Performance marketing & lead gen

Books and taxes for Meta ads agencies.

Retainers, ROAS-based performance bonuses, whitelisted creator payouts, and the client ad spend you front on your own card. Gus 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
FebruaryExample month
$10,000
what you made

February came in at $10,000. I kept the ad spend you fronted for Rivermark Denim separate from your management fee, so your real margin didn't disappear into Meta's bill.

  • Stripe retainer payoutRetainers
  • Rivermark Denim bonusPerformance bonus
  • Creator payment, J. OseiContent contractors
  • Meta spend, Rivermark accountClient ad spend passthrough
  • Canva and Motion subscriptionsSoftware
Money in$34,000
Money out$24,000
Set aside for taxes$2,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Meta ad agency books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and a subscription bill. Your business runs on retainers, performance bonuses tied to a client's own ad numbers, creator payments, and ad accounts you sometimes fund yourself. When the books do not separate a client's ad spend from your own fee, you cannot tell what the agency actually earned.

  1. 1

    Fronted ad spend swallows your fee

    When you front $18,000 in Meta spend on your own card for a client's product launch and bill it back with your management fee on top, booking the whole amount as sales makes your margin invisible and your real earnings look inflated.

    What we doBooks your management fee as revenue and the ad spend you fronted as its own passthrough line, so your real margin shows up honest every month.
  2. 2

    Performance bonuses land before they're confirmed

    A bonus tied to a client's reported ROAS can get counted based on a number that shifts once the client's own dashboard settles, so a strong month on paper sometimes gets clawed back the next one.

    What we doWaits to book a performance bonus until the client confirms the number, and flags any month that relied on an early estimate.
  3. 3

    Creator payments hide inside one supplies line

    UGC creators paid per video for whitelisted ads add up fast across a roster of ten or more, and lumped in with software and office costs, you cannot see what content actually costs against what it earns.

    What we doKeeps creator payments in their own line, separate from software and other overhead, so content cost against results is easy to see.
  4. 4

    A suspended ad account strands prepaid balances

    Money sitting in a Meta ad account balance when the account gets flagged or suspended is not gone, but it also is not spent, and booking it as an expense the day it was loaded overstates that month's costs.

    What we doTracks ad account balances separately from spend that has actually run, so a suspension does not distort your numbers.
  5. 5

    Overseas creators get the wrong tax paperwork

    A creator or media buyer working from outside the US does not get a 1099-NEC, and paying her the same way you pay a domestic contractor leaves no record of why one was skipped.

    What we doFlags overseas contractors separately from domestic ones, so the accountant can confirm the right form is on file for each.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a Meta ads agency.

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

  • Management retainersMonthly fees invoiced through Stripe or QuickBooks for running a client's ad accounts.
  • Performance bonusesROAS or spend-tier bonuses paid once a client's own numbers confirm the result.
  • Client ad spend reimbursementsWhat a client repays for spend you fronted on your own card.
  • Whitelisting and partnership feesWhat a brand pays to run ads through a creator's handle you help set up.
  • Onboarding and setup feesOne-time charges for a new ad account build or pixel setup.

Money out

  • Client ad spendMeta spend run on a client's behalf, tracked apart from your own management fee.
  • Creator and UGC paymentsWhat you pay creators for video content used in ads.
  • Software and toolsCanva, Motion, and reporting dashboards used to run and report on campaigns.
  • Contractor media buyersFreelance buyers and strategists paid outside of payroll.
  • Certifications and trainingMeta Blueprint courses and renewal costs.
  • Coworking or office costsDesk space or a home office share.
  • Payment processing feesWhat Stripe or PayPal keeps before a retainer payment lands.

What we watch for you

  • Fee margin

    Your management fee against fronted ad spend, so a big client's spend doesn't hide a thin fee.

  • Creator cost share

    What creators cost against what their content earns, tracked apart from software and overhead.

  • Bonus collection lag

    How long a performance bonus takes to confirm and land, so a slow month is not mistaken for a bad one.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked against your management fee every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things Meta ad agency 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.

I fronted $18,000 in ad spend for a launch. Does that count as my income?

No. I booked your management fee as revenue and the $18,000 as a passthrough, so it never inflates what you actually earned.

My UGC creator in Manila wants paid through Wise. Do I still send her a 1099?

Usually not a 1099-NEC, since she's not a US person. That one is above my pay grade for the paperwork, so I flagged her for the accountant to confirm what's needed.

A client is disputing March's ROAS bonus. What do I do with the books?

I hadn't booked it as confirmed income yet, since the client's number was still an estimate. Once you two settle it, I'll book whatever actually lands.

The tax side

The tax side of a Meta ads agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and paperwork. Ad spend booked as your own income, a bonus counted before it's real, and a creator paid like a domestic contractor when she isn't one.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Client ad spend passthroughAd spend you front and bill back is not your own cost or income the way your management fee is. Keeping it separate keeps your real revenue and your margin readable to you and to the accountant.
  • Domestic contractor 1099sAny US-based media buyer, editor, or strategist not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current all year.
  • Foreign creators and buyersA creator or buyer working outside the US usually does not get a 1099-NEC. A signed W-8BEN is generally the paperwork instead, and the exact rule depends on the details, so the accountant confirms it.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books separate your real fee from ad spend that only passes through.

Deductions Meta ads agencies miss

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

  • Meta Blueprint certification
  • Reporting and dashboard software
  • Canva or design subscriptions
  • Contractor media buyers
  • Home office or coworking desk
  • Laptop and second monitor
  • Payment processing fees
  • Business phone and internet
  • Zoom or client call software
  • Industry conference travel

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 Meta ad agency year, kept every month.

Client budgets shift with the seasons, especially around big shopping weekends. Your team keeps you ahead of both the swings and the tax calendar. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, your 1099 list for domestic media buyers and editors is ready, and a monthly set-aside begins so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has tracked your management fee apart from client ad spend every month since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring client budgets changed the number.

  4. October

    Before Black Friday hits

    DTC clients typically double or triple ad budgets for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Before that surge lands, Gus flags what creator or software costs are worth locking in 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 Meta ads agencies. 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 Meta ad agency owners ask first.

I front ad spend on my own card for clients. How does that show up on my return?

It doesn't count as your income or your expense the way your management fee does. Gus books it as a passthrough, so your real earnings and your write-offs both come out honest.

Do I owe tax on a performance bonus the client hasn't paid yet?

No. Gus only books income once it actually lands or the client confirms the number, so an estimate that gets adjusted later doesn't inflate a month you already reported.

My creators are mostly overseas. Does that change anything?

It changes the paperwork, not the payment. A creator working outside the US usually needs a signed W-8BEN instead of a 1099-NEC. Gus flags who's overseas so the accountant can confirm what's on file.

Can Gus tell me if a client's account is actually profitable for my agency?

He can show you the management fee and creator or contractor cost against that client's ad spend, so you can see your real margin on the account, separate from the money you're just passing through.

My ad account got suspended with $4,000 still loaded. What happens to that in the books?

It stays as a balance, not an expense, until it's actually spent or refunded. Gus keeps prepaid ad balances separate so a suspension doesn't wreck your numbers.

Do whitelisting fees count differently than regular ad spend?

Yes. What a brand pays to run ads through a creator's handle is revenue for you, separate from the ad spend itself. Gus keeps that in its own line.

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