Staffing, recruiting & HR services
Books and taxes for offshore and remote staffing agencies.
International virtual assistants and contractors paid through Wise or Payoneer, currency conversion swings, client billings in dollars, and a paperwork trail that isn't a 1099. Gus sorts 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 $15,400. The peso strengthened against the dollar mid-month, so I flagged the currency swing on Manila-based contractor payouts instead of letting it hide inside wages.
- Client billing, US customer support deskClient billings
- Wise payout, Manila contractorsContractor pay
- Payoneer payout, Bogota contractorsContractor pay
- Currency conversion lossExchange rate costs
- LinkedIn Recruiter seatSourcing costs
Why your books are different
Offshore staffing books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees dollars going out and dollars coming in. Your business pays contractors in a dozen currencies through a handful of transfer services, bills US clients in flat dollar rates, and files different paperwork for every worker than a domestic staffing firm would. When the books don't know that, margin and compliance both get lost.
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1
Currency conversion swings hide inside wages
Paying a contractor in Manila or Bogota through a transfer service means the dollar cost of that person's pay moves with the exchange rate, even if their local pay never changes. Lumped into one wage line, a currency swing looks like the contractor got a raise or a cut.
What we doKeeps contractor pay and currency conversion cost in separate lines so real margin per contractor stays visible no matter how the exchange rate moves. -
2
International contractors get treated like domestic 1099 workers
A foreign contractor with no US tax presence generally doesn't get a 1099-NEC. Filing one anyway, or filing nothing when a W-8BEN and different reporting is what's actually needed, both create problems.
What we doFlags which contractors are foreign versus domestic so the right form, a W-8BEN rather than a 1099, gets collected and kept on file. -
3
Transfer fees disappear into the payout amount
Wise, Payoneer, and similar services take a fee on every international payout. If only the net amount that leaves the account gets recorded, the transfer fees themselves quietly vanish instead of showing up as a real cost.
What we doBooks the full contractor payment and the transfer fee separately so total cost per contractor is accurate. -
4
Client billings and contractor pay run on different clocks
A US client might pay on net-30 while a contractor overseas needs to be paid weekly to keep working, so cash goes out well before the matching client payment comes in.
What we doTracks what's billed against what's collected so a fast-pay, slow-collect month doesn't look like a loss when it's a timing gap.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an offshore staffing agency.
Set up once for dollar-denominated billing and multi-currency contractor pay. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Client billingsMonthly or weekly invoices to US and other clients, billed in flat dollar rates.
- Placement feesOne-time fees for matching a client with a dedicated remote worker.
- Overage and rush billingsExtra hours or short-notice staffing billed above the standard rate.
- Retainer renewalsRecurring monthly seats renewed automatically for ongoing client accounts.
Money out
- International contractor payPayments to virtual assistants and remote staff through Wise, Payoneer, or a similar service.
- Currency conversion costsExchange rate movement and conversion fees, tracked apart from contractor pay itself.
- Transfer and processing feesWhat the payment service charges per payout, kept visible as its own cost.
- Sourcing and recruiting costsJob boards and recruiter time to find remote candidates across time zones.
- Background checksScreening services that work across international candidates.
- Software and tools provided to contractorsLicenses or equipment stipends for remote workers.
What we watch for you
- Margin per client account
Client billing minus contractor pay and transfer costs. Shows what an account actually nets after currency movement.
- Currency conversion cost
Tracked apart from wages so exchange rate swings don't get mistaken for a change in what contractors are paid.
- Days sales outstanding
How long client invoices take to collect against how fast contractors need to be paid.
- The set-aside
What you'll owe in dollars, regardless of how exchange rates moved that month, tracked every month.
Ask Gus
Things offshore staffing 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.
The peso strengthened, so the same local pay cost more in dollars. I kept that swing in its own line so it doesn't look like anyone got a raise.
Usually not if they have no US tax presence. A W-8BEN is typically what's collected instead. I flag foreign versus domestic contractors so the right form is on file, and the accountant confirms it.
They're running a small but real percentage on every payout this month. I keep them separate from contractor pay so you can see the true cost of moving that money.
The tax side
The tax side of an offshore staffing agency.
Most of what goes wrong here is paperwork and classification across borders. A foreign contractor filed like a domestic one, or a currency swing that gets miscounted as a pay change.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Foreign contractor documentationA contractor with no US tax presence generally provides a Form W-8BEN rather than the W-9 a domestic contractor would give, and doesn't get a 1099-NEC the way a US-based contractor would.
- Worker classification across bordersWhether someone counts as an independent contractor still depends on how much control the business has over their schedule and work, regardless of what country they're in.
- Currency gain or loss reportingExchange rate movement on payments made in foreign currency can create a reportable gain or loss depending on how the payments are structured, so it needs to be tracked accurately through the year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, a benefit that comes out right when margin per client is tracked accurately all year.
Deductions offshore and remote staffing agencies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- International payment service fees
- Currency conversion costs
- Job board and sourcing costs
- Background check services
- Applicant tracking or staffing software
- Professional liability insurance
- Phone and video call software for management
- Home office costs for domestic staff
- Card processing fees on client payments
- Contractor equipment stipends where provided
- Referral bonuses for candidate or client leads
- Legal review of contractor agreements
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
An offshore staffing year, kept every month.
Currencies move every week and client contracts renew on their own schedule. Your taxes still land on a fixed schedule, and your team keeps you ahead of all three. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Reset accounts for the year
Last year's return gets started, any domestic contractor 1099s go out, and a monthly set-aside begins in dollar terms, regardless of what currencies do next.
- April
Filed across time zones
Your return is filed and signed while contractor coverage keeps running around the clock. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Margin versus currency check
Where margin per client account stands, and how much of that shift came from currency movement rather than the business itself.
- October
Before year-end contract renewals
Many client contracts renew around year end. Gus looks at margin trends and outstanding receivables before the year closes.
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 offshore and remote staffing 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 offshore staffing owners ask first.
Do our international contractors need 1099s?
Usually not, if they have no US tax presence. Gus flags foreign versus domestic contractors so a W-8BEN is collected where it applies instead of a 1099-NEC, and the accountant confirms the setup.
How does Gus handle currency swings on contractor pay?
He keeps currency conversion cost in its own line, apart from contractor pay itself, so an exchange rate move doesn't get mistaken for a pay change.
We use Wise for some contractors and Payoneer for others. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus works from your bank and payment service statements either way and tracks total cost per contractor including whatever transfer fees apply.
Our client pays on net-30 but contractors need weekly pay. Does that hurt our numbers?
No. Gus tracks what's billed against what's collected, so that gap shows up as a receivable, not as a loss on the books.
Is there a real risk in how we classify contractors overseas?
Classification still depends on control over schedule and work, regardless of where the contractor is based. Gus flags any arrangement that looks closer to employment so the accountant can weigh in.
Our books are behind after adding several new contractor markets fast. Can we catch up?
Yes. Send the bank and payment service statements you have. Gus sorts contractor pay by country and currency, and most owners see where they stand within 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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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