Paint, craft & maker studios

Books and taxes for permanent jewelry studios.

Welded chain bracelets priced by the inch, a weekend festival booth with its own vendor fee, tips from grateful customers, and gold-filled chain that costs more some weeks than others. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
AugustExample month
$9,400
what you made

August made $9,400. A bridal party booking and two festival weekends carried the month, and I kept the festival vendor fees separate from your studio rent since they only apply to those bookings.

  • In-studio welding sessionsPermanent jewelry
  • Festival booth salesMobile events
  • Gold-filled chain orderChain and charms
  • Festival vendor feeEvent booth fees
  • Studio rentRent and utilities
Money in$24,800
Money out$15,400
Set aside for taxes$2,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A permanent jewelry studio's books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees welding session fees and a supply bill. Your business is chain sold by the inch at a cost that moves with the metal market, festival weekends that carry their own vendor fee, and tips that show up alongside the sale. When the books do not know that, a great festival month can hide what the booth fee actually cost you.

  1. 1

    Chain cost moves with the metal market

    Gold-filled and sterling silver chain prices shift with precious metal markets, so a per-inch price that worked last quarter can quietly stop covering the actual cost of the chain if nobody is watching it.

    What we doKeeps chain and charm purchases visible against per-inch pricing, so you can see when the metal cost has crept past what you charge.
  2. 2

    Festival vendor fees hide inside travel costs

    A weekend festival or market booth charges its own vendor fee on top of travel and setup costs, and if that fee gets lumped in with general expenses, an owner cannot tell whether a given event was worth doing.

    What we doKeeps event booth fees in their own line, next to what that event brought in, so you can see which festivals and markets are worth booking again.
  3. 3

    Tips get missed or mixed into sales

    A customer who tips the person welding their bracelet often does it on the same card swipe as the sale, and if tips are not separated out, it is hard to know what staff actually earned versus what the studio brought in.

    What we doKeeps tips separate from service revenue, so pay to staff and studio income both stay accurate.
  4. 4

    Bridal party bookings pay a deposit before the event

    A bachelorette or bridal party booking pays a deposit weeks ahead of the actual welding session. Counted as income the day it lands, a quiet week in the studio can look busier than it was.

    What we doTies event deposits to the date of the actual session, so the number reflects what happened that week.
  5. 5

    A chain order distorts one month

    A bulk order of gold-filled and silver chain can cover two or three months of sessions, but if the whole bill lands in one month's books, that month looks like it barely made money.

    What we doKeeps chain purchases in one steady line and flags a bulk order so a heavy-buying month is not mistaken for a bad one.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a permanent jewelry 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

  • Permanent jewelryIn-studio welded chain bracelets, anklets, and necklaces.
  • Mobile eventsFestival, market, and pop-up booth sales.
  • Private party bookingsBridal, birthday, and corporate events paid with a deposit.
  • Jewelry making classesWire wrap and beading instruction, if offered.
  • TipsKept separate from service revenue.

Money out

  • Chain and charmsGold-filled and sterling silver chain, priced by the inch and tracked against the metal market.
  • Welding suppliesPulse arc welder tips, safety glasses, and jump rings.
  • Event booth feesVendor fees for festivals, markets, and pop-ups.
  • Travel costsMileage and lodging for mobile events.
  • Studio rent and utilitiesFor the home-base location, if you have one.
  • MarketingLocal ads and event listing fees.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability for both studio and mobile sessions.
  • Card processing feesWhat Square or Stripe keeps before you get paid.

What we watch for you

  • Chain cost per inch

    What chain actually costs against per-inch pricing, as the metal market moves.

  • Festival return

    What a booth brought in against its vendor fee and travel cost, event by event.

  • Tips versus service revenue

    Keeping staff pay and studio income clearly separate.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things permanent jewelry studio 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.

Gold-filled chain costs more than it did last spring. Should I raise my per-inch price?

That call is yours, but here is the number: chain cost is up about eight percent since March against what you are charging per inch. Worth a look.

Was the county fair booth actually worth the vendor fee this year?

It brought in $2,100 against a $300 vendor fee and about $180 in travel, so yes, comfortably. I keep that math ready for every event you do.

Do tips need to be reported separately?

Yes, tips are income to whoever received them and get tracked apart from the sale itself, so both your numbers and your staff's stay accurate.

The tax side

The tax side of a permanent jewelry studio.

Most of what goes wrong here is metal cost tracking, event fees mixed with travel, and tips left unreported.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Chain and charms as inventoryChain and charms bought in bulk are inventory until used, then they become the cost of the piece welded. Tracking roughly what is on hand keeps the return accurate as metal prices move.
  • Tips are taxable incomeTips received by anyone welding jewelry are taxable income, whether left in cash or added to a card payment. A no tax on tips deduction of up to $25,000 applies for eligible occupations through 2028, though payroll or self-employment tax is still owed.
  • Multi-state sales tax for mobile eventsSelling at a festival or market in a different city or state can sometimes create a filing obligation there, separate from where your home studio is registered.
  • Equipment depreciationA pulse arc welder and event booth equipment bought for the business can usually be written off in the year they are bought, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.

Deductions permanent jewelry and jewelry making studios miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Gold-filled and silver chain
  • Charms and jump rings
  • Welder tips and safety glasses
  • Event booth and vendor fees
  • Travel and mileage to events
  • Studio rent and utilities
  • Liability insurance
  • Local social ads
  • Card processing fees
  • Event tent and table setup
  • Business cards and event signage
  • Cleaning supplies

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 permanent jewelry studio year, kept every month.

Festival season, bridal party bookings, and a holiday gift rush 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and how festival season and bridal bookings have tracked so far.

  4. October

    Before the holidays

    Gus looks at chain stock, upcoming market bookings, and any equipment worth buying before the holiday gift rush.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 permanent jewelry and jewelry making 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 permanent jewelry studio owners ask first.

Chain costs change with the metal market. Does Gus track that?

Yes, chain and charm purchases are kept visible against your per-inch pricing, so you can see if metal cost has crept past what you are charging before it eats your margin.

Was a festival booth actually worth doing this year?

Gus keeps event booth fees and travel costs next to what each event brought in, so you have real numbers for whether to book that festival again.

Do tips need to be handled differently from the sale?

Yes. Tips are kept separate from service revenue so both the studio's income and what staff earned in tips stay accurate and reportable.

A bridal party paid a deposit weeks before their event. Does that skew the numbers?

No. Gus ties the deposit to the date of the actual welding session, so the number reflects the week the work happened.

Do I owe sales tax in a different state if I do a festival there?

Sometimes, depending on that state's rules for occasional or event-based sellers. Gus flags out-of-state events so the accountant can tell you if anything needs to be filed there.

My books are behind from running the booth off a card reader app. 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