Software, SaaS & apps

Books and taxes for indie game studios.

A Steam payout weeks after a sale, a console maker's revenue share, a Kickstarter that already spent, and a composer owed a royalty split. Your own bookkeeper sorts 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
MarchExample month
$24,500
what you made

March made $24,500. Our launch week payout from Steam finally landed, about six weeks after release, so I matched it to the actual launch date instead of the deposit date.

  • Steam payoutStorefront sales
  • Console maker payoutStorefront sales
  • Composer royalty splitRoyalties and licensing
  • Unity seat renewalEngine and tool licenses
  • Contract artist, FiverrContract art and animation
Money in$58,000
Money out$33,500
Set aside for taxes$6,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Indie game studio books go wrong around launches and royalties.

A generalist bookkeeper sees a Steam deposit weeks after release and assumes that is when the game sold. Your studio launches once or twice a year, waits weeks for storefronts to pay out, and owes cuts to composers and artists on their own terms. When the books miss the timing, the year makes no sense.

  1. 1

    Storefront payouts land long after the actual sale

    Steam and console makers often pay out four to six weeks after a sale happens, so a huge launch week in one month shows up as revenue in a completely different month, making both months look wrong.

    What we doNotes the actual sale period behind a delayed payout, so a launch is understood as launch revenue even when the deposit lands later.
  2. 2

    A wishlist does not pay the bills but still costs money

    Building wishlists before launch through demos, festivals, and social posts costs real money in ad spend and travel, months before any sale happens, and that spending looks like a loss with nothing to show for it yet.

    What we doTracks pre-launch marketing spend as its own category, so it reads as an investment in the launch, not an unexplained cost.
  3. 3

    Royalty splits owed to composers and artists get missed

    A composer or artist working for a percentage of sales rather than a flat fee is owed money that changes every month based on how the game sells, and that ongoing obligation is easy to lose track of between launches.

    What we doKeeps a running note on royalty-based agreements so the amount owed each month is tracked against actual sales, not guessed at.
  4. 4

    Crowdfunding money looks like revenue when it is not yet

    A Kickstarter or similar campaign brings in a large sum before the game exists, and counting it all as revenue the month it arrives ignores that it is already spoken for by development costs still ahead.

    What we doFlags crowdfunding proceeds separately from storefront sales so the studio's real, current revenue stays visible.
  5. 5

    A years-long development cycle makes any single month look thin

    Between launches, months can go by with almost no money in and steady spending on contract art, engine licenses, and tools, which can look alarming without the context of what is being built.

    What we doKeeps development-phase spending in steady categories so a quiet month reads as normal development, not a warning sign.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an indie game studio.

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

  • Storefront salesSteam, itch.io, or console maker payouts, net of their revenue share.
  • Crowdfunding proceedsKickstarter or similar campaign funds, kept apart from ongoing sales.
  • Publisher advancesUpfront money from a publisher deal, tracked against what is owed back.
  • Merchandise and soundtrack salesDirect sales of extras tied to the game.

Money out

  • Engine and tool licensesUnity, Unreal, or other engine seats and plugin purchases.
  • Contract art and animationFreelance artists, animators, and modelers paid by project.
  • Royalties and licensingSplits owed to composers, voice actors, or licensed asset creators.
  • Marketing and launch spendFestival fees, demo hosting, ads, and wishlist campaigns.
  • Console certification costsConsole submission and certification fees.
  • QA and localizationTesting services and translation for other markets.

What we watch for you

  • Storefront payout trend

    Total money in month over month across every storefront, understood against the delay between sale and payout.

  • Storefront revenue share

    What Steam or a console maker keeps out of every sale dollar, worth knowing when comparing storefronts.

  • Royalty obligations owed

    What is currently owed to composers, artists, or other percentage-based partners, so it never gets missed.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month even between launches, so a quiet development year never leaves you guessing at tax time.

Ask Gus

Things indie game studio owners 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.

Our launch was in January but the Steam payout just landed in March. Which month does it count as?

For the books it counts when it lands, in March, but I noted it as launch revenue from January so the timing makes sense when you look back.

We spent a lot on festival demos before we had any sales. Does that look bad?

I keep pre-launch marketing in its own category, so it reads as building toward the launch, not an unexplained loss.

Our composer gets 3 percent of sales. How do you track what we owe her?

I keep a running note tied to actual sales so the amount owed updates every month instead of getting recalculated from scratch at the end of the year.

The tax side

The tax side of running an indie game studio.

Most of what matters here is timing storefront revenue correctly and keeping crowdfunding money separate from what the studio actually earned selling the game.

What your return has to get right

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

  • 1099-K from storefrontsSteam, console makers, and payment processors report payout volume once it crosses $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year, but every dollar earned is taxable whether or not a form arrives.
  • The pass-through deductionMost studios organized as an LLC or S corporation can deduct up to 20 percent of qualified business income before it hits the owners' personal returns, with limits at higher income levels.
  • Motion capture and dev rigsA high-end workstation, a motion capture rig, or recording gear for a game bought outright is usually written off in full the year of purchase, since bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
  • 1099-NEC for contract artists and composersA contract artist, composer, or voice actor paid $2,000 or more in 2026, not on payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that running total all year.

Deductions indie game studios miss

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

  • Engine and plugin licenses
  • Contract art and animation
  • Composer and voice actor fees
  • Console certification fees
  • QA and localization services
  • Festival booth and travel costs
  • Workstations and capture equipment
  • Home office, business share
  • Business phone and internet share
  • Game development conference tickets
  • Business insurance
  • Accounting and legal fees

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 indie game studio's year, kept every month.

Development runs for months with no revenue at all, then a launch changes everything at once. Your team keeps the books steady through both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the studio year

    Last year's return gets started, the contract artist and composer 1099 list is finalized, and a monthly set-aside gets planned around any launch expected this year.

  2. April

    Filed between launches

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has tracked storefront payouts since January, launch or no launch.

  3. July

    Halfway through development

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a spring launch or a delayed payout changed the number enough to matter.

  4. October

    Before the next launch push

    A look at engine licenses or equipment worth buying before December, and whether any holiday storefront sale is likely to shift the numbers.

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 indie game studios. 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 indie game studio owners ask first.

Our Steam payout came in a month after our launch. Does that throw off our taxes?

It does not change what you owe, but Gus notes the actual sale timing behind a delayed payout so the year's story still makes sense when you look back at it.

We ran a Kickstarter last year. Is that treated as regular income?

It gets tracked separately from storefront sales since it is not the same as a game selling copies. Gus flags it and the accountant handles how it is treated on the return.

We pay our composer a percentage of sales instead of a flat fee. Can Gus track that?

Yes. Gus keeps a running note tied to actual sales so what is owed updates monthly instead of getting rebuilt from scratch later.

We had almost no revenue this year because we are deep in development. Is that a problem?

No. Development-phase spending gets kept in steady categories so a quiet year reads as normal for a studio between launches, not a warning sign.

We sell on Steam, itch.io, and a console maker's store. Does Gus track them separately?

Yes, where each store's payout data allows it, so you can see which storefront is actually driving sales rather than one blended number.

Our books have not been touched since before our last launch. Can you catch us up?

Yes. Send the storefront and bank statements you have. Gus sorts through it and the accountant checks it, and most studios know where they stand within a couple 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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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