Insurance agencies

Books and taxes for health insurance brokers.

Individual marketplace plans, small group employer coverage, a per-member-per-month commission that pays out monthly for as long as a client stays enrolled, and an open enrollment window that carries the year. Gus sorts all of it, 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
$11,600
what you made

December came in at $11,600. Open enrollment is running full speed, so I kept new marketplace commission separate from the steady per-member payments on clients you already have enrolled.

  • Carrier per-member commissionOngoing enrollment commission
  • Small group commission depositSmall group commission
  • Marketplace lead vendorLead generation
  • Enrollment system feeEnrollment software
  • Health insurance license renewalLicensing and E&O
Money in$41,200
Money out$29,600
Set aside for taxes$3,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A health broker's books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist bookkeeper sees monthly deposits and calls them all the same. Your income is really two different books, individual marketplace clients and small group employer plans, each paid on its own schedule, plus a commission that keeps paying every month a client stays enrolled rather than a one-time check. When the books do not separate that, you cannot see which book is actually growing.

  1. 1

    Marketplace and small group income get mixed together

    An individual client on an ACA marketplace plan and a small employer group are paid on completely different schedules and rates, and blended together you cannot tell which side of the business is actually carrying the year.

    What we doKeeps marketplace and small group commission on separate lines, so each book's real performance is visible.
  2. 2

    Per-member-per-month income looks flat when it is not

    Commission that pays monthly for as long as a client stays enrolled looks steady on a bank statement, hiding the fact that clients are quietly dropping off or new ones are not replacing them.

    What we doTracks enrollment commission against client count over time, so a shrinking book shows up before it becomes a real problem.
  3. 3

    Open enrollment spend eats the wrong month's number

    Lead and marketing spend for open enrollment often lands in November and December, while the commission it produces trickles in over the following year, making the enrollment season itself look like a loss.

    What we doNotes when enrollment spend is building next year's book, so a heavy marketing month does not read as a bad one.
  4. 4

    Enrollment software and compliance costs get lost in supplies

    Marketplace enrollment tools and small group benefits administration software are recurring, sometimes significant, costs, but filed under generic supplies they never show up as what they are.

    What we doKeeps enrollment and administration software on its own line so it is visible when planning next season's budget.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a health insurance broker.

Set up once for how carriers pay you and what open enrollment costs. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • New enrollment commissionPaid when an individual or family enrolls in a marketplace plan.
  • Ongoing enrollment commissionMonthly per-member pay for as long as a client stays enrolled.
  • Small group commissionCommission on employer group plans, kept apart from individual business.
  • Referral incomeFees from professionals who send clients your way.

Money out

  • Lead generationDigital and referral lead costs for open enrollment season.
  • Enrollment softwareMarketplace enrollment tools and small group benefits administration systems.
  • Licensing and E&OState license, appointment, and errors and omissions coverage.
  • Marketing and outreachOpen enrollment advertising and community outreach costs.
  • Office and phoneSpace and phone costs for enrollment season.

What we watch for you

  • Client enrollment count

    Whether your enrolled base is growing or quietly shrinking, since commission is paid per member.

  • Marketplace versus small group

    Which book is actually carrying the year, so you know where to focus.

  • Enrollment spend timing

    Marketing cost against the commission it will produce over the coming year, not just this month.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things health insurance brokers 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.

My monthly commission looks about the same as last year. Is my book actually growing?

I track your enrollment commission against your client count, not just the dollar total. Right now new enrollments are roughly matching what you are losing, so the number looks flat because it is.

December is expensive with all the open enrollment marketing. Is that a bad month?

Not really. That spend is building next year's book, so I note it that way instead of letting it read as a loss.

Do I owe my referral partners anything at tax time?

If you pay one $2,000 or more this year outside payroll, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running.

The tax side

The tax side of a health insurance brokerage.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing, enrollment spend judged against the wrong month, marketplace and small group income mixed together, a set-aside built on a single strong season.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Self-employment tax and estimatesBrokers who earn per-member commission rather than a W-2 wage pay self-employment tax at 15.3 percent up to the $184,500 wage base, typically paid quarterly on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-brokers running a marketplace and small group book can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income, though the deduction narrows above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint.
  • Contractor 1099s for referral partnersAny referral partner paid $2,000 or more in 2026 outside payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • Enrollment cost write-offsLead spend and enrollment software are ordinary business expenses, deductible in the year paid, even when the commission they produce lands in a later year.

Deductions health insurance brokers miss

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

  • Digital lead campaigns
  • Marketplace enrollment software
  • Small group administration systems
  • Errors and omissions insurance
  • State license and appointment fees
  • Continuing education courses
  • Phone and internet for enrollment season
  • Mileage to client and employer meetings
  • Office rent or home office share
  • CRM software for tracking clients

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 health insurance broker's year, kept every month.

Open enrollment sets the pace, but per-member commission runs all year. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan ahead

    Last year's return gets started, referral 1099s go out, and you get a monthly set-aside for the year ahead.

  2. April

    Return complete

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside kept pace with your enrollment count across marketplace and small group business all year.

  3. July

    Midyear review

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and how enrollment count is trending against last year.

  4. October

    Before open enrollment

    ACA open enrollment opens November 1, and Gus helps you look at software or leads worth buying before the season starts.

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 health insurance brokers. 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 health insurance brokers ask first.

Can Gus separate my marketplace clients from my small group clients?

Yes. Each is kept on its own line, so you can see which book is actually growing and which needs attention.

My commission looks steady every month. Can Gus tell me if my client count is actually changing?

Yes. He tracks enrollment commission against how many clients are enrolled, so a flat number that hides churn shows up clearly.

Is my open enrollment marketing spend a loss if the commission comes later?

No. Gus notes that spend as building next year's book, so a heavy marketing month is not read as a bad one.

Do I need to track ACA subsidy details for my clients?

No, subsidy eligibility is between the client and the marketplace. Gus tracks your commission and expenses, not client-level subsidy details.

Can Gus handle commission from more than one carrier?

Yes. Commission from each carrier is tracked on its own, so you can see which relationships are actually carrying the business.

My records from last open enrollment are scattered across a few accounts. Can Gus sort that out?

Yes. Send the statements you have. Gus sorts marketplace and small group commission apart, and most brokers 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.

More in insurance agencies

We keep books for the business next door too.

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