Creators, coaches & info products
Books and taxes for online business coaches.
A webinar that sells a program automatically every week, a joint venture partner who promoted the last launch for a bigger cut, and a virtual assistant team handling support tickets. Your own bookkeeper 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
May came in at $16,500. The joint venture partner's cut on last month's launch went out this month, so I booked it against that launch, not this month's sales.
- ClickFunnels payout, evergreen salesEvergreen program sales
- JV partner commissionPartner commissions
- Group program billing, StripeRecurring program billing
- VA team payment, UpworkSupport team pay
- Facebook ads, webinar registrationsPaid advertising
Why your books are different
An online business coach's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees a payout and calls it revenue. Yours mixes a webinar that sells the same program every week without a live call, group program billing that renews on its own schedule, and joint venture partners who take a bigger cut of a specific launch than a regular affiliate would.
-
1
A JV partner's cut lands separate from the launch it earned
A joint venture partner who promoted a launch to their own list often gets paid weeks after the launch closes, and if that payout is not tied back to the launch, it looks like an unexplained cost in an otherwise ordinary month.
What we doBooks JV commissions against the launch that earned them, so the real profit on that launch is clear even when the payout lands later. -
2
Evergreen sales look flat when they are actually steady
A webinar funnel that sells consistently every week produces a flatter income pattern than a launch-based business, and it is easy to assume something is wrong when income is not spiking, when steady is exactly what an evergreen funnel is supposed to do.
What we doTracks evergreen sales as their own steady category, so consistent income reads as the funnel working, not as a lack of growth. -
3
Group program billing renews without anyone noticing a cancellation
A group program billed monthly can quietly lose members between cohorts, and a shrinking group can still produce a similar-looking deposit for a while before the drop becomes obvious in the bank.
What we doTracks active group members against cancellations, so a shrinking group shows up in the numbers before it becomes a bigger problem. -
4
A VA team's pay blends into general software costs
A remote support team handling client questions and technical issues gets paid regularly, but if it is lumped in with funnel software and ad spend, it is hard to see the real cost of support against what clients pay.
What we doKeeps support team pay in its own line, separate from software and ads, so the true cost of running client support is visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an online coaching business.
Set up once for how the business gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Evergreen program salesWebinar-driven sales that happen without a live launch.
- Recurring program billingMonthly group coaching membership fees.
- Launch incomeSales during a scheduled cart-open launch window.
- Affiliate income earnedCommissions earned promoting other coaches' programs.
Money out
- Partner commissionsJV and affiliate payouts on sales they drove.
- Support team payVirtual assistants handling client questions and tickets.
- Paid advertisingAds run to fill webinar registrations.
- Funnel and email softwareClickFunnels, ActiveCampaign, and landing page tools.
- Coaching delivery costsAny coaches hired to help deliver group sessions.
What we watch for you
- Evergreen versus launch split
How much comes from the steady webinar funnel against scheduled launch pushes.
- Net group membership
New group members against cancellations, since gross billing alone hides a shrinking group.
- Partner payout cost
What JV and affiliate commissions cost against the launches they actually drove.
- The set-aside
What will be owed, tracked every month, so a big launch does not turn into a surprise bill.
Ask Gus
Things online business coaches 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 booked it against last month's launch, since that is what earned it. It is not a new cost, just the payout catching up to the sale.
No, that is what a working evergreen funnel looks like. I track it separately from launches so steady income reads as the system working, not stalling.
That is above my pay grade. I track what each of them is paid, and the accountant can weigh in on whether payroll makes sense for your setup.
The tax side
The tax side of running an online coaching business.
Most of what trips people up here is partner payouts that land separate from the sale that earned them, and a remote team paid across several apps with no clean total.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Paying a partner or VA $2,000 or moreA JV partner, affiliate, or virtual assistant not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus tracks each one's running total.
- Self-employment taxA coach 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, whether the income came from a launch or the evergreen funnel.
- The S corp questionOnce combined launch and evergreen profit clears well above a reasonable salary, an S corp election can lower the self-employment tax bill. The accountant runs the numbers on actual profit.
- The pass-through deductionMost coaching 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 the mix of launch and evergreen income affects how much applies.
Deductions online business coaches miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Funnel and email software
- Paid advertising
- JV and affiliate commissions
- VA and support team pay
- Landing page tools
- Webinar hosting software
- Business phone and internet
- Business liability insurance
- Payment processor fees
- Accounting and legal fees
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 online coaching business's year, kept every month.
The evergreen funnel runs every week, and launches land on their own 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.
- January
Plan the funnel calendar
Last year's return gets started, partner and VA 1099s are prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is no scramble.
- April
Filed mid-funnel
Filed and signed between launches, with nothing owed as a surprise since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Funnel performance check
Where the business stands, what it will owe, and whether a spring launch changed the number.
- October
Before the year's final push
Many coaches run a final launch before year end. Gus looks at planned partner commissions and anything worth doing before December.
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 online business coaches. 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 online business coaches ask first.
Do I owe tax on the full launch amount or just what is left after JV commissions?
Generally on the net amount after commissions are paid out, since those are a real cost of the sale. Gus books both sides so the return reflects what the launch actually kept.
My evergreen webinar and my scheduled launches sell the same program. Can Gus keep that revenue separate?
Yes. He tracks evergreen sales apart from launch income so you can see how much each channel actually contributes.
My VA team is spread across a few different countries. Does that complicate 1099s?
It changes which form applies. US-based contractors generally get a 1099-NEC once paid $2,000 or more. Foreign contractors usually do not, and the accountant sorts out what, if anything, applies instead.
A JV partner promoted my launch to their list for a bigger commission split than usual. Is that a problem?
Not for the books. Gus books whatever the actual agreed split was against that specific launch, so the real profit is accurate either way.
My evergreen, launch, and group program income have never been tracked separately. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send the bank and processor statements you have. Gus sorts income by source, the accountant checks it, and most coaches 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 creators, coaches & info products
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Amazon KDP publishers
- Content clippers
- Discord community owners
- Etsy & digital download creators
- Independent music artists
- Music producers & beatmakers
- Professional & keynote speakers
- Self-published authors
- Spiritual & mindset coaches
- Twitch & live streamers
- Virtual summit hosts
- Brand ambassadors & affiliate marketers
- Digital product sellers (templates, presets)
- Faceless YouTube channel operators
- Fitness influencers with apps
- High-ticket coaching programs
- Instagram influencers
- Mastermind hosts
- Membership site owners
- Newsletter operators
- Online course creators
- Online fitness coaches
- Podcasters
- Real estate educators
- Relationship & dating coaches
- Skool & paid community owners
- TikTok creators
- Trading & investing educators
- YouTubers
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