Consulting & business services
Books and taxes for ISO certification consultants.
A certification prep engagement that runs months before the audit, a smaller annual surveillance prep fee inside a three-year cycle, a specialist you bring in for environmental standards, and a copy of the standard itself that costs money to own. 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
March came in at $11,500. Vantage's certification prep fee covers a five-month engagement, so I'm spreading that income across the months of work instead of counting it all now.
- Vantage Manufacturing prepCertification prep fees
- Delridge Foods surveillance prepSurveillance prep fees
- Environmental specialist, subcontractedSubcontracted specialists
- ISO 14001 standard documentStandard document licensing
- Travel, multi-site rolloutTravel to client facilities
Why your books are different
An ISO certification consultant's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and travel bills. Your business is a certification prep engagement that runs for months before an audit, a smaller annual surveillance fee inside a three-year cycle, and standards documents that cost real money to own. When the books do not know that, one big engagement can look like the whole year's success.
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1
A multi-month prep engagement gets counted on day one
A client pays a large fee upfront for a five-month certification prep engagement, and booked entirely the month it is paid, the rest of the engagement's actual work disappears from the picture.
What we doSpreads certification prep income across the months of work it covers, so the monthly number reflects the engagement actually happening. -
2
Surveillance prep fees get confused with full certification fees
A smaller annual fee for surveillance audit prep inside a client's three-year certification cycle is a different kind of work than a full initial certification engagement, and mixed together, you cannot tell which clients are in which phase.
What we doKeeps surveillance prep fees separate from full certification prep fees, so you can see where each client stands in their cycle. -
3
Standard document costs get lost in office supplies
Owning the current version of an ISO standard is a real cost of doing this work, and when a standard gets revised, that cost repeats. Filed as generic supplies, it is easy to lose track of.
What we doKeeps standard document costs in their own line, so you can see what staying current on each standard actually costs you. -
4
A specialist for one standard becomes a standing hire
An environmental or safety specialist you bring in whenever a client needs a standard outside your core expertise, using your process and your client relationships, starts to look like an employee rather than a project hire.
What we doFlags a subcontracted specialist who looks employee-like and gets the accountant's read before the pattern is a year old.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an ISO certification consulting practice.
Set up once for how you bill and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Certification prep feesFull initial certification engagements, spread across the months of work.
- Surveillance prep feesSmaller annual fees for clients inside their three-year certification cycle.
- Gap analysis feesInitial assessments before a full prep engagement begins.
- Multi-site rollout feesEngagements covering several facility locations for one client.
Money out
- Subcontracted specialistsOutside experts brought in for standards outside your core expertise.
- Standard document licensingPurchasing current copies of the ISO standards you consult on.
- Travel to client facilitiesMileage and lodging for on-site prep and multi-site rollouts.
- Professional certification renewalMaintaining your own lead auditor or consultant credentials.
- Professional liability insuranceCoverage for the consulting advice you provide.
What we watch for you
- Prep versus surveillance mix
How much of your income comes from full certification engagements versus smaller ongoing surveillance work.
- Delivered versus billed
How much of a multi-month engagement's fee is actually earned by the work completed so far.
- Subcontractor cost share
What outside specialists cost against total engagement income.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things ISO certification consultants 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 spread it across the months the engagement actually runs instead, so your monthly number reflects the work happening, not just the day the payment landed.
Yes. Surveillance prep fees and full certification prep fees are kept in separate categories, so you can see where each client stands in their cycle.
I keep it in its own line instead, so you can see what staying current on each standard actually costs you over time.
The tax side
The tax side of an ISO certification consulting practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing a long engagement right and classifying the specialists you bring in. Handled right, the year does not surprise you.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sA subcontracted specialist paid $2,000 or more over the year, off payroll, needs a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that tally current.
- Employee or contractorA specialist who works only your engagements, on your schedule, using your process, is starting to look like an employee rather than a project hire. Gus flags the pattern.
- Self-employment taxSince the business doesn't put you on payroll, profit you take carries a 15.3 percent self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base.
- The pass-through deductionAn ISO consulting practice's profit can often be trimmed by up to 20 percent before it's taxed, and the accountant confirms the real number at filing time.
Deductions ISO certification consultants miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- ISO standard document purchases
- Lead auditor certification renewal
- Subcontracted specialist fees
- Travel to client facilities
- Professional liability insurance
- Laptop and presentation equipment
- Home office space
- Continuing education courses
- Marketing to manufacturers and facilities
- Trade association dues
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 ISO consulting year, checked in four times.
Certification and surveillance cycles run on a three-year clock that rarely lines up with the calendar year. Gus keeps your own taxes on schedule alongside it. 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, 1099s go out to subcontracted specialists, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with no surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether prep and surveillance engagements are tracking as expected.
- October
Before year end
A look at standard document renewals and certification worth doing before December closes out the year.
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 ISO certification consultants. 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 ISO certification consultants ask first.
A client paid the full engagement fee upfront for a multi-month prep project. Does that skew the month it lands in?
No. Gus spreads that income across the months the engagement runs, so the monthly number reflects the work actually happening.
Can Gus tell my full certification clients apart from clients just doing an annual surveillance visit?
Yes. Certification prep fees and surveillance prep fees are kept in separate categories, so you can see where each client stands in their cycle.
I bring in a specialist whenever a client needs a standard outside my expertise. Does that change my taxes?
It can. If that specialist works only your engagements on your schedule, the pattern can start to look like an employee relationship, and Gus flags it for the accountant.
Is buying the current ISO standard document just a regular office cost?
Gus keeps it in its own line instead, so you can see what staying current on each standard you consult under actually costs you.
My books are behind after juggling several multi-site engagements. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have from your certification engagements. Gus sorts them out, and most owners 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