Live events & performance
Books and taxes for fireworks companies.
A city contract paid in installments, product bought months before the Fourth of July, a licensed crew paid a show fee, and insurance that costs more than most vendors on the site. Gus sorts each apart, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June cleared $18,500 across eight shows. The shell and product order for July 4th is booked as inventory, not a straight supply cost.
- City contract, installment twoShow contracts
- HOA deposit, community showShow contracts
- Pyrotechnic product orderProduct and shells
- Licensed crew, show feesCrew labor
- Event liability insurance premiumInsurance
Why your books are different
A fireworks company's books go wrong the same way, season after season.
A generalist sees a city check and a supply bill. Your business is a show contract paid in pieces, product bought and stored months before it is used, a licensed crew paid per show, and insurance that runs higher than almost any other event business. When the books do not separate those, the Fourth of July rush looks like a mess instead of a season.
-
1
Product bought months ahead gets counted as this month's cost
Shells and product ordered in the spring for a summer show season are not spent the day they arrive, they sit in inventory until the show they are used for, and expensed too early they make a slow spring look worse than it is.
What we doKeeps product purchases in inventory until the show they are used for, so the cost lands against the right season, not the order date. -
2
A show contract paid in installments gets split across the wrong months
A city or HOA contract often pays a deposit months before the show and the balance after, and if those pieces are not tied together, no single show's real profit is visible.
What we doKeeps both halves of a contract tied to the show it is for, so the full payment shows up together against the right date. -
3
Licensed crew pay looks like a flat labor line
A licensed pyrotechnician crew paid a show fee is a different cost than general labor, and lumped together it hides how much of a show's budget goes to the licensed operators required to run it safely.
What we doKeeps licensed crew pay in its own category, separate from any general labor, so the real cost of running a show is visible. -
4
Insurance and permit costs get treated as one flat overhead line
Event liability insurance for pyrotechnics runs far higher than most event businesses carry, and per-show permit fees add on top. Blended into general overhead, it is hard to see what insurance and permitting really cost per show.
What we doKeeps insurance and permits in their own category, so the true cost of being licensed to operate is visible season over season. -
5
Leftover or damaged product gets ignored instead of written off
Product that does not sell through in a season, or shells damaged in storage, can sit as inventory on the books long after it has no real value.
What we doFlags aging or unusable inventory for the accountant, so it gets written off instead of sitting as a phantom asset.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a fireworks company.
Set up once for how a show makes money and where it goes. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Show contractsCity, HOA, and venue contracts for a scheduled display.
- Private and corporate showsWeddings, corporate events, and private celebrations.
- Consulting and design feesShow design work billed separately from the display itself.
- Retail product salesAny consumer-grade product sold directly, where licensed.
Money out
- Product and shellsAerial shells, mortars, and display product bought for the season.
- Crew laborLicensed pyrotechnician show fees, kept apart from general labor.
- InsuranceEvent liability coverage, typically the largest fixed cost per show.
- Permits and inspectionsState and local permits required for each display.
- Storage and magazine feesLicensed storage for product between shows.
- Trucks and transportFuel, maintenance, and hazmat-compliant transport for the fleet.
- Firing systems and equipmentElectronic firing modules and mortar racks, logged for write-offs.
- Site cleanup and disposalDebris removal and dud disposal after a show.
What we watch for you
- Product cost per show
What shells and product actually cost against the contract price, before you bid the next season.
- Insurance and permit share
How much of a show's budget goes to coverage and permits, the biggest fixed cost in this business.
- Contract backlog
How much of next season's revenue is already under contract before the first show.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number already known.
Ask Gus
Things fireworks company 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.
It does not have to. I keep that product in inventory until the shows it is used for, so April is not stuck absorbing a whole season's cost at once.
Yes. Licensed crew pay stays in its own category, apart from general labor, so you can see what the licensed side of a show really costs.
That is a real facilities and licensing call above what I settle alone. I put together what storage and transport have cost you this season for the accountant to work through with you.
The tax side
The tax side of running a fireworks company.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: product expensed before it is used, a contract split across the wrong months, and licensed crew pay folded into general labor.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099s for licensed crewA licensed pyrotechnician or loader paid $2,000 or more over the year outside payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list show by show.
- Inventory versus expense for productShells and display product bought ahead of the season are generally tracked as inventory until they are used in a show, rather than expensed the day they are purchased.
- Depreciation of firing systems and equipmentElectronic firing modules, mortar racks, and transport vehicles can usually be written off the year they are bought, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Matching contract payments to the right showA deposit paid ahead of a display belongs to that show's numbers, not the month the payment arrived. Getting the timing right keeps each show's margin honest.
Deductions fireworks and pyrotechnics companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Licensed storage and magazine fees
- Firing system and module repair
- Mortar rack replacement
- Event liability insurance
- State and local display permits
- Hazmat-compliant transport costs
- Site cleanup and disposal
- Safety gear and protective equipment
- Crew radios and communication gear
- Trade association dues
- Show design software or tools
- Card processing fees
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 fireworks company's year, kept every month.
Most of the season's revenue lands around a handful of dates, with a long lead-up of buying and storing product. Gus keeps the tax calendar lined up alongside it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for licensed crew is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Post-peak check
With the summer's biggest shows behind you, Gus lays out the real number and what you will owe on it.
- October
Before winter contracts
New Year's Eve and holiday show contracts are usually signed this time of year. Gus looks at what the summer season actually cleared before you bid the next one.
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 fireworks and pyrotechnics companies. 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 fireworks company owners ask first.
We buy product months before we use it. How does that get counted?
Gus keeps it in inventory until the show it is used for, so a big spring order does not make that month look worse than it is.
Do our licensed pyrotechnicians get a 1099 like any other contractor?
Yes, if you pay one $2,000 or more over the year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the running list across your season.
A city contract pays us half up front and half after the show. Is that a problem?
No. Gus keeps both payments tied to the same show, so the full contract shows up together against the date it was for.
Our insurance costs more than almost anything else we pay. Can that be tracked on its own?
Yes. Insurance gets its own category, separate from general overhead, so you can see exactly what it costs against each contract.
Does Gus handle our storage and transport licensing?
No. Gus keeps the books and flags renewal deadlines he sees, but explosives storage, transport, and handling licensing are handled separately from the subscription.
Our books are behind after a packed summer season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements and contracts you have, and Gus sorts them show by show. Most owners know where they stand inside 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