Local media & publishing
Books and taxes for local newspapers and hyperlocal news sites.
Display ads, campaign spots before an election, reader subscriptions, and the freelance reporters you pay by the story. 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
October came in at $11,500. I kept the council race ad buys in their own line so a normal month next spring won't look like a letdown by comparison.
- Google Ad Manager payoutDigital ad sales
- Council race ad buyPolitical advertising
- Substack payoutReader subscriptions
- AP wire serviceWire service fees
- J. Alvarez, freelanceFreelance reporters
Why your books are different
A local newsroom's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees ad income and bills. Your outlet runs on freelance reporters paid by the story, a subscriber base that pays once a year, and an ad calendar that spikes every time there is an election. When the books do not separate any of that, you cannot tell whether the paper is growing or just had a good month for politics.
-
1
A yearly subscription looks like one big month
A reader who pays $60 for a year of access shows up as $60 the day they pay, not as coverage delivered all year. One busy renewal week can make a slow news month look strong, and a quiet one after it look like readers are leaving.
What we doSpreads a yearly subscription across the months it covers, so the number you see each month is what the paper actually earned. -
2
Campaign ad money is not a normal month
A city council or school board race brings a run of political ad buys that will not repeat until the next election. Folded into regular ad sales, it makes an ordinary October look like the new normal and next spring look like a decline.
What we doKeeps political advertising in its own line, so you can see what the paper earns from its regular advertisers without the election bump. -
3
Freelance reporters paid by the story
A dozen different freelancers might file a story or two a month at different rates, and without a running list nobody can say who has been paid $2,000 or more for the year until January arrives.
What we doTracks what every freelancer is paid across the year, so the 1099 list is ready before the deadline instead of a scramble. -
4
Wire fees and legal notice income blur together
An AP wire subscription is a cost, and a legal notice posting fee from the county is income, but both can land in the bank the same week and get logged as one unclear line.
What we doKeeps wire service costs and legal notice income in their own categories, so neither one hides inside the other.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a local newsroom.
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
- Digital ad salesBanner and programmatic ads run through Google Ad Manager or Ezoic.
- Reader subscriptionsPaywall or membership payments through Substack or Stripe.
- Sponsored contentAdvertorial pieces billed at their own rate, kept apart from straight ad sales.
- Political advertisingCampaign and ballot measure ad buys, kept apart from regular advertisers.
- Legal notice postingsPaid public notices required by the county or state.
Money out
- Freelance reporters and photographersWriters and photographers paid per story or per assignment.
- Wire service feesAn Associated Press or regional wire subscription.
- Content hostingNewspack or WordPress hosting through WP Engine.
- Ad server feesWhat Google Ad Manager or Ezoic keeps before you get paid.
- Newsletter feesMailchimp or beehiiv for the daily or weekly email.
- Stock photo licensesGetty or iStock images for stories without staff photos.
- Press credentials and event accessFees to cover council meetings, courts, and local events.
What we watch for you
- Subscriber renewals
How many readers actually renew each cycle, which shows where revenue is headed before the invoice does.
- Ad revenue share
Straight ad sales against sponsored content, so you know which one to sell harder.
- Freelance cost
What contributors cost against what the month brought in, since it moves before anything else does.
- Legal notice income
Steady but easy to miss, worth tracking apart from ad sales.
Ask Gus
Things local newsroom 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.
Not on your end. I booked it as political advertising, kept apart from your regular advertisers, so next month won't look like a drop by comparison.
No. Send the bank statement and I keep the running list. If anyone crosses $2,000 for the year, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Yes, a business cost like any subscription. I keep it in its own line so it does not get mixed up with legal notice income landing the same week.
The tax side
The tax side of a local news outlet.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. A subscription paid all at once, a freelancer never tracked until January, and a set-aside that only starts once the return is due.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Freelance reporter 1099sAnyone not on staff paid $2,000 or more in 2026, including a freelance photographer or a stringer covering a beat, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the running list all year.
- Equipment and gear write-offsCameras, recorders, and laptops bought for reporting can usually be written off in the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionAd sales, subscription revenue, and sponsored content all count toward the up to 20 percent of business profit most owner-operated outlets can deduct from their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how much of it applies.
- Self-employment taxA solo publisher not paid through payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, whether the profit came from ad sales or a good renewal season, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
Deductions local newspapers and hyperlocal news sites miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Freelance reporter fees
- AP wire subscription
- Newspack or WordPress hosting
- Stock photo licenses
- Press credentials
- Recorders and cameras
- Laptop and editing software
- Newsletter fees
- Business liability insurance
- Mileage to cover local meetings
- Court and public records fees
- Website hosting and domain
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 local newsroom's year, kept every month.
News does not wait for tax season, and neither does your team. The books close every month, election years and quiet ones alike. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the news year
Last year's return gets started, every freelance reporter's 1099 is finalized, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed before the runoffs
Your return is filed and signed weeks before any spring election ad rush hits the calendar, with no surprise bill because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear read
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer ad sales are keeping pace with the rest of the year.
- October
Before the vote
Campaign ad buys start landing before an election. Gus keeps that income apart so November and beyond stay easy to read.
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 local newspapers and hyperlocal news sites. 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 local newsroom owners ask first.
Do political ad buys count as regular income?
Yes, it is still income, but Gus keeps it in its own category apart from your regular advertisers, so a busy election season does not make an ordinary month look like the new normal.
I run the site through WordPress and Newspack. Do I need to change anything?
No. Keep running the site the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
My freelancers are paid different amounts every month. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus keeps a running total for each contributor all year, so the ones who cross $2,000 get a 1099-NEC by January 31 without you tracking it yourself.
Do I need to separate my AP wire bill from legal notice income?
Yes, and Gus does it for you. One is a cost and one is income, and keeping them apart keeps both numbers honest.
My books haven't been touched since the last editor moved on. Is that a problem?
No. Send whatever bank statements and old invoices you still have. Gus works through the backlog, tags the political ad buys apart from the rest, and the accountant checks it before anything is final.
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