Insurance agencies
Books and taxes for insurance appraisers and umpires.
A flat or hourly fee for each disputed claim, split evenly with the other side's appraiser when you serve as umpire, travel to inspect the property or vehicle in question, and long gaps between assignments. 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
August came in at $6,000. Two assignments this month were umpire work, split with the policyholder's appraiser, so I kept those apart from the flat fees you billed directly.
- Appraisal fee, roof disputeAppraisal fees
- Umpire fee split, auto claimUmpire fees
- Inspection travel, out of countyInspection travel
- Estimating software renewalEstimating software
- Continuing education courseLicensing and certification
Why your books are different
An appraiser's books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist bookkeeper expects income that looks like a paycheck, steady and regular. Your fee is per assignment, sometimes split with another appraiser when you serve as umpire, and the gaps between jobs can run long. When the books do not track fees by assignment type, you cannot see what is actually keeping the business afloat.
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1
Umpire fees get split but booked as a full fee
When you are selected as the umpire to break a tie between two appraisers, the fee is often split between all three parties, and if the full assignment value gets booked as income, your revenue looks higher than what you actually collected.
What we doBooks only your actual share of a split umpire fee as income, so revenue matches what really landed in your account. -
2
A long gap between assignments looks like the business stopped
Independent appraisal work does not arrive on a schedule, and a slow month or two between disputes is normal, but it can look alarming if nothing accounts for how this business actually flows.
What we doTracks income against assignment volume over a longer window, so a gap between jobs reads as normal, not a crisis. -
3
Inspection travel gets buried in general costs
Driving out of county or across a region to inspect a disputed property or vehicle is a real cost tied directly to specific assignments, and lumped into general expenses it is hard to see what a given job actually cost to complete.
What we doKeeps inspection travel on its own line, tied to the assignment it served, so the real cost per job is visible. -
4
Estimating software renewals get treated as a one-time cost
Estimating and documentation software used to produce a defensible appraisal report is a recurring annual cost, and if it is not tracked as a regular expense, a renewal fee looks like a surprise bill instead of a known cost of doing business.
What we doTracks estimating software as a recurring cost, so the annual renewal is expected, not a surprise.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an independent appraiser.
Set up once for how each assignment pays you and what the work costs. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Appraisal feesFlat or hourly fees billed for a standard appraisal assignment.
- Umpire feesYour actual share of a fee split with the other appraiser when serving as umpire.
- Expert witness feesFees for testimony or a written opinion tied to a disputed claim.
- Referral incomeFees from attorneys, adjusters, or other professionals who send assignments your way.
Money out
- Inspection travelMileage or travel tied to a specific property or vehicle inspection.
- Estimating softwareDocumentation and estimating tools used to produce appraisal reports.
- Licensing and certificationState license and continuing education required to hold appraiser or umpire status.
- E&O insuranceErrors and omissions coverage for appraisal and umpire work.
- EquipmentCameras, moisture meters, and measuring tools used on inspections.
What we watch for you
- Assignment volume
How many jobs came in this stretch, since fees are per assignment, not a steady wage.
- Umpire share of income
How much of your revenue is split umpire fees versus your own flat or hourly billing.
- Cost per assignment
Travel and equipment cost against what each job actually paid.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things independent appraisers 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.
No, only book what actually landed in your account. I keep your real share of a split umpire fee as the income, so the number matches what you were paid.
Not based on your history. I track your income against your typical assignment flow, and gaps like this show up as normal for this kind of work, not a warning sign.
Yes, that mileage is tied directly to the assignment and is deductible. I logged it against that job so the cost per assignment stays clear.
The tax side
The tax side of appraiser and umpire work.
Most of what goes wrong here is what actually counts as income, a split fee booked whole, a slow month read as trouble, travel not tied to the job it served.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Self-employment tax and estimatesIndependent appraisers paid per assignment rather than a W-2 pay self-employment tax at 15.3 percent up to the $184,500 wage base, usually in quarterly estimates on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
- The pass-through deductionMost independent appraisers can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income. The benefit narrows above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, so the accountant runs the exact number.
- Contractor 1099s for referral helpAnyone who refers or assists on assignments and is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 outside payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Equipment and software write-offsEstimating software, cameras, and measuring equipment are ordinary business expenses, and larger equipment can often be expensed the year you buy it.
Deductions insurance appraisers and umpires miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Inspection travel and mileage
- Estimating and documentation software
- Cameras and measuring equipment
- Errors and omissions insurance
- State license and certification fees
- Continuing education courses
- Phone and internet for scheduling
- Home office space used for reports
- Trade association dues
- Printing and report production 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 appraiser's year, kept every month.
Assignments come whenever a dispute does, not on a fixed schedule. Gus keeps the books ready either way. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Start the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside built around your typical assignment flow, not a guess.
- April
Return submitted
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, even through the slow stretches between assignments, because the set-aside was built around your typical flow, not a guess.
- July
Assignment review
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how this year's assignment volume compares to last year's.
- October
Year-end look
Gus looks at estimating software or equipment worth buying and anything worth doing 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 insurance appraisers and umpires. 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 appraisers ask first.
How does Gus handle a fee I split with another appraiser as umpire?
He books only your actual share as income, so your revenue matches what really landed in your account, not the full assignment value.
My work comes in unpredictable bursts. Will that confuse the books?
No. Gus tracks your income against your typical assignment flow, so a slow stretch reads as normal for this kind of work.
Can Gus separate my travel costs by which assignment they were for?
Yes. Inspection travel is logged against the specific job it served, so you can see what each assignment actually cost to complete.
Do I need to track my equipment separately from my regular expenses?
It helps. Cameras, measuring tools, and estimating software are kept on their own line, since they are often deductible in the year you buy them.
I sometimes get paid as an expert witness. Does that count differently?
It is tracked as its own category, since it is a different kind of engagement than a standard appraisal or umpire assignment, even though both are taxed the same way.
My invoices and payments are scattered across years of paper files. Can Gus still make sense of it?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts fees by type going forward, and most appraisers 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