Consulting & business services
Books and taxes for government contracting consultants.
A monthly capture management retainer, a fee for helping a client through 8(a) or HUBZone certification, a subcontracted capture manager for a big pursuit, and the trip to an agency's industry day. 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
October came in at $7,600. Wren Tech's certification fee is booked now even though the SBA's approval could take months, since your work on their application is already done.
- Harlan Defense Systems retainerCapture management retainer
- Wren Tech certification assistanceCertification assistance fees
- GovWin IQ subscriptionOpportunity intelligence software
- Industry day travelTravel to agency events
- Subcontracted capture managerSubcontracted capture managers
Why your books are different
A government contracting consultant's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and travel bills. Your business is a monthly retainer for capture strategy, a fee for helping a client through a certification process that can take months to resolve, and a specialist you bring in for a specific pursuit. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which parts of the practice are steady and which depend on a government office's own timeline.
-
1
A certification fee gets tangled up with its uncertain outcome
You get paid for the work of preparing a client's 8(a) or HUBZone application, but the SBA's decision can take months and is out of your control. Waiting to book the fee until an approval arrives can delay income for work already finished.
What we doBooks certification assistance fees for the work completed, separate from the outcome of the government's own review. -
2
A capture retainer and a certification fee blend together
An ongoing monthly retainer for capture strategy is a different kind of income than a one-time certification assistance fee, and mixed together, it is hard to see which part of the practice is the steady base.
What we doKeeps capture retainer income and certification project fees in separate lines, so the steady base of the practice is visible on its own. -
3
A subcontracted capture manager becomes a standing hire
A capture manager you bring in for every large pursuit, using your process and your client relationships, starts to look like an employee rather than a project hire.
What we doFlags a subcontracted capture manager who looks employee-like and gets the accountant's read before the pattern is a year old. -
4
Agency travel costs get buried in general expenses
Attending an agency's industry day or pre-proposal conference is a real cost tied to business development, and lumped into general travel, it is hard to see whether that investment is actually paying off in new engagements.
What we doKeeps travel to agency events in its own line, so you can see what pursuing new business at these events actually costs.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a government contracting consulting practice.
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
- Capture management retainerOngoing monthly business development and pursuit strategy support.
- Certification assistance feesFees for helping a client through 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, or similar programs.
- Compliance consulting feesAdvisory work on setting up compliant accounting and business systems.
- Teaming facilitation feesFees for helping structure prime and subcontractor teaming agreements.
Money out
- Opportunity intelligence softwareGovWin IQ or a similar contract opportunity tracking tool.
- Subcontracted capture managersOutside business development specialists brought in for large pursuits.
- Travel to agency eventsIndustry days, pre-proposal conferences, and site visits.
- Professional certificationRenewal of credentials like a government contracts management certification.
- Professional liability insuranceCoverage for the consulting advice you provide.
What we watch for you
- Retainer versus project mix
How much of the practice is steady capture retainer work versus one-time certification fees.
- Subcontractor cost share
What subcontracted capture managers cost against total engagement income.
- Agency travel return
Whether the pursuits that come from industry days and conferences justify what attending them costs.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things government contracting consultants 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.
Yes. The fee is for the work you completed, not the outcome of the government's own review, so it gets booked once your part of the work is done.
Yes. Capture retainer income and certification project fees are kept in separate lines, so you can see which part of your practice is the steady base.
Worth a look. That pattern is starting to resemble an employee relationship, so I flagged it for the accountant to weigh in.
The tax side
The tax side of a government contracting consulting practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing fees around uncertain government decisions and classifying the specialists you bring in. Handled right, the year does not surprise you.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sA subcontracted capture manager paid $2,000 or more over the year, off payroll, needs a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that tally current.
- Employee or contractorA capture manager who works only your pursuits, on your schedule, using your process, is starting to look like an employee rather than a project hire. Gus flags the pattern.
- Self-employment taxA 15.3 percent self-employment tax applies to owner profit up to the $184,500 wage base, since it isn't run through a regular paycheck.
- The pass-through deductionA government contracting consultancy's profit can often be reduced by up to 20 percent before tax, and the accountant works out the actual number at filing time.
Deductions government contracting consultants miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- GovWin IQ or similar subscriptions
- Industry day and conference travel
- Subcontracted capture manager fees
- Professional certification renewal
- Professional liability insurance
- Laptop and presentation equipment
- Home office space
- Marketing to government contractors
- Trade association dues
- Continuing education courses
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 government contracting year, checked in four times.
Federal fiscal year deadlines and certification review timelines rarely match the calendar year. Gus keeps your own taxes on schedule alongside them. 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, 1099s go out to subcontracted capture managers, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return gets filed and signed, and the bill isn't a surprise, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether capture retainers are renewing at the pace you expected.
- October
Before the fiscal year push
Federal contracting activity often accelerates as the government's own fiscal year closes in September. Gus looks at software and certification worth renewing 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 government contracting consultants. 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 government contracting consultants ask first.
I finished the work on a client's certification application, but the government hasn't decided yet. Do I get paid and book that income now?
Yes. The fee covers the work you completed, and Gus books it once that work is done, separate from whatever the government eventually decides.
I bill some clients a monthly retainer and others a flat certification fee. Can Gus keep those straight?
Yes. Capture retainer income and certification project fees are kept in separate lines, so you can see which part of your practice is the steady base.
My capture manager works on every large pursuit. Does that change my taxes?
It might. If that specialist works only for you on your schedule, the pattern can start to look like an employee relationship, and Gus flags it for the accountant.
Does attending an agency's industry day count as a business expense?
Yes, and Gus keeps that travel in its own line, so you can see whether the pursuits that come out of it are worth what attending costs.
My books are behind after a stretch of back-to-back client pursuits. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have from your pursuits and retainers. Gus sorts them out, and 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