Consulting & business services
Books and taxes for OSHA safety consultants.
A site safety audit at a steel fabricator, a citation response project after an inspector cites a client, a fall protection trainer you bring in for certification days, and the PPE demo kits that wear out fast. 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
September came in at $6,600. Baywood's citation response fee only came up because they got cited last month, so I kept it apart from your regular site audit income.
- Ironclad Steel site auditSite audit fees
- Baywood citation responseCitation response fees
- Fall protection trainerSubcontracted trainers
- PPE demo kitsTraining equipment and materials
- General liability insuranceProfessional liability insurance
Why your books are different
An OSHA safety consultant's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and training bills. Your business is a scheduled site audit, an unpredictable project when a client actually gets cited, and specialized trainers you bring in only for certain certifications. When the books do not know that, one bad month for a client can look like a great month for you.
-
1
A citation response fee looks like a normal audit fee
A project to help a client respond to and abate an actual OSHA citation is a different kind of work than a scheduled safety audit, and mixed together, you cannot tell how much of your income depends on clients getting into trouble.
What we doKeeps citation response fees separate from scheduled audit income, so the two kinds of work stay visible on their own. -
2
A recordkeeping retainer and a one-time audit blend together
A monthly retainer for maintaining a client's OSHA 300 log is a different kind of income than a one-time site safety audit, and lumped together, it is hard to see which part of the practice is the steady base.
What we doKeeps recordkeeping retainer income and one-time audit fees in separate lines, so the steady base of the practice is visible on its own. -
3
A specialized trainer becomes a standing hire
A certified fall protection or confined space trainer you bring in for every client's certification day, using your materials and your client relationships, starts to look like an employee rather than a project hire.
What we doFlags a specialized trainer who looks employee-like and gets the accountant's read before the pattern is a year old. -
4
PPE demo equipment gets treated like a consumable
A harness, a confined space kit, or a gas monitor used in training sessions costs real money and lasts across many sessions, and filed as a one-time supply, it is easy to lose track of what it is actually worth over time.
What we doLogs training equipment separately from consumable supplies, so the accountant can apply the right treatment when it is bought.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an OSHA safety consulting practice.
Set up once for how you bill and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Site audit feesScheduled safety inspections at a client's facility.
- Citation response feesProject work helping a client respond to and abate an actual citation.
- Training session feesPer-employee or per-session safety training.
- Recordkeeping retainer incomeOngoing monthly maintenance of a client's OSHA 300 log.
Money out
- Subcontracted trainersCertified specialists brought in for fall protection, confined space, or similar certifications.
- Training equipment and materialsPPE demo kits, harnesses, and gas monitors used in sessions.
- Professional liability insuranceCoverage for the safety advice and inspections you provide.
- Travel to client sitesMileage and lodging for on-site audits and training.
- Continuing educationCertification renewal for your own credentials.
What we watch for you
- Citation versus audit mix
How much of your income comes from scheduled audits versus unpredictable citation response work.
- Retainer versus project mix
How much of the practice is steady recordkeeping retainer income versus one-time audits.
- Subcontractor cost share
What specialized trainers cost against total training and audit income.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things OSHA safety consultants 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 keep it separate instead, so you can see how much of your income comes from scheduled audits versus unpredictable citation work.
Yes. Recordkeeping retainer income and one-time audit fees are kept in separate lines, so you can see which part of your practice is the steady base.
Worth a look. That pattern is starting to resemble an employee relationship, so I flagged it for the accountant to weigh in.
The tax side
The tax side of an OSHA safety consulting practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is keeping unpredictable citation work separate from scheduled income and classifying the trainers you bring in. Handled right, the year does not surprise you.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sA specialized trainer paid $2,000 or more over the year, off payroll, needs a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that tally current.
- Equipment write-offsTraining equipment like harnesses and gas monitors bought for the business can usually be written off in the year they are purchased. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Self-employment taxWhat you earn as the owner, outside of a wage, owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base.
- The pass-through deductionSafety consulting profit can often qualify for up to a 20 percent deduction off taxable income, with the accountant working out the actual figure at filing time.
Deductions OSHA safety consultants miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- PPE demo kits and harnesses
- Gas monitors and testing equipment
- Subcontracted trainer fees
- Continuing education and certification
- Professional liability insurance
- Travel to client sites
- Laptop and presentation equipment
- Home office space
- Marketing to construction and manufacturing clients
- Trade association dues
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 safety consulting year, checked in four times.
Citations and audit schedules land unpredictably through the year, while inspections often follow seasonal construction activity. Gus keeps your own taxes on schedule alongside it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, 1099s go out to subcontracted trainers, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, and thanks to the set-aside running since January, the number due is already familiar.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether recordkeeping retainers are holding steady against project work.
- October
Before year end
A look at training equipment and certification renewals worth doing before December closes out the year.
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 OSHA safety consultants. 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 OSHA safety consultants ask first.
A client hired me after getting cited. Is that treated like a normal site audit in the books?
No. Gus keeps citation response fees separate from scheduled audit income, so you can see how much of your income depends on each kind of work.
I keep one client's OSHA 300 log current every month and do one-time audits for others. Can Gus tell those apart?
Yes. Recordkeeping retainer income and one-time audit fees are kept in separate lines, so you can see which part of your practice is the steady base.
My fall protection trainer works every certification day. Does that change my taxes?
It might. If that trainer works only for you on your schedule, the pattern can start to look like an employee relationship, and Gus flags it for the accountant to review.
Is my PPE demo equipment just a supply expense?
Gus keeps it separate from consumable supplies since it's worth more and lasts longer, so the accountant can apply the right treatment when you buy it.
My books are behind after a stretch of back-to-back site visits. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have from your site visits and training sessions. Gus sorts them out, 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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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