Personal & lifestyle services
Books and taxes for personal shoppers and stylists.
Styling session fees, a commission check from a department store, a photoshoot booking for a client's brand, and client cards you shop with on their behalf. Your own bookkeeper stays on 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
February brought in $4,800. The Nordstrom commission check landed apart from your session fees, so you can see what store partnerships actually add.
- Styling session feesStyling and consultation fees
- Nordstrom stylist commissionStore commissions
- Photoshoot styling bookingPhotoshoot and event styling
- Steamer and garment rack repairStyling equipment
- Portfolio website hostingMarketing and portfolio
Why your books are different
Personal shopper and stylist books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is styling fees, store commission checks that arrive weeks after the shopping trip, photoshoot bookings priced differently than a closet session, and sometimes a client's card in your hand for the day. When the books do not know that, the monthly number is a guess.
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1
Store commission checks arrive on their own schedule
A department store commission on a client's purchase often lands weeks after the shopping trip happened, so an owner tracking income by the visit cannot tell what a given month actually earned.
What we doBooks commission income to the month it is received and keeps it in its own line, so you can see what store partnerships actually contribute. -
2
Client shopping money gets mixed with your own income
When a client hands you their card or reimburses you for what you bought on their behalf, that money is not your earnings, but if it lands in the same account as your styling fee, your revenue looks bigger than what you actually made.
What we doKeeps client shopping funds and reimbursements separate from your styling fees, so your real income stays clear. -
3
Photoshoot and event work looks like a regular session
Styling for a brand photoshoot or a red carpet event usually pays a flat project rate very different from an hourly closet session, and lumped together you cannot tell which kind of work is actually worth your time.
What we doKeeps photoshoot and event styling in its own line, apart from standard styling sessions, so you can see what each pays. -
4
Wardrobe and prop purchases get filed as personal spending
Steamers, garment racks, and sample pieces bought for shoots and client sessions are real business equipment, but run through a personal card they often never make it onto the books at all.
What we doFlags styling equipment and props bought for client work and keeps them apart from personal spending.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a personal shopping and styling business.
Set up once for how you get paid and what keeps client sessions running. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Styling and consultation feesHourly or flat fees for personal shopping and styling sessions.
- Store commissionsCommission checks from department stores or boutiques on client purchases.
- Photoshoot and event stylingProject rates for brand shoots, red carpet, or special events.
- Package or retainer clientsOngoing styling relationships billed monthly or per season.
Money out
- Styling equipmentSteamers, garment racks, and travel bags for sessions and shoots.
- Sample and prop wardrobePieces bought and kept on hand for shoots rather than a specific client.
- Marketing and portfolioWebsite hosting, photography, and social media promotion.
- Vehicle and mileageDriving to client homes, stores, and shoot locations.
- Business insuranceLiability coverage for in-home and studio work.
What we watch for you
- Commission share
How much of the month is store commissions versus your own styling fees. It shows how much store partnerships actually add.
- Photoshoot versus session mix
Project-rate shoot work against hourly sessions. It shows which kind of booking is worth chasing more of.
- Pass-through shopping volume
Client shopping money moving through your account against what you actually earn. It keeps your real income clear.
- The set-aside
What taxes will run this year, tracked every month, so April is already accounted for.
Ask Gus
Things personal shoppers and stylists 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 book it to the month it actually arrived and kept it in its own line, so you can still see it clearly against your styling fees.
No, that is a pass-through, not earnings. I keep it apart from your fees so your real income does not look bigger than it is.
Usually yes, if they are kept for shoot and client use rather than your own wardrobe. I flag those purchases so they do not get lost as personal spending.
The tax side
The tax side of a personal shopping and styling business.
Most of what goes wrong here is what counts as income and when. Commission timing, client pass-through money, 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.
- Self-employment tax on styling feesFor a personal styling business, self-employment tax runs 15.3 percent on top of regular income tax when the owner is not paid through payroll, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- Mileage for shopping tripsDriving to client homes, stores, and shoot locations can be deducted at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026.
- What counts as your incomeMoney a client hands you specifically to shop with, then reimburses, generally is not your taxable income if it passes straight through. Keeping it separate from your fee matters for an accurate return.
- Deducting 20 percent of profitFor a personal styling business, the pass-through deduction lets an owner take up to 20 percent of business profit off taxable income, a figure that only comes out right when the books are kept right all year.
Deductions personal shoppers and stylists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Steamers and garment racks
- Sample and prop wardrobe pieces
- Travel bags and packing supplies
- Portfolio website and hosting
- Photography for portfolio work
- Vehicle mileage or fuel and repairs
- Business liability insurance
- Continuing education in styling
- Trade association dues
- Phone and data for client work
- Home studio space
- Client gifts within reasonable limits
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 personal shopper's year, kept every month.
Event and holiday season bring heavier styling bookings, and department store commissions arrive on their own timeline. 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
New year, set up
For a personal styling business, last year's return gets started in January, and a monthly set-aside means April is already handled.
- April
April closes it out
For a personal styling business, the return is filed and signed in April, with no surprise bill since the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway through
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether wedding and event season changed the number.
- October
Before party season
Holiday party season and gift shopping bring more styling requests. Gus looks at any 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 personal shoppers and stylists. 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 personal shoppers and stylists ask first.
My store commission checks come late. Does that throw off my books?
No. Gus books commission income to the month it is actually received and keeps it in its own line, so you can still see what it adds to your styling fees.
Can Gus tell photoshoot work apart from regular sessions?
Yes. Photoshoot and event styling are kept in their own line, apart from standard hourly sessions, so you can see what each kind of work pays.
A client's shopping budget runs through my account. Is that taxable to me?
Generally no, if it passes straight through as a reimbursement. Gus keeps it separate from your fee so your real income stays clear.
Can I write off clothes I buy for shoots?
Often yes, if they are kept as sample or prop pieces for client and shoot use rather than your personal wardrobe. Gus flags those purchases so the accountant can confirm.
My books are behind after a busy stretch of bookings. Is that fixable?
No, that is normal. Send whatever bank statements you have and Gus catches things up, with the accountant checking every transaction, usually 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