Music, art & performing arts businesses
Books and taxes for independent film production companies.
Camera and lighting rental for a shoot, a crew paid mostly as contractors, a Kickstarter that funded pre-production, and location fees that show up on their own schedule. 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
January came in at $6,400. The Kickstarter close finally settled, and I kept that separate from actual production revenue since it works more like financing than a sale.
- Kickstarter payoutCrowdfunding and investor funds
- Festival submission fee returnFestival and distribution income
- Panavision rentalCamera and lighting rental
- Crew pay, department headsCast and crew pay
- Location fee, warehouseLocation and permit fees
Why your books are different
Independent film production books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees money coming in and calls it revenue. Film money is different. Crowdfunding and investor financing are not sales, a crew of contractors each need their own paperwork, and a distribution advance today can mean royalties owed later. When the books do not separate those, a production's finances get impossible to explain.
-
1
Investor and crowdfunding money gets booked as revenue
A Kickstarter raise or an investor's check funds pre-production, but recorded as regular income, it inflates what the production actually earned and can confuse what is owed back or owned by an investor later.
What we doBooks crowdfunding and investor money as financing, separate from production revenue, so what the business actually earned stays clear. -
2
A dozen contractors get paid out of one account with no list
Cast, crew, and freelance editors are paid throughout a shoot, often in a rush between departments. Without tracking each one by name, the 1099 list at year end becomes a scramble to reconstruct.
What we doTracks every cast and crew payment by name as the production goes, so the 1099 list is ready without a scramble in January. -
3
Rental gear costs get spread across the wrong month
A camera and lighting package rented for a two-week shoot gets billed and paid in one lump, but the production itself might span several months of pre-production, shooting, and post.
What we doKeeps rental costs tied to the shoot period they belong to, so a heavy production month is not mistaken for a spending problem. -
4
A distribution advance looks like the whole deal
A distributor pays an advance against future royalties, but booked as a final sale, it can overstate what the production has actually earned once royalties are due back against that advance.
What we doTracks a distribution advance against royalties owed, so the production's real position stays clear as the deal plays out.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a film production company.
Set up once for how a production gets funded and what it costs to make. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Crowdfunding and investor fundsKickstarter, Seed&Spark, or investor money that finances the production.
- Grant fundingArts council or nonprofit grants tied to a specific project.
- Festival and distribution incomePrize money, licensing fees, and distribution advances.
- Production services incomeFees earned producing or renting crew and gear to another project.
Money out
- Cast and crew payPayments to actors, department heads, and freelance crew as contractors.
- Camera and lighting rentalGear rental from Panavision or a similar house for a shoot.
- Location and permit feesFees paid to secure and film at a location.
- Post-production costsEditing, sound, and color contractors and software.
- Production insuranceLiability and equipment coverage required for most shoots.
- Festival submission feesEntry fees paid to submit the finished film to festivals.
What we watch for you
- Budget spent versus raised
What has actually been spent against total financing raised, so the runway is always clear.
- Cast and crew pay total
Running total paid to each contractor, to keep the 1099 list accurate.
- Advance against royalties owed
What a distribution advance still needs to earn back before real royalties start.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked every month, so filing season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things independent film producers 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.
That is above my pay grade to answer on its own, since it depends on how the campaign was structured. I flag it as financing, not a sale, so the accountant can sort out how it is treated.
Send me who got paid and how much, as you go if you can. I keep a running total by name so the 1099 list is ready without digging through receipts in January.
Not exactly. I track it against the royalties it needs to earn back first, so you know where the deal actually stands, not just what hit the account.
The tax side
The tax side of an independent film production.
Most of what goes wrong here is treating financing as revenue and losing track of contractor pay across a fast-moving shoot.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099s for cast and crewAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, including many actors and crew, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Equipment rental versus purchaseRented gear is a deductible expense the month it is paid for. Equipment actually purchased for the production is usually depreciated or expensed instead, and the accountant sorts out which applies.
- Self-employment taxProfit from a production run as a sole proprietor or partnership owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax.
- The pass-through deductionMost production owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions independent film production companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Camera and lighting rental
- Location and permit fees
- Cast and crew pay
- Post-production and editing costs
- Production insurance
- Festival submission fees
- Wardrobe and props
- Travel and lodging for a shoot
- Equipment insurance
- Legal and contract review 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
An independent film production year, kept every month.
A production moves through pre-production, the shoot, post, and festivals on its own timeline. Your taxes come on a schedule, and your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
The production year begins
Last year's return gets started, the cast and crew 1099 list is compiled, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed, budget closed
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been tracked against spending since January.
- July
Midyear budget check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how spending is tracking against what was raised.
- October
Before festival season
Fall and winter bring festival submissions and distribution talks. Gus looks at what is worth spending 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 independent film production 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 independent film producers ask first.
How do you handle money raised through crowdfunding?
It gets tracked as financing for the production, separate from revenue the film actually earns. The accountant is the right call on exactly how a specific campaign should be treated.
We pay cast and crew a mix of flat fees and day rates. Does that complicate the 1099s?
Not if it is tracked as it happens. Gus keeps a running total for each person regardless of how their rate is structured, so the year-end list is accurate.
Is rented camera gear treated differently than gear we bought?
Yes. Rental is usually a straightforward expense the month you pay it, while gear you own outright is typically handled differently. The accountant sorts out which applies to your purchase.
How do you track a distribution deal that pays an advance against royalties?
Gus tracks the advance against what it needs to earn back before real royalty income starts, so you always know where the deal actually stands.
Our production spans two calendar years. Does that make taxes harder?
It means keeping clean records of what was spent and earned in each year, which Gus handles as the production runs so nothing gets tangled at filing time.
Our books from the shoot are scattered across several people's expenses. Can you still take this over?
Yes. Send whatever records exist, even if they are spread out. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most producers 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