Skin, nails & body art
Books and taxes for permanent makeup artists.
Lip blush, eyeliner tattoo, deposits that hold a slot weeks out, and a touch-up built into the original price. 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
March came in at $7,200. Two clients paid deposits for April appointments, so I held those out of this month's income until the sessions actually happen.
- Square Appointments payoutPMU sessions
- Booking deposit, VenmoDeposits held
- Pigment and needle orderPigment and needles
- PMU numbing cream orderNumbing supplies
- Suite rent, PMU studioStudio rent
Why your books are different
Permanent makeup books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees a deposit and a supply bill. Your business is a deposit paid weeks before the appointment, a touch-up bundled into the original price, and pigment that has to be tracked because a lip blush job costs far more in product than an eyeliner. When the books do not know that, your real margin per service stays hidden.
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1
Deposits get counted before the work happens
A client pays a $150 deposit in March to hold an April lip blush slot. If that deposit lands as income the day it is paid, March looks better than it should and April looks worse.
What we doHolds deposits as a balance until the appointment happens, then books the full job as one sale that month. -
2
The included touch-up gets counted as a new sale
A $600 lip blush price usually includes a touch-up six to eight weeks later. If that follow-up visit gets rung up fresh, your income looks higher than the work you actually sold.
What we doFlags touch-up appointments tied to an earlier sale so they do not get counted as new income. -
3
Pigment cost varies a lot by service and gets averaged away
A lip blush uses far more pigment than a fine-line eyeliner tattoo, but if all pigment spend gets lumped into one number, you cannot see which service actually pays for its own product cost.
What we doKeeps pigment and needle spend visible against the services booked, so per-service cost does not get buried. -
4
A no-show deposit gets missed entirely
When a client forfeits her deposit by no-showing, that money is still income, but it often never makes it into the books because there is no service to tie it to.
What we doBooks forfeited deposits as income the month the client no-shows, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a permanent makeup business.
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
- PMU sessionsLip blush, eyeliner tattoo, and scalp micropigmentation, booked through Square Appointments.
- Deposits heldHeld until the appointment happens, then applied to the job.
- Color boost and refresher visitsStandalone touch-ups outside the included window.
- Forfeited depositsDeposits kept from no-shows, booked as income.
Money out
- Pigment and needlesPMU pigment, cartridges, and single-use needles.
- Numbing suppliesTopical numbing cream and aftercare balm.
- Studio rentSuite lease or studio space.
- Booking softwareSquare Appointments subscription and card processing fees.
- Certification and trainingPMU technique and safety certification courses.
- Licensing and insurancePermanent makeup license renewal and liability insurance.
What we watch for you
- Deposits held
Money collected for appointments not yet completed, so income is not counted early.
- Touch-ups owed
Included touch-ups already paid for but not yet delivered, so the schedule reflects real demand.
- Cost per session
Pigment and needle spend against sessions booked, tracked from your own numbers.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things permanent makeup artists 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.
No, I hold it as a deposit until she comes in. It becomes income the month the session actually happens.
It still counts as income, since the appointment slot was held and she forfeited it. I booked it that way so nothing gets missed.
That depends on whether she works your hours with your tools or brings her own clients and schedule. That one is above my pay grade, so a real accountant is looking at it.
The tax side
The tax side of a permanent makeup business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Deposits counted early, touch-ups double-counted, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsA PMU machine, magnifying lamp, or treatment chair can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll, like a fill-in artist, gets a 1099-NEC if you pay them $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
- Quarterly estimated taxesNothing withholds tax from PMU income automatically, so most owners pay estimated taxes April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
Deductions permanent makeup artists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- PMU pigment and needle cartridges
- Numbing cream and aftercare balm
- PMU machine and magnifying lamp
- Treatment chair or bed
- Certification and safety training
- License renewal and liability insurance
- Square Appointments subscription
- Sanitizing supplies
- Sterile barrier film
- Studio lighting
- Consultation intake forms
- Card processing 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
A permanent makeup year, kept every month.
Deposits and touch-ups come in on their own schedule. Your taxes come on a schedule too. Your team keeps you ahead of 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, and you get a monthly set-aside 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 whether spring wedding bookings changed the number.
- October
Before the holidays
Gus looks at any equipment worth buying and moves worth making 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 permanent makeup artists. 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 makeup artists ask first.
Can Gus keep booking deposits from inflating my income?
Yes. He holds deposits as a balance until the appointment happens, then books the full job that month, so your income reflects work actually done.
What happens to a deposit when a client no-shows?
It still counts as income, since the slot was held for her. Gus books forfeited deposits the month the client fails to show, so that money does not get lost track of.
Does the included touch-up count as extra income when she comes back?
No. Gus flags touch-up visits tied to an earlier sale so they do not get counted twice. Only the original session counts as the sale.
Do I write off a new PMU machine all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the studio can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
I've never separated my business and personal accounts. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send over the statements just as they are. Gus pulls out what belongs to the PMU business, the accountant reviews it, and you will have a real picture within 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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- Scalp micropigmentation studios
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