Brokerage, lending & investing

Books and taxes for home stagers.

An initial staging fee, a monthly rental charge while furniture stays in a listing, warehouse storage between jobs, and a moving crew that loaded and unloaded three houses this week. 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
SeptemberExample month
$6,500
what you made

September cleared $6,500. The sofa set I bought for the Ridgeline listing went in as equipment, not a supply purchase, since staging furniture holds its value across jobs.

  • Initial staging fee, RidgelineInitial staging fee income
  • Monthly rental, 4 listingsMonthly rental income
  • Furniture purchase, sofa setStaging inventory purchases
  • Moving crew, three listingsMoving and logistics
  • Warehouse rentStorage and warehouse costs
Money in$22,400
Money out$15,900
Set aside for taxes$1,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Staging books go wrong when furniture is treated like a supply.

A stager's furniture is not consumed on one job, it goes out to a listing, comes back, and gets staged again somewhere else for years. When the books treat that inventory like a one-time supply cost, the real value sitting in a warehouse and the real return on each piece both disappear.

  1. 1

    Staging furniture gets expensed like a disposable supply

    A sofa, dining set, or accent chairs bought for staging can cost thousands and get used across dozens of listings over several years, but if the purchase is written off all at once as a supply, it muddles the month and misses how the piece should really be treated.

    What we doFlags furniture and decor purchases as equipment, not supplies, since they hold value and get reused, so the accountant applies the right depreciation.
  2. 2

    An initial fee and ongoing rental get lumped into one number

    A staging job usually has an upfront fee to bring furniture in and set it up, then a separate monthly charge while the listing sits staged, and blending the two makes it hard to see what a long-sitting listing is actually earning you.

    What we doKeeps the initial staging fee separate from monthly rental income, so a listing that sits staged for months shows its real ongoing value.
  3. 3

    Warehouse and storage costs never get weighed against inventory use

    Paying for warehouse space to store furniture between jobs is a real fixed cost, and without tracking it against how much inventory is actually out earning rental income at any time, it is hard to tell if you have too much furniture sitting idle.

    What we doKeeps storage costs in their own line, so you can watch them against how much of your inventory is actively staged and earning income.
  4. 4

    A moving crew's cost gets buried in general labor

    Loading and unloading furniture for multiple listings in the same week is a real, variable cost tied to how many jobs are active, and lumped into general labor, it is hard to see the true cost of taking on one more listing.

    What we doTracks moving and logistics costs against the number of active listings, so the real cost of each staging job is visible.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a home stager.

Set up once for how a staging job actually pays over time. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Initial staging fee incomeThe upfront fee for bringing furniture in and setting up a listing.
  • Monthly rental incomeOngoing charges while furniture stays in a listing.
  • Consultation feesFlat fees for a styling consultation without a full staging job.
  • Furniture sale incomeProceeds from selling retired staging pieces out of inventory.

Money out

  • Staging inventory purchasesFurniture and decor bought for the business, tracked as equipment.
  • Storage and warehouse costsRent for space holding inventory between jobs.
  • Moving and logisticsCrews and trucks for loading and unloading listings.
  • Occupied staging suppliesAccent pieces and linens used to refresh a home the owner still lives in.
  • Insurance on inventoryCoverage for furniture while it sits in a client's home.

What we watch for you

  • Inventory utilization

    How much of your furniture is actively staged and earning rental income versus sitting in storage.

  • Revenue per listing

    Initial fee plus monthly rental against how long a listing stayed staged.

  • Storage cost against active inventory

    What the warehouse is costing against how much furniture is actually out working.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe across fees and rental income, tracked every month so April holds no surprise.

Ask Gus

Things home stagers 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 bought a new sofa set for eighteen hundred dollars. Does that all come off this year?

Usually it can, since it is treated as equipment rather than a supply, because you will reuse it across many listings. I flagged it and the accountant makes the final call.

One of my listings has been staged for four months now. Is that actually still profitable?

I keep the initial fee separate from the monthly rental, so you can see that this listing is still earning you rental income every month it sits staged.

My warehouse feels full of furniture that never goes out anymore. Should I sell some of it?

I can show you how much of your inventory is actually staged right now versus sitting in storage. Whether to sell pieces off is your call, but the number will help you decide.

The tax side

The tax side of a staging business.

Most of what matters here is that furniture is equipment, not a one-time supply, and that fees and rentals are different kinds of income.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Furniture as depreciable equipmentStaging furniture bought for repeated use across listings can usually be written off through Section 179 expensing, up to $2,560,000, or 100 percent bonus depreciation for property placed in service after January 19, 2025.
  • Self-employment tax on staging incomeStaging fee and rental income carries self-employment tax at 15.3 percent up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, for stagers running their own business.
  • Quarterly estimated paymentsWith staging and rental income landing across the month unevenly, estimated payments due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 need a real look at expected bookings.
  • The pass-through deductionMost independent stagers can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when fee income and inventory purchases are booked correctly all year.

Deductions home stagers miss

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

  • Furniture and decor inventory
  • Warehouse or storage rent
  • Moving crew and truck rental
  • Insurance on staging inventory
  • Fuel and vehicle costs for deliveries
  • Staging software and virtual tools
  • Photography for a staged listing
  • Continuing education and staging certifications
  • Business cards and marketing materials
  • Home office for a dedicated workspace
  • Phone and data plan
  • Cleaning supplies for occupied staging

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 home stager's year, kept every month.

Listings come and go with the local market's pace. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax side no matter how many are staged at once. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned around expected staging volume for the year.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring listing volume changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the listing lull

    Fewer homes get listed over the holidays, which can mean more furniture sitting in the warehouse. Gus looks at whether it is worth adding inventory now or waiting for spring listings to pick back up.

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 home stagers. 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 home stagers ask first.

How does Gus handle furniture I buy for staging versus supplies I use up on a job?

Furniture and decor meant for repeated use are flagged as equipment, not supplies, since they hold value across many listings. The accountant confirms the right depreciation treatment.

Can Gus show me if a listing that has been staged for months is still worth it?

Yes. The initial fee is kept separate from ongoing monthly rental, so a long-sitting listing's continued value is visible, not buried in a one-time number.

I also do occupied staging for homes people still live in. Does that get tracked differently?

Yes, occupied staging supplies are kept in their own category, separate from full furniture rental for a vacant listing.

I sell off retired staging pieces sometimes. Does that count as regular income?

It is tracked in its own category, separate from staging fees, since it is a different kind of transaction, selling inventory rather than earning a service fee.

My warehouse rent feels like a big cost some months. Can Gus tell me if it is worth it?

He can show you how much of your inventory is actively staged against what is sitting in storage, so you have real numbers to weigh the cost against.

My books mix personal purchases with staging inventory buys right now. Can Gus untangle that?

Yes. Send the bank and card statements you have. Gus sorts staging inventory and fee income out from everything else, and most stagers know where they stand within a couple of weeks.

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