Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for membership site owners.

Monthly members, annual renewals paid once a year, a lifetime deal sold years ago that is still owed content, and a content library to keep stocked. Your own bookkeeper sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
NovemberExample month
$9,100
what you made

November came in at $9,100. Annual renewals made up a third of it, so I kept that spread across the year instead of counting it all in one month.

  • MemberPress payoutMonthly memberships
  • Annual renewal batchAnnual memberships
  • Stock photo licenseContent library costs
  • Content writer, direct invoiceContent production
  • Web hosting renewalWebsite and hosting
Money in$14,200
Money out$5,100
Set aside for taxes$2,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A membership site's books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist sees a deposit and calls it this month's income. Yours mixes monthly members, a batch of annual renewals paid once a year, and maybe an old lifetime deal that still owes years of content. Treated as one lump, the real recurring picture disappears.

  1. 1

    An annual renewal gets counted as one month's income

    A member who pays $180 once a year for full access is really paying for twelve months of content, but if the whole $180 lands as October's revenue, October looks great and the next eleven months look like they earned nothing from that member.

    What we doSpreads annual payments across the months they cover, so the monthly number reflects access being delivered, not just when the card was charged.
  2. 2

    An old lifetime deal is money already spent

    A founding member who paid $500 once for access forever is a member the site has to keep serving content to for years, with no more money coming from them, and it is easy to forget that obligation still exists.

    What we doKeeps a running note of lifetime members separate from active subscribers, so the site does not overcount how much recurring revenue it actually has.
  3. 3

    Content costs get buried in one software line

    Stock photos, a hired writer, and video licensing for the member library all land in one blurry expense category, so nobody can tell what it actually costs to keep the library fresh each month.

    What we doKeeps content production costs in their own line, separate from hosting and software, so the real cost of the library is visible.
  4. 4

    Cancellations hide inside gross revenue

    A site that adds 30 new members and loses 25 in the same month can look like healthy growth if only new signups get reported, when the real gain was 5.

    What we doTracks new members against cancellations, so the number reported is what the site actually gained, not just what came in the door.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a membership site.

Set up once for how the site gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Monthly membershipsRecurring monthly billing through Stripe or a membership plugin.
  • Annual membershipsOnce-a-year renewals, spread across the months they cover.
  • Lifetime access salesOne-time payments for access that never expires.
  • Add-on salesExtra guides, templates, or one-time products sold to members.

Money out

  • Content productionWriters, photographers, or video editors for the member library.
  • Content library costsStock photo, video, and recipe or asset licensing.
  • Membership softwareMemberPress, Memberful, or the plugin running the site.
  • Website and hostingDomain, hosting, and site maintenance.
  • Email and community toolsNewsletter software and a member forum or chat.

What we watch for you

  • Net member growth

    New members against cancellations, since new signups alone hide how many left.

  • Annual renewal share

    How much of the year's revenue is spread from annual payments rather than earned that month.

  • Content cost per member

    What it costs to produce the library against how many members it serves.

  • The set-aside

    What will be owed, tracked every month, so a big annual renewal batch does not turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things membership site 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.

A batch of annual renewals just hit. Should I count all of that as this month's income?

I spread it across the twelve months it actually covers instead, so one strong renewal month does not make the rest of the year look weak by comparison.

I sold a few lifetime memberships years ago. Do those matter for the books now?

They do, just not as new revenue. I keep a running note of those members so the site does not overcount how much recurring income it actually has.

Should I switch from a WordPress plugin to a hosted membership app?

That is above my pay grade. I can show you what the current software actually costs against what members pay, and the accountant can weigh in from there.

The tax side

The tax side of running a membership site.

Most of what trips people up here is treating a lump payment like a single month's income, and content costs that hide inside one blurry software line.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Paying a writer or photographer $2,000 or moreAnyone helping produce content, not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that running total.
  • Self-employment taxA site owner not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
  • Form 1099-K from payment appsStripe and similar apps send a 1099-K once you cross $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. Renewal income is taxable whether or not a form arrives.
  • The pass-through deductionMost membership businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how much applies.

Deductions membership site owners miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Stock photo and video licenses
  • Content writer and photographer pay
  • Membership plugin or software
  • Website hosting and domains
  • Email marketing tools
  • Community forum software
  • Business phone and internet
  • Business liability insurance
  • Payment processor fees
  • Backup and storage costs

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 membership site's year, kept every month.

Members renew on their own schedule all year, not on a tax calendar. Your team keeps the books closed every month, all year. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the renewal calendar

    Last year's return gets started, the content writer's 1099 is prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is no scramble.

  2. April

    Filed, library intact

    The return is filed and signed, no surprise bill, since a share of every renewal since January has already been set aside.

  3. July

    Renewal pace check

    Where the site stands, what it will owe, and whether a spring renewal wave changed the number.

  4. October

    Before annual renewal season

    Many sites see a wave of annual renewals late in the year. Gus looks at content spending planned and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 membership site owners. 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 membership site owners ask first.

Do I pay tax on an annual payment all at once or spread out?

The cash usually counts as income when received, but Gus still spreads it across the months it covers so you can see the real monthly picture, and the accountant confirms how it lands on the return.

I sold lifetime memberships a few years ago. Does that create ongoing tax issues?

Not usually beyond the year they were sold, but it does mean ongoing content costs with no more revenue from those members. Gus tracks that so it does not get missed.

My site runs on a WordPress plugin, not Stripe directly. Can Gus still work with that?

Yes. Gus works from your bank and payout statements regardless of which plugin or processor you use.

I paid a photographer a flat fee for a big content batch. How does that get categorized?

As content production, kept apart from software and hosting costs, so you can see what building the library actually costs.

My books have never separated monthly and annual members. Can Gus fix that?

Yes. Send the bank and payout statements you have. Gus sorts monthly from annual and spreads renewals correctly, 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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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