Creative & production services
Books and taxes for fractional CMOs.
Three client retainers billed on different schedules, a day-rate strategy engagement, equity offered by a startup client instead of cash, and a subcontracted designer for a campaign build. 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
June came in at $19,700. One startup client offered part of this month's fee in equity instead of cash, so I flagged that for the accountant rather than counting it the same as a cash retainer.
- Retainer, Holbrook SystemsClient retainers
- Retainer, Verity HealthClient retainers
- Day-rate strategy engagementDay-rate consulting income
- M. Ansari campaign designSubcontracted specialists
- Marketing analytics toolsSoftware
Why your books are different
Fractional CMO books go wrong at the equity offer and the retainer mix.
A generalist sees a consultant with a few clients. Your business runs several client retainers on different billing schedules at once, mixes day-rate project work with recurring fees, and sometimes gets paid partly in startup equity instead of cash. When the books blend those, you cannot see what your time is actually worth.
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1
Equity compensation gets treated like a normal fee
A startup client offering equity instead of, or alongside, cash is a real form of payment with its own tax treatment, and if it is ignored or lumped in with cash retainers, the return can miss what it should catch.
What we doFlags equity compensation separately so the accountant can address how and when it counts as income. -
2
Several retainers on different billing cycles blur together
One client billed monthly, another quarterly, and a third on a custom schedule can make it hard to tell which clients are actually current on payment and which are falling behind.
What we doTracks each retainer separately by client and billing cycle so you always know who is paid up and who is not. -
3
Day-rate project work looks the same as recurring retainers
A short strategy engagement billed by the day is a different kind of income than an ongoing monthly retainer, and mixed together neither number tells you which kind of work is worth prioritizing.
What we doKeeps day-rate consulting income separate from retainer income so you can see your real recurring floor. -
4
A subcontracted specialist looks like a software cost
Bringing in a designer, an analyst, or a media buyer for one client's campaign means paying them across a few invoices that can land next to your analytics and marketing tool subscriptions.
What we doKeeps subcontractor payments in their own line and tracks what you have paid each one toward the 1099 threshold. -
5
W-2 and 1099 income get mixed up
Some fractional CMOs take one client as a part-time W-2 role while consulting for others as a contractor, and mixing that income together can confuse what the business return actually covers.
What we doKeeps your 1099 consulting income separate from any W-2 wages, since only the business side is part of what Gus tracks.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a fractional CMO.
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
- Client retainersOngoing monthly or quarterly fees, tracked separately by client.
- Day-rate consulting incomeShort engagements billed by the day, apart from recurring retainers.
- Project and campaign feesOne-off strategy or launch projects billed outside a retainer.
- Equity compensationFlagged separately from cash income for the accountant's review.
Money out
- Subcontracted specialistsDesigners, analysts, or media buyers brought in for a client's campaign.
- SoftwareMarketing analytics, planning, and reporting tools.
- Continuing educationCourses and certifications that keep the strategy work sharp.
- Coworking or office spaceRent or membership used for client meetings and work.
- Professional association duesMarketing leadership groups and communities.
What we watch for you
- Retainer floor
Recurring retainer income against total income, the base you can count on before day-rate work.
- Client concentration
How much of your income comes from your top client, worth knowing before one relationship ends.
- Subcontractor spend
What you pay specialists against total income, tracked toward 1099 season.
- The set-aside
What you will owe across retainers and day-rate income, tracked monthly so April holds no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things fractional CMOs 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.
I flag equity compensation separately from cash income, since it has its own tax treatment. That one is above my pay grade, so the accountant looks at exactly how and when it counts.
Yes, each retainer is tracked separately by client, so you always know who is current and who is behind on payment.
If she is not on payroll and you paid her $2,000 or more in 2026, she gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I have been tracking her payments as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a fractional CMO's business.
Most of what goes wrong here is equity compensation ignored and W-2 income mixed with consulting income.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equity compensationEquity received in place of or alongside cash payment usually has its own tax treatment depending on the type and timing, and it is worth a specific conversation with the accountant before it becomes a habit.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo consultants can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when the books are right all year.
- Self-employment tax on consulting incomeA fractional CMO working as a contractor pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax on that consulting income, so the set-aside has to cover both.
- Quarterly estimated taxesConsulting income rarely has anything withheld, so estimated payments are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
Deductions fractional CMOs miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Marketing analytics software
- Subcontracted specialist fees
- Continuing education and certifications
- Coworking or home office share
- Professional association dues
- Business travel to client sites
- Computer and equipment upgrades
- Client contract and invoicing tools
- Business insurance
- Accounting and legal fees
- Portfolio and personal site hosting
- Conference and networking costs
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 fractional CMO's year, kept every month.
Client budgets and retainer schedules shift throughout the year. Your books stay current no matter the mix, and the return follows. 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 subcontracted specialist 1099 list is ready, and a monthly set-aside means April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, retainers, day rates, and any equity flagged along the way. The set-aside covered it since January, so the bill is not a surprise.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how retainer and day-rate income have moved since January.
- October
Before year end
Gus looks at software or equipment worth buying before December and flags any equity compensation to review with the accountant.
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 fractional CMOs. 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 fractional CMOs ask first.
I take a part-time W-2 role with one client and consult for others. Does Gus handle both?
Gus tracks your 1099 consulting income and business expenses. W-2 wages are handled through your personal return, so keep the two separate when you send in your numbers.
One client pays me in equity instead of cash. Is that even trackable in bookkeeping?
Gus flags it as its own category rather than guessing at its value, and the accountant helps sort out how and when it counts as income.
My retainers all bill on different schedules. Does that make my books harder to read?
No, each retainer is tracked separately by client and cycle, so you can always see who is current and who is behind.
I only use subcontractors occasionally, maybe twice a year. Do they still need a 1099?
If any of them are not on payroll and you paid them $2,000 or more in 2026, yes. Gus tracks the total no matter how occasional the work is.
My books have never separated retainer income from project work. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send what you have, even a mix of retainers, day rates, and any equity offers. Gus sorts it out, 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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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