Music, art & performing arts businesses
Books and taxes for muralists.
A deposit before the paint touches the wall, a progress payment halfway through, a city grant with its own rules, and a lift rental that eats into a job's margin. 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
July came in at $6,600. The city grant for the underpass mural finally cleared, so I matched it against what you have actually spent on that job so far.
- City arts grant, underpassGrant and public art funds
- Progress payment, brewery wallCommission milestone payments
- Sherwin-Williams exterior paintPaint and materials
- Sunbelt Rentals, liftScaffolding and lift rental
- General liability premiumInsurance
Why your books are different
Muralist books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a deposit and a final payment. A mural is usually paid in stages, sometimes with a city or arts grant that comes with its own reporting, and a lift or scaffolding rental that can eat a third of what a job earns. When the books do not track that, a project can look profitable when it barely broke even.
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1
Milestone payments get counted before the work matches them
A brewery pays a third down, a third at the halfway mark, and the rest on completion. Counted as income the day each check clears, a deposit taken in June can look like June's earnings even though the painting happens in August.
What we doMatches milestone payments to the work actually completed, so income lands in the month the wall got painted. -
2
Grant money gets treated the same as a client payment
A city arts grant for a public mural often comes with restrictions on what it can be spent on and sometimes a reporting requirement. Mixed in with regular client income, it is easy to lose track of what the grant actually covered.
What we doKeeps grant funds and their spending matched together, so you can show exactly where that money went if it is ever asked. -
3
Lift and scaffolding rental quietly eats the margin
A three-story wall needs a boom lift that can run $400 a day. If that cost is not tracked against the specific job, a big commission can look far more profitable than it actually was.
What we doTracks equipment rental against each job, so you know what a project actually netted, not just what it billed. -
4
Paint bought for one job carries over unnoticed
A bulk order of exterior paint for a large commercial wall gets used across two or three smaller jobs over the following months, making the first job's cost look too high and the later ones look too cheap.
What we doKeeps paint and material costs in a steady line and flags a bulk buy, so one job is not blamed for materials another one used.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a muralist.
Set up once for how commissions get paid and what a wall actually costs. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Commission milestone paymentsDeposit, progress, and final payments from a private or business client.
- Grant and public art fundsCity or arts council funding for a public wall.
- Workshop and teaching incomePaid mural workshops or classes taught to the public.
- Print and merchandise salesPrints or products sold based on your mural designs.
Money out
- Paint and materialsExterior paint, primer, and brushes for the current job.
- Scaffolding and lift rentalBoom lifts and scaffolding rented for taller walls.
- Travel to job sitesMileage and lodging for out-of-town commissions.
- InsuranceLiability coverage for working on ladders, lifts, and public property.
- Permits and feesCity permits required for painting on public or visible walls.
- Marketing and portfolioA website, photos of finished work, and social media promotion.
What we watch for you
- Job profitability
Paint and lift rental against the commission price, to see what a wall actually nets you.
- Grant funds spent
What has been drawn from a grant against what has actually been spent on that project.
- Deposit versus completed work
How much paid-in money still owes finished work, so income lines up with real progress.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked against commission milestones every month, so filing season is no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things muralists 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 hold it as owed-but-not-earned until the work happens. When you paint in August, that is when it moves over to income.
I keep the grant funds matched against spending on that specific project, so you can show exactly where the money went if the city asks.
Yes, I track it against that specific job, so you can see what the wall actually netted after equipment costs, not just what you billed.
The tax side
The tax side of a muralist business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing on milestone payments and keeping grant money separate from client income.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Milestone payment timingA deposit taken before work starts is usually not fully earned income until the matching work is done, which affects which month it should count in.
- Self-employment taxProfit from a sole proprietor mural business owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax.
- The pass-through deductionMost independent muralists can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
- Equipment purchasesA lift, sprayer, or other larger equipment bought rather than rented can usually be written off the year you buy it, up to the yearly Section 179 limit.
Deductions muralists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Exterior paint and primer
- Brushes, rollers, and sprayers
- Lift and scaffolding rental
- Travel and mileage to job sites
- General liability insurance
- City permits and fees
- Portfolio photography
- Website and social media promotion
- Safety gear and harnesses
- Continuing art technique workshops
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 muralist year, kept every month.
Big commissions and grant projects run on their own timeline. Your taxes come on a schedule, and your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
The wall year begins
Last year's return gets started, grant spending is reconciled, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed and signed
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because every milestone payment since January has been feeding the set-aside.
- July
Midyear job check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how this year's outdoor commission season is running.
- October
Before weather turns
Outdoor painting season winds down in many areas. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December while the schedule slows.
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 muralists. 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 muralists ask first.
How do you handle a deposit taken months before the actual painting?
It gets held as owed-but-not-earned until the work happens. Income lands in the month you actually paint the wall, not the month the deposit cleared.
Do I need to report a city arts grant differently than a private commission?
It is tracked separately since it often comes with spending restrictions and possible reporting requirements. Gus keeps the grant and its spending matched so you can account for it if asked.
Can I write off a lift I rented for just one job?
Yes, rental costs are a normal business expense the month you pay them. Gus tracks it against the specific job so you know what that wall actually earned.
I paint mostly outdoors. Does the season change how my books look?
It can, since many muralists slow down in cold or wet months. Gus tracks your year against itself so a seasonal quiet stretch reads as normal, not a warning sign.
Do I owe sales tax on a mural commission?
It depends on your state and whether the work counts as a taxable service or the sale of tangible goods like paint and materials. Gus flags every job so the accountant confirms what applies.
My books are behind from a busy commission season. Can you still take this over?
Yes. Send the bank statements and any grant paperwork you have. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, 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.
More in music, art & performing arts businesses
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Community & city magazines
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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