Organic, social & brand marketing

Books and taxes for podcast production agencies.

A season paid up front but delivered episode by episode, freelance editors paid per finished episode, hosting fees for every show you run, and sponsor money that passes through your account before it reaches the client. Gus sorts all of 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
$10,700
what you made

August came in at $10,700. A sponsor paid $3,000 for an ad slot on Client K's show, so I kept that money apart from your production fee, you are only holding it until it passes to the client.

  • Season retainer, Client JProduction retainer
  • Sponsor ad slot, Client K's showSponsor pass-through
  • Freelance audio editorContractor payouts
  • Transistor hostingPodcast hosting fees
  • Sponsor payment to clientSponsor pass-through
Money in$37,500
Money out$26,800
Set aside for taxes$2,700
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Podcast production books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a season paid up front and calls it done. Your business is a season's worth of money that gets earned one episode at a time, editors paid per finished episode instead of by the hour, and sponsor money that touches your account but was never yours to keep. When the books do not know that, a slow production month looks like a bad month.

  1. 1

    A season paid up front gets counted all at once

    A client pays for a ten-episode season in one invoice, but episodes get delivered over four months. Booked as income the day it arrives, the first month looks huge and the following months look like the business dried up.

    What we doNotes how much of a season payment is earned as each episode ships, so the monthly number reflects work delivered, not just the invoice date.
  2. 2

    Sponsor money passing through looks like agency revenue

    A sponsor pays for an ad slot on a client's show, and the money lands in your account before it gets forwarded to the client, minus your fee. Booked as revenue, it makes the agency look bigger than the fee it actually earned.

    What we doBooks sponsor payments as a pass-through, in and back out to the client, so only your production or placement fee counts as income.
  3. 3

    Editors paid per episode blur into one contractor line

    Freelance audio and video editors paid per finished episode across several shows look like one lump contractor expense, so it is hard to tell what producing any one client's show actually costs.

    What we doTies editor pay to the show it served, so cost per client stays visible against what that account pays.
  4. 4

    Hosting fees for every show pile into one bill

    Running six or seven client shows on Transistor or Libsyn means paying hosting fees for each one, and lumped together it is hard to see if a low-episode-count show is still worth the hosting cost.

    What we doKeeps hosting fees tied to the show they cover, so a show that is not pulling its weight shows up clearly.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a podcast production agency.

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

  • Production retainerMonthly or per-season billing for editing, hosting, and show notes.
  • Sponsor pass-throughAd slot payments collected for a client's show, minus your placement fee.
  • Launch and setup feesOne-time fees for launching a new client show.
  • Editing-only project feesOne-off editing jobs for a client who records their own show.

Money out

  • Contractor payoutsFreelance audio and video editors paid per episode.
  • Podcast hosting feesTransistor, Libsyn, and similar hosting, tied to each client show.
  • Recording and editing softwareRiverside, Descript, and audio plugin licenses.
  • Sponsor pass-throughThe sponsor payment itself, matched to what gets forwarded to the client.
  • Show notes and transcriptionFreelance writers or transcription tools billed per episode.
  • Coworking and officeShared office space or a home office setup.

What we watch for you

  • Earned season revenue

    How much of a season payment is actually earned based on episodes delivered so far.

  • Cost per episode

    What an episode costs once editing, hosting, and show notes are added up.

  • Sponsor pass-through

    How much sponsor money moves through your account, kept apart from your own fee.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month so a season paid up front never confuses what is actually owed.

Ask Gus

Things podcast production 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.

A client paid for a whole season up front. Why does my income look so lumpy month to month?

I count the season payment as earned one episode at a time, so your monthly number reflects what actually shipped, not just when the invoice landed.

A sponsor paid us directly for an ad slot on a client's show. Does that count as our income?

No. I booked it as a pass-through, in and back out to the client, so only your placement fee counts as what you earned.

Do I need 1099s for the freelance editors I use on different shows?

Anyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more this year gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running across every show.

The tax side

The tax side of a podcast production agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and what counts as income. A season payment booked too early, sponsor money treated like revenue, 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.

  • Sponsor pass-throughs are not your incomeMoney a sponsor pays that gets forwarded to the client is not agency revenue. It passes through, in and back out, and only your placement fee counts as what you earned.
  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, a freelance editor or writer, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated agencies can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. Past roughly $200,000 single, the accountant checks how the deduction applies once sponsor pass-throughs are set aside.
  • Equipment write-offsMicrophones, audio interfaces, and computers bought for production can usually be written off in the year they are bought.

Deductions podcast production agencies miss

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

  • Transistor or Libsyn hosting fees
  • Riverside or Descript subscription
  • Freelance editor payments
  • Show notes and transcription costs
  • Microphones and audio gear
  • Business liability insurance
  • Coworking space
  • Business phone and internet
  • Conference tickets and travel
  • Website hosting for the agency
  • Accounting and legal 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 podcast production agency's year, kept every month.

Seasons ship on their own release schedule, but tax deadlines do not move. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Line up the season

    Last year's return gets started, the editor 1099 list is ready across every show, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed and squared away

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, even with a season's income spread across several months.

  3. July

    Midseason check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether cost per episode is holding steady across your shows.

  4. October

    Before season renewals

    Clients plan next year's season and sponsor slots around this time. Gus looks at which shows are worth their hosting cost before those talks.

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 podcast production agencies. 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 podcast production owners ask first.

A client paid for a full season up front but episodes ship over several months. How does Gus handle that?

Gus counts the season payment as earned one episode at a time, so your monthly income reflects what actually shipped instead of just the date the invoice landed.

We collect sponsor money for a client's show before forwarding it to them. Does that count as our revenue?

No. Gus books sponsor money as a pass-through, in and back out to the client, so your taxable income only reflects the placement fee you actually kept.

We run six client shows on different hosting plans. Can Gus tell me if one is not worth the cost?

Yes. Gus ties hosting fees to the specific show they cover, so a low-episode-count show that is not pulling its weight shows up clearly.

Do I need paperwork for the freelance editors I use across different client shows?

Anyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more this year gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current across every show you produce.

My books mix season payments, sponsor money, and my own fee together right now. Can that get sorted out?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus separates what was earned income, what was pass-through, and what was a cost, the accountant checks it, 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.

More in organic, social & brand marketing

We keep books for the business next door too.

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