Paint, craft & maker studios
Books and taxes for paint-and-sip studios.
Public ticketed nights, private bachelorette and birthday bookings, a revenue split with the bar you host at some weekends, and freelance artists leading it all. 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
February made $8,300. Valentine's week alone booked six private events, and I kept the venue's cut of those ticket sales as its own cost instead of burying it in supplies.
- Eventbrite payoutPublic class tickets
- Bookeo party depositPrivate events
- Jerry's Artarama orderCanvas and paint
- Venue revenue splitHost venue fee
- Freelance instructor payInstructor fees
Why your books are different
A paint-and-sip studio's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees ticket sales and supply bills. Your business runs on freelance artists paid per session, a cut of every ticket going to the bar you host at, and canvases bought in bulk for months of classes. When the books do not know that, one great Friday can hide a losing venue split.
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1
The venue split hides inside ticket revenue
When a night is hosted at a bar or restaurant and they keep 20 to 30 percent of each ticket, booking the full ticket price as your revenue and never separating the venue's cut overstates what the studio actually earned that night.
What we doBooks the full ticket as money in and the venue's share as its own cost, so you can see what each hosted night really nets you. -
2
Freelance instructors get paid like an afterthought
A different artist leads Tuesday's class than leads the private bachelorette party on Saturday, and if pay is not tracked consistently it becomes hard to know at year end who was paid what, and whether anyone crossed into 1099 territory.
What we doTracks every instructor payment by name and date, so the year-end 1099 list is ready instead of reconstructed. -
3
A canvas order distorts one slow-looking month
Buying three months of canvas, paint, and easels in one bulk order from an art supplier can make that month look like it barely broke even, when the supplies will carry you through the spring.
What we doKeeps canvas and paint purchases in one steady line and flags a stock-up so a heavy-buying month is not read as a bad one. -
4
Private party deposits land before the paint does
A corporate team-building event booked for next month pays its deposit today. Counted as income the day it lands, a quiet week of public classes can look busy on paper while the studio floor is actually empty.
What we doTies private party deposits to the date of the actual event, so the number reflects what really happened this week. -
5
Ticket refunds and no-shows get lost
Eventbrite refunds for a canceled night or a weather-related reschedule can slip through unnoticed against a full month of ticket payouts, quietly overstating what a given week brought in.
What we doMatches refunds against the original ticket sale so a canceled night does not still look like revenue.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a paint-and-sip studio.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Public class ticketsEventbrite or Bookeo sales for scheduled paint nights.
- Private eventsBachelorette, birthday, and corporate team-building bookings.
- Canvas kit salesTake-home paint kits for people who cannot make it in.
- Gift card redemptionsMoved into revenue only when a card is actually used for a class.
- Membership passesFrequent painter plans for regulars.
Money out
- Canvas and paint suppliesCanvas, brushes, and paint bought from an art supplier like Jerry's Artarama.
- Instructor feesFreelance artists paid per class or per private event.
- Host venue feesThe bar or restaurant's cut of ticket sales for hosted nights.
- Ticketing feesEventbrite or Bookeo transaction fees.
- MarketingLocal Facebook and Instagram ads, especially around holidays.
- Studio rent and utilitiesFor a home-base location, if you have one beyond hosted venues.
- InsuranceGeneral liability for classes held both in-studio and off-site.
- Card processing feesWhat Square or Stripe keeps before you get paid.
What we watch for you
- Venue split rate
What hosted venues keep of each ticket, so you know which locations are worth the cut.
- Instructor cost per class
What each session actually costs to run against ticket revenue.
- Private event booking rate
How many inquiries turn into a paid, filled private event.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things paint-and-sip 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.
Full ticket price as your revenue, their percentage as a host venue fee. That way you can actually see whether a hosted night is worth the split.
It can. If someone crosses $2,000 paid this year and is not on payroll, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running all year so it is ready.
That is above my pay grade to say for sure, it depends on your state's rules on admission and instruction charges. I flag it and the accountant tells you where you stand.
The tax side
The tax side of a paint-and-sip studio.
Most of what goes wrong here is who gets paid and how a ticket is taxed. Freelance artists, venue splits, and admission rules that vary by state.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Sales tax on class ticketsSome states tax a ticket to a painting class as an admission or entertainment charge, others treat it as exempt instruction. This varies enough by state that Gus flags it for the accountant rather than guessing.
- Freelance instructor 1099sAny artist not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for leading classes or private events gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Instructor classificationAn artist who follows your class plan, uses your supplies, and works a set schedule looks more like an employee than a contractor. Gus tracks how each person is paid and scheduled for the accountant to weigh in.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when ticket revenue, venue splits, and instructor pay are booked correctly all year.
Deductions paint-and-sip studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Canvas and paint supplies
- Easels and smocks
- Instructor fees
- Host venue fees
- Eventbrite or Bookeo fees
- Card processing fees
- Local social ads
- General liability insurance
- Gift wrap and packaging for take-home kits
- Cleaning supplies
- Mileage to hosted venues
- Music licensing for classes
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 paint-and-sip year, kept every month.
Valentine's couples' nights, spring bachelorette season, and summer corporate events all pull differently. Your team keeps you ahead of the calendar and the return both. 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, the instructor 1099 list is finalized, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how the spring bachelorette rush changed the number.
- October
Before holiday parties
Corporate team-building bookings pick up before the holidays. Gus looks at instructor scheduling and any equipment worth buying 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 paint-and-sip studios. 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 paint-and-sip owners ask first.
How does Gus handle the cut the host bar takes from ticket sales?
He books the full ticket price as your revenue and the venue's percentage as its own cost, so you can see what a hosted night actually nets you instead of just the top-line ticket count.
I pay different freelance artists depending on the class. Is that hard to track?
No. Gus logs every instructor payment by name and date as it happens, so the year-end 1099 list is ready instead of something you have to reconstruct in January.
Do private party deposits mess up the monthly numbers?
No. Gus ties a deposit to the date of the actual event, so a busy booking week for next month does not make a quiet week on the studio floor look busier than it was.
We sell take-home canvas kits too. Does that change the books?
Gus keeps kit sales in their own category, separate from ticketed classes and private events, so you can see what each part of the business brings in.
My books are a mess from running things out of a shared calendar. Can Gus still help?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, 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