Legal
Books and taxes for IP and trademark attorneys.
Flat filing fees with a government fee riding along, extra work when an office action comes back, watch service retainers that renew every year, and opposition matters billed hourly. Gus sorts 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 $10,500. Three clients renewed their trademark watch service this month, so that steady income stayed apart from the new filing fees.
- Trademark filing, Brightloop LLCFlat fee filings
- Office action response, Marrow GoodsOffice action work
- Watch service renewal, three clientsWatch service retainers
- USPTO filing fee pass-throughGovernment fee pass-through
- Trademark search serviceSearch and clearance costs
Why your books are different
Trademark practice books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a filing fee and calls the job done. Your business is a government fee riding alongside a flat rate, real extra work when an examiner pushes back, a watch service that renews every year, and opposition matters that run on a completely different clock.
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1
The government filing fee is not the firm's fee
A client typically pays the firm's flat fee and the government's filing fee together in one payment, and if that filing fee is not split out, the firm's income looks larger than what it actually earned on the registration.
What we doBooks the government filing fee as a pass-through, separate from the firm's own fee, so income reflects only what the practice actually kept. -
2
An office action means real work the flat fee did not price in
When an examiner issues an office action requiring a response, that is often additional work beyond what a standard flat filing fee was ever meant to cover, and if it is billed the same as the original filing, the firm can end up doing that extra work for free.
What we doKeeps office action response work in its own line, separate from the original filing fee, so extra examiner pushback shows up as its own billable event. -
3
Watch service retainers are steady income hiding next to lumpy filing fees
An annual trademark watch or monitoring service brings in small, steady renewal income each year, and if it is mixed in with one-time filing fees, it is hard to see how much of the practice's income is actually predictable.
What we doKeeps watch service retainer income in its own line, so the steady, renewing part of the practice is visible on its own. -
4
Opposition matters run on a different clock and a different fee model
A trademark opposition or cancellation proceeding is billed hourly and can run for a year or more, which is a very different economic pattern than a flat fee registration that closes out in months.
What we doKeeps opposition and cancellation hourly billing separate from flat fee registration work, so each side of the practice shows its own real pattern. -
5
International filings add costs that are easy to under-track
A client filing in multiple countries through an international filing system adds per-country fees and foreign counsel costs on top of the base filing, and if those are not tracked apart, it is hard to see what an international filing actually costs to deliver.
What we doKeeps international filing costs in their own line, so multi-country work shows its true cost, not just the base domestic fee.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a trademark practice.
Set up once for how filings get paid and what recurs every year. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Flat fee filingsTrademark applications billed at a set price.
- Office action workAdditional billed work responding to an examiner's office action.
- Watch service retainersAnnual trademark monitoring service renewals.
- Opposition and cancellation hoursHourly billing for contested proceedings before the trademark board.
Money out
- Government fee pass-throughFiling fees paid to the government on a client's behalf.
- Search and clearance costsTrademark search services used before filing.
- Foreign counsel and international feesCosts for filings in other countries.
- Staff and paralegal wagesThe people who track filing deadlines and renewals.
- Legal research subscriptionsTrademark-specific research services and general legal databases.
- Malpractice insuranceAnnual or quarterly professional liability premiums.
What we watch for you
- Office action rate
How often filings draw an office action, worth knowing when pricing the next flat fee.
- Watch service renewal rate
How much steady annual income is renewing versus lapsing each year.
- Pass-through share
How much of each deposit is government fees versus the firm's own earnings.
- The set-aside
What the firm will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.
Ask Gus
Things trademark attorneys 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 book it as its own line, separate from the original filing fee, since it is real additional work the flat fee was never priced to cover.
No, I keep watch service renewals in their own category, so you can see how much of the practice's income is steady and recurring versus new, one-time filings.
If they are a US person or business paid $2,000 or more this year and not on payroll, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. Foreign counsel arrangements can vary, so the accountant confirms the details.
The tax side
The tax side of a trademark practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is treating a government fee like income, or missing that an office action is real, separately billable work.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Government filing fees are never the firm's incomeA trademark office filing fee collected from a client and paid to the government is a pass-through, not revenue, and should never be counted as something the firm earned or owes tax on.
- A strong filing year can hit the deduction ceilingMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit, but law counts as a specified service trade, so a busy year of filings and watch renewals can push taxable income above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, where the deduction begins to shrink.
- Contractor 1099s for search and monitoring vendorsA trademark search service or contract paralegal paid $2,000 or more in 2026 and not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Solo 401(k) after a strong filing yearA solo trademark attorney with no other full-time employees can defer up to $24,500 into a solo 401(k), plus an $8,000 catch-up at 50 and over, in a year filings and watch renewals run strong.
Deductions IP and trademark attorneys miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Bar dues and CLE
- Malpractice insurance
- Legal research subscriptions
- Trademark search service fees
- Government filing fees on the firm's own matters
- Docketing and renewal tracking software
- Mileage to client meetings
- Payment processing fees
- Office rent and utilities
- Case management software
- Marketing and referral outreach
- Answering or intake service 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
A trademark practice year, kept every month.
Filings and office actions move on the examiner's calendar, not the season. Gus keeps the set-aside steady either way. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for vendors is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned around a mix of filings, office actions, and watch renewals.
- April
Filed, filings and renewals both
Your return is filed and signed, whatever mix of new filings, office actions, and watch renewals the year brought. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where the firm stands, how many office actions have come in, and whether the set-aside still fits.
- October
Before year end
A look at any software worth buying before December, and a check on which watch service clients are due for renewal.
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 IP and trademark attorneys. 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 trademark attorneys ask first.
How does Gus separate our fee from the government's filing fee?
He books the government's portion as a pass-through and only the rest as the firm's own earned fee, so the return reflects what the practice actually kept, not the government's share.
A filing came back with an office action. Is that extra billable work?
Usually yes, and Gus keeps it in its own line, separate from the original filing fee, so it shows up as real additional work rather than getting lost inside the flat rate you already charged.
We run a watch service that renews every year. Can Gus track that separately from new filings?
Yes. Watch service retainer income stays in its own category, so you can see how much of the practice is steady, recurring revenue versus new, one-time filing work.
We handle opposition proceedings that run for a year or more. Does that get tracked differently?
Yes. Opposition and cancellation hours are billed and tracked separately from flat fee registration work, since they run on a very different timeline and fee model.
Our filing volume swings month to month. Does that hurt our taxes?
No. The set-aside is built around what actually lands each month, so a slow filing stretch does not leave the firm owing more than it planned for.
Can Gus show me how much of our income is steady versus one-time?
Yes. Watch service renewals stay apart from new filing fees, so you can see how much of the practice's income repeats every year versus depends on new clients.
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