Accounting, tax & financial pros
Books and taxes for outsourced controller firms.
Nine clients on retainer, each closing on a different date, a one-time Sage Intacct migration fee, and a contract accountant brought in when three closes land the same week. 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
May made $15,000. The Bellweather system migration fee is on its own line, kept apart from your nine monthly retainers, so the recurring base still reads clean.
- Retainer batch, 9 clientsMonthly retainers
- Bellweather system migration feeImplementation fees
- Senior accountant payrollStaff wages
- Contract accountant, month-end overflowContract labor
- NetSuite client access seatClient system access costs
Why your books are different
An outsourced controller firm's own books go wrong in a few predictable spots.
You run the monthly close for nine companies that each close on a different date. Your own firm's books need the same discipline you bring to a client's month end, and they rarely get it, because there is always another client's close due first.
-
1
A flat retainer does not always match the hours a client takes
One client's close might take ten hours a month and another's forty, but if every retainer is booked the same way, the firm cannot tell which clients are actually profitable at the rate being charged.
What we doKeeps staff cost visible against each client's retainer over time, so a scope that has quietly grown shows up before it erodes margin. -
2
One-time system migration fees blend into monthly retainers
Moving a client from QuickBooks to Sage Intacct or NetSuite is a real, one-time project fee, but it often lands in the same revenue line as recurring monthly retainers, making a project month look like the client base grew.
What we doKeeps implementation and migration fees separate from recurring retainers, so growth in the steady client base is easy to see. -
3
Overlapping close dates make income land unevenly
With clients closing on the 5th, the 15th, and the last day of the month, invoicing does not land evenly across the calendar, and a light-looking week can just mean three clients' closes fell the same week as an invoice lag.
What we doTracks retainer income against the actual billing cycle for each client, so an uneven week reads as timing, not a real slowdown. -
4
Contract accountants for overflow weeks blend with core staff
Bringing in a contract accountant when several clients' closes land the same week is a real cost of handling the crunch, but it usually lands in the same wage account as full-time staff, hiding the true cost of your busiest weeks.
What we doKeeps overflow contract labor in its own line, separate from staff wages, so the real cost of a heavy close week is visible. -
5
Audit prep support for a client's outside auditor rides along with the retainer
Helping a client's external auditors during their annual audit is extra work beyond the standard monthly close, but it often gets absorbed into the base retainer instead of billed and tracked as its own thing.
What we doFlags audit support work separately from the base retainer, so extra scope gets seen and, where it should, gets billed.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an outsourced controller firm.
Set up once for how your firm bills and spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Monthly retainersRecurring fees for ongoing close and reporting work.
- Implementation feesOne-time system migration or setup projects.
- Audit support feesExtra work supporting a client's outside auditors.
- Referral incomeClients sent over by accounting firms or investors.
Money out
- Staff wagesControllers and senior accountants on your own payroll.
- Contract laborOverflow accountants brought in when closes overlap.
- Client system access costsNetSuite, Sage Intacct, or QuickBooks Advanced seats used per client.
- Professional liability insuranceCoverage for close and reporting work across clients.
- Continuing educationCourses on client accounting systems and reporting standards.
- Travel to client sitesIn-person close reviews and year-end visits.
What we watch for you
- Retainer versus project split
Recurring income against one-time implementation fees, so growth in the client base is measured honestly.
- Hours per client
Staff time against each retainer, so scope creep on one client shows up before it hurts margin.
- Overflow labor cost
What contract accountants cost during heavy close weeks against what those weeks bring in.
- System access cost per client
What client software seats cost against what each retainer actually pays.
Ask Gus
Things outsourced controller firm 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.
Implementation fees stay in their own line. Your nine retainers held steady this month, the migration project is what made the total look bigger.
Yes. I track staff hours against that client's retainer over time, and this one has been creeping up for two months now.
That one is above my pay grade to settle from the books alone. I can show the accountant your overflow labor costs against each client's retainer, and that conversation can start from real numbers.
The tax side
The tax side of running an outsourced controller firm.
Most of what trips up your own return is the same discipline you bring to nine different month-end closes: getting the timing and the categories right.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- 1099s for contract accountantsA contract accountant brought in for overflow during a heavy close week, paid $2,000 or more in 2026 and not on payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Self-employment tax and the S corp questionNine retainers rolled into one net profit number are still subject to 15.3 percent self-employment tax up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base. Once that profit grows, electing S corp status by March 15 can change how much of it gets taxed that way.
- Section 179 on firm equipmentComputers and workstations bought for the firm can usually be written off in the year purchased, up to $2,560,000.
- Home office if you work across client systems remotelyA room used regularly and only for controller work can usually be deducted based on its share of the home, if the firm does not lease a separate office.
Deductions outsourced controller firms miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Client accounting system access fees
- Practice management software
- Professional liability insurance
- Continuing education courses
- Contract accountant payments
- Home office costs
- Computer and workstation upgrades
- Secure client data storage
- Travel to client sites
- Conference travel
- Professional association dues
- Document preparation costs
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 outsourced controller firm's year, kept every month.
Nine clients means nine fiscal calendars pulling in different directions. Gus keeps your own numbers steady underneath all of them. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Nine calendars, one plan
Retainer agreements renew for the year, last year's own return gets started, and a set-aside gets planned around your client mix.
- April
Filed, between closes
Your own return is filed and signed, worked around whatever client closes and audit support are happening at the same time.
- July
Midyear scope check
Where the firm stands across all clients combined, and whether any retainer has quietly outgrown what it pays.
- October
Before the year-end pileup
A look at staffing and software worth adding before the busiest closes of the year land in December and January.
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 outsourced controller firms. 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 outsourced controller firm owners ask first.
Can Gus tell me if a client's scope has grown beyond what they pay?
Yes. He tracks staff hours against each client's retainer over time, so scope creep shows up before it quietly erodes your margin.
Can Gus separate a one-time system migration fee from my monthly retainers?
Yes. Implementation fees stay in their own line, so a project month does not get mistaken for growth in your recurring client base.
We already use Sage Intacct and NetSuite across different clients. Does anything change?
No. Keep working in whatever system each client needs. Gus works from your firm's own bank statement and asks once if a deposit is unclear.
How does Gus handle weeks where several clients' closes overlap?
Overflow contract labor stays in its own line, separate from staff wages, so the real cost of your heaviest weeks is visible.
My own books have been an afterthought since I am always closing someone else's. Is that fixable?
Yes, and it is common when nine other calendars come first. Send the statements you have, and Gus will work through the gap while the accountant checks behind him.
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