Insurance agencies
Books and taxes for Medicare insurance brokers.
A fall enrollment season that carries the year, per-enrollee commission set by the plan, true-up payments that land months later, and heavy lead spend to fill the pipeline. 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
November came in at $17,300. Enrollment season is running hot, and I kept this month's per-enrollee commission apart from the true-up payment still due from last spring's book.
- Carrier per-enrollee commissionNew enrollment commission
- Carrier true-up paymentTrue-up commission
- Facebook lead campaignLead generation
- Call recording systemCompliance and telesales software
- AHIP certification renewalLicensing and certification
Why your books are different
A Medicare broker's books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits arriving in bursts and calls it inconsistent income. Your business runs on a fixed fall enrollment window, a commission schedule set by CMS rather than negotiated, and a true-up payment that trails the sale by months. When the books do not know that, the whole year reads as unpredictable instead of seasonal.
-
1
The true-up lands separate from the enrollment
A carrier often pays a partial commission when a client enrolls and a true-up adjustment months later once the plan confirms the enrollment stuck. Booked as unrelated income, the true-up looks random instead of tied to last season's work.
What we doMatches a true-up payment to the enrollment season it came from, so it reads as expected, not as a mystery deposit. -
2
Lead spend gets buried in general marketing
Facebook campaigns, direct mail, and lead vendors can be the single biggest cost in a Medicare broker's year, and lumped into general marketing you cannot see cost per enrollment or which source actually converts.
What we doKeeps lead spend on its own line so it can be weighed against enrollment income season over season. -
3
One enrollment season carries eleven other months
Most of the year's production happens between October 15 and December 7, and the rest of the year can look thin by comparison even though it is entirely normal for this business.
What we doTracks income against the enrollment calendar so a quiet spring reads as expected, not as a problem to fix. -
4
Compliance and telesales costs disappear into supplies
Call recording and dialer software required to stay compliant on Medicare calls is a real, recurring cost, but filed under generic supplies it never shows up as what it is.
What we doKeeps compliance and telesales software on its own line, so it is visible when it is time to plan next season's budget.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a Medicare broker.
Set up once for how carriers pay you and what enrollment season costs. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- New enrollment commissionPer-enrollee commission paid when a client signs up for Advantage, Supplement, or Part D.
- True-up commissionAdjustment payments that arrive after a carrier confirms an enrollment stuck.
- Renewal commissionContinued pay on clients who stay enrolled year over year.
- Referral incomeFees from other agents or professionals who send Medicare-eligible clients your way.
Money out
- Lead generationFacebook campaigns, direct mail, and lead vendor costs.
- Compliance and telesales softwareCall recording and dialer systems required to stay compliant.
- Licensing and certificationAHIP training and carrier-specific certification renewals, done every year.
- E&O insuranceErrors and omissions coverage required to hold appointments.
- Office and travelSpace, mileage, and travel to in-person enrollment events.
What we watch for you
- Cost per enrollment
What each lead source costs against the commission it produced, since lead spend is often the biggest cost in the business.
- True-up backlog
How much commission is still owed from a past season, so cash flow makes sense.
- Enrollment season concentration
How much of the year's income lands in October through December, so the rest of the year reads correctly.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things Medicare brokers 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.
That looks like a true-up from last fall's enrollment season. I matched it to the carrier and month it came from, so it is not a mystery, just a delayed piece of AEP.
No, that is normal for this business. Most of your year's income lands in the fall enrollment window, and I track your numbers against that calendar so a quiet spring does not look like trouble.
Usually, yes, those are ordinary business costs. I keep them logged as licensing and certification so they are ready when the return is prepared.
The tax side
The tax side of a Medicare brokerage.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing, a true-up mistaken for new income, lead spend hidden in generic marketing, a set-aside built on the fall season alone.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Self-employment tax and estimatesBrokers paid on commission 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 owner-brokers 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 sub-agentsAny sub-agent or referral partner paid $2,000 or more in 2026 outside payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Lead and software write-offsLead spend, call recording software, and certification costs are ordinary business expenses, deductible in the year paid.
Deductions Medicare insurance brokers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Facebook and digital lead campaigns
- Direct mail lead generation
- Call recording and dialer software
- AHIP and carrier certification fees
- Errors and omissions insurance
- State license and appointment fees
- CRM software for enrollment tracking
- Mileage to enrollment events
- Phone and internet for telesales
- Office rent or home office share
- Continuing education courses
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 Medicare broker's year, kept every month.
Enrollment season is set by CMS. Your team keeps your books ready around it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Reset before AEP
Last year's return gets started, true-ups from the prior season are tracked, and you get a monthly set-aside for the year ahead.
- April
Season wraps up
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, even after a heavy fall enrollment season, because the set-aside has been running steadily since January.
- July
Midyear read
Where you stand before the fall push, and what this year's lead spend needs to be to hit your number.
- October
Enrollment season begins
The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, and Gus tracks income against that window as it comes in.
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 Medicare insurance brokers. 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 Medicare brokers ask first.
Can Gus keep true-up payments straight from new enrollment commission?
Yes. True-ups are matched to the season and carrier they came from, so a delayed payment does not look like unrelated income.
Most of my income lands in the fall. Will my books look broken the rest of the year?
No. Gus tracks your numbers against the enrollment calendar, so a quiet spring or summer reads as expected for this business.
Can Gus track cost per enrollment across my different lead sources?
He keeps lead spend by source on its own line, so you can see which one is actually producing enrollments against what it costs.
Does Gus handle CMS compliance requirements?
No, that is above what the books cover. Gus keeps your financial records straight; a real accountant can flag anything that needs a closer look, but CMS compliance itself is not part of this.
I switch carriers I represent most years. Does that complicate the books?
No. Gus tracks commission by carrier regardless of which ones you add or drop, so switching carriers does not disrupt your monthly number.
My records from last AEP are a mess. Can Gus still make sense of them?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts new enrollment commission from true-ups and lead spend, and most brokers 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.
More in insurance agencies
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Crop insurance agents
- Insurance appraisers & umpires
- Group benefits brokers
- Public adjusters
- Specialty insurance agencies (trucking, contractors)
- Captive insurance agents
- Commercial insurance brokers
- Health insurance brokers
- Independent insurance agencies
- Final expense agents
- Life insurance agencies
- Banner & large-format printers
- Court reporters
- Label printers
- Legal document preparers
- Mailing houses & lettershops
- Mediators
- Private investigators
- Process servers
- Trade show display producers
- 1031 exchange intermediaries
- Answering services
- Apostille services
- Background check companies
- Business valuation firms
- Crypto tax specialists
- Document shredding & records management
- DOT compliance consultants
- Drug testing centers
- Exit planning advisors
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