, or tapes as part of a project.

Money out

  • Archival digitizing costsWhat an outside digitizing service charges to convert old media.
  • Freelance editing and productionEditors and production help brought in per project.
  • Camera and audio gearCameras, microphones, and lighting logged so they get written off right.
  • Travel and mileageTrips to interviews, family homes, or assisted living communities.
  • Editing software and storageEditing subscriptions and long-term archival storage costs.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for filming in homes and care facilities.
  • Marketing and referralsOutreach to families and partnerships with senior communities.

What we watch for you

  • Project backlog

    Deposits and milestones collected for projects not yet delivered, so a strong payment month is not mistaken for a strong earning month.

  • Average project value

    What a full project earns once the deposit, milestone, and final payment are all counted together.

  • Digitizing cost per project

    What archival conversion actually costs against what a project charges for it.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, even across a project that spans several seasons.

Ask Gus

Things legacy videographers 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 project's deposit, rough cut payment, and final payment landed in three different months. How do you keep that straight?

I tie all three to the one project they belong to, so you can see the full value of that project once it wraps, not three unrelated payments.

Three siblings are each paying a third of their mom's project. Does that confuse things?

No, I keep those payments tied to the same family project, so it reads as one job funded three ways, not three separate small clients.

Do I need to track what I pay a digitizing service for old film reels?

Yes, and I tie that cost to the project it was for, so you can see what archival work actually costs against what you charge for it.

The tax side

The tax side of a legacy video business.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing across a long project and keeping outside costs visible. 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.

  • Milestone project incomeIncome from a project billed in stages usually belongs to the months the work actually happens, not just the month each payment lands, which matters for an accurate year-round picture.
  • Cameras and audio equipmentCamera bodies, microphones, and lighting gear bought for the business can usually be written off in the year purchased, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
  • Freelance editor 1099sA freelance editor or production assistant paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • Self-employment taxAn owner running the business as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, on earnings up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, alongside whatever a project's income tax bracket adds.

Deductions family history and legacy videographers miss

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

  • Camera and audio gear
  • Archival digitizing costs
  • Freelance editor pay
  • Editing software
  • Long-term storage costs
  • Mileage to interviews
  • Liability insurance
  • Continuing education
  • Website and portfolio hosting
  • Marketing to senior communities

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 legacy video year, kept every month.

Projects can run for months from first interview to finished film. Your team stays on the books the whole time, not just at tax time. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan around open projects

    Last year's return gets started, the freelance editor 1099 list is finalized, and a monthly set-aside is planned around ongoing projects.

  2. April

    Filed, projects still running

    Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering what you owe since January, even as long projects continue.

  3. July

    A look at open projects

    A look at how many long-running projects are still in progress and what their milestones mean for what you will owe.

  4. October

    Before the holiday visits

    Families gathering for the holidays often prompt new legacy projects. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before the season's interviews begin.

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 family history and legacy videographers. 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 legacy videographers ask first.

How does Gus track a project paid in three separate stages?

He ties the deposit, milestone, and final payment to the one project they belong to, so you can see its full value once it wraps, not three unrelated payments.

Does it matter that a family splits payment between siblings?

No. Gus keeps those payments tied to the same project, so it reads as one job funded several ways, not several smaller clients.

Can Gus track what I pay a digitizing service for old film and photos?

Yes. He ties that cost to the project it supports, so you can see what archival work costs against what the project charges.

Do I write off a new camera or audio gear all at once?

Often, yes. Camera and audio gear bought for the business can usually be deducted the year you buy it, with the accountant making the final call based on your full year.

My freelance editor only works on bigger projects. Does that need a 1099?

If you pay them $2,000 or more in 2026 and they are not on payroll, yes, a 1099-NEC is due by January 31. Gus keeps that list as you go.

My books are behind because projects run so long. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send what you have and Gus works through the backlog, tying old payments back to the projects they were actually for.

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