Consulting & business services
Books and taxes for management consultants.
Monthly retainers, project milestone wires, subcontracted analysts, and the travel you bill back to the client. 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
February came in at $14,800. The Riverstone travel you billed back landed as a wash, not a fee, so your margin still reads true.
- Acme Corp retainerRetainer income
- Riverstone milestone wireProject income
- J. Alvarez, analystSubcontracted specialists
- United AirlinesClient travel
- HubSpot subscriptionCRM and proposal tools
Why your books are different
A consulting firm's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is retainers that cover work spread across months, analysts you bring in for one engagement, and travel you front and bill back. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you about which clients actually pay.
-
1
A retainer lands in one month, covers three
A client wires $18,000 in January to cover work through March. Booked as January income, the month looks huge and February and March look like the business dried up.
What we doNotes what period a retainer covers so the monthly number reflects the work happening, not just the day the wire landed. -
2
Billed-back travel inflates the top line
You front a flight and hotel for a client site visit, then invoice it back at cost. Booked as revenue, it makes your fees look bigger than they are and your costs look worse.
What we doKeeps reimbursed travel as a pass-through, not a fee, so your real consulting revenue stays honest. -
3
The analyst who is basically staff
A subcontracted analyst who works only for you, on your schedule, using your templates, starts to look like an employee to the IRS, even though the invoice says contractor.
What we doFlags a subcontractor who looks employee-like and gets the accountant's read before it becomes a year-long habit. -
4
Six states, no nexus tracking
Clients across six states means on-site work in places you never opened an office, and a state tax obligation can show up before you notice the pattern.
What we doKeeps a running note of where client work happens so the accountant can flag a state worth a closer look.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a management consulting firm.
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
- Retainer incomeMonthly client retainers, tracked to the period they cover.
- Project milestone incomeFixed-fee engagements paid at signed deliverables.
- Reimbursed client travelFlights, hotels, and mileage billed back at cost, kept apart from fees.
- Referral incomeFees from partner firms who send work your way.
Money out
- Subcontracted specialistsAnalysts and niche experts brought in for one engagement.
- Travel and lodgingFlights, hotels, and mileage for client site visits.
- CRM and proposal softwareHubSpot, proposal tools, and document signing.
- Professional liability insuranceCoverage that protects the advice you give.
- Conferences and association duesIndustry events and the memberships that come with them.
- Marketing and lead generationLinkedIn Sales Navigator, a website, and referral fees.
What we watch for you
- Retainer renewal rate
Whether your recurring client base is holding steady or quietly shrinking.
- Subcontractor cost share
What analysts and specialists cost against what came in, so your rates keep up.
- Days to get paid
Corporate clients often pay net 30 to net 60, and a slipping number signals a cash crunch ahead.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things management 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.
Usually, yes. I logged the registration and hotel as a business expense, and the accountant confirms it fits when your return is prepared.
The Acme retainer covers January through March, but the full amount hit in one wire. I noted the period it covers so your real monthly picture stays honest.
That pattern is worth a look. He's starting to work like an employee rather than a project hire, so I flagged it for the accountant before it becomes a habit.
The tax side
The tax side of a management consulting practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and classification. A retainer booked on the wrong day, a subcontractor who looks like staff, and a pass-through fee for the year no one built.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sPay an outside analyst $2,000 or more over the year and a 1099-NEC is due to them by January 31. Gus keeps a running tally so nobody on the roster gets missed.
- Employee or contractorAn analyst who works only for you, on your schedule, using your templates, is starting to look like an employee. Getting that call wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags the pattern early.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can shave up to 20 percent off taxable profit, though the benefit tapers for consulting income above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint. The accountant confirms the real number at return time.
- Self-employment tax and estimatesProfit that never runs through payroll owes a 15.3 percent self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base, and it usually gets paid in quarterly estimates rather than one bill in April.
Deductions management consultants miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Mileage to client sites
- Flights and hotels for engagements
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- CRM and proposal software
- Industry conference registration
- Laptop and monitor
- Subcontracted analyst fees
- Professional liability insurance
- Home office space
- Business association dues
- Business cards and website hosting
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 consulting practice's year, on Gus's calendar.
Corporate budget cycles move on their own schedule, and yours runs on a different one. Gus keeps both in view all year. 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 your analysts, 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 this year's engagements are tracking ahead of last year's.
- October
Before budget season
Corporate clients start planning next year's spend. Gus looks at equipment or software worth buying 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 management 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 management consultants ask first.
I bill clients a flat project fee. Does that change the books?
No. Fixed-fee and hourly work both get sorted the same way, tied to the client and the engagement, so you can see what each project actually paid out.
Can Gus handle a retainer that covers work across three months?
Yes. He notes the period the retainer covers so your monthly number reflects the work happening, not just the day the wire landed.
I front travel costs and bill clients back. Is that income?
No, and Gus keeps it that way. Reimbursed travel is booked as a pass-through, not a fee, so your real consulting revenue stays accurate.
My analyst works exclusively for me. Do I need to worry about that?
It is worth watching. A subcontractor who takes direction on your schedule and works only for you can start to look like an employee, so Gus flags the pattern for the accountant to weigh in.
I work with clients in five states. Does that complicate my taxes?
It can. Serving or visiting clients across state lines sometimes creates a filing obligation in a state where you have no office. Gus keeps a note of where the work happens so the accountant can check.
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