Performance marketing & lead gen

Books and taxes for programmatic and CTV agencies.

Insertion order commissions, DSP technology and data fees bundled into media cost, minimum spend shortfall charges, and volume rebates from a streaming partner. 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
OctoberExample month
$12,500
what you made

October came in at $12,500. The Trade Desk data fees on the Halden Outdoors account got split out from raw media cost, so what you actually earned on that IO is finally clear.

  • IO commission, Halden OutdoorsInsertion order commission
  • The Trade Desk media buyDSP media cost
  • DSP data and technology feeDSP technology fees
  • Quarterly volume rebateDSP volume rebate
  • Shortfall charge, prior quarterMinimum spend shortfall
Money in$84,000
Money out$71,500
Set aside for taxes$3,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Programmatic and CTV agency books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees a big invoice and a media bill. Your business runs on insertion order commissions, DSP fees bundled into media cost, minimum spend commitments with real shortfall penalties, and rebates a streaming partner pays back after the quarter closes.

  1. 1

    DSP technology fees hide inside raw media cost

    A DSP like The Trade Desk often charges a technology and data fee on top of the media itself, and if that fee is buried in one media cost line, an agency cannot tell how much of a client's budget actually reached inventory versus the DSP's own charges.

    What we doSplits DSP technology and data fees from the underlying media buy, so a client's real media cost is always visible on its own.
  2. 2

    An IO commission gets confused with a flat retainer

    An insertion order that pays your agency a commission on total committed spend is not the same as a flat monthly fee, and treating it that way makes it hard to tell whether a big IO is actually your most profitable account.

    What we doBooks IO commission income tied to the specific insertion order it came from, so you can see margin account by account.
  3. 3

    A minimum spend shortfall charge shows up as an unexplained cost

    Falling short of a committed quarterly spend with a DSP or a streaming partner can trigger a shortfall fee months later, and without a note tying it to the original commitment, it looks like a random expense instead of a known risk.

    What we doLogs a shortfall charge against the commitment period it belongs to, so the cost reads as what it actually is.
  4. 4

    Volume rebates arrive long after the spend that earned them

    A rebate a DSP or CTV publisher pays back based on a full year or quarter of volume lands well after the campaigns that earned it, so a rebate check can look like a windfall instead of money the business already worked for.

    What we doTies a volume rebate back to the period of spend that earned it, so it reads as earned income, not a surprise.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a programmatic and CTV 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

  • Insertion order commissionYour percentage of a client's committed media spend under a signed IO.
  • Strategy and planning feesFlat fees for campaign planning separate from media commission.
  • DSP volume rebatesBack-end payments from a DSP or streaming partner tied to total spend volume.
  • Creative production feesOne-time charges for building CTV and video ad units.

Money out

  • DSP media costThe Trade Desk, StackAdapt, or Amazon DSP spend that actually reaches inventory.
  • DSP technology and data feesTechnology and data charges billed on top of raw media cost.
  • Minimum spend shortfall chargesPenalties for falling short of a committed spend level, tied to the period they cover.
  • Contractor strategists and tradersFreelance programmatic traders and planners paid outside of payroll.
  • Creative production contractorsFreelance video editors and motion designers for CTV spots.
  • Payment processing feesWhat a processor or wire fee keeps before a payment lands.

What we watch for you

  • IO margin

    Your commission against DSP technology fees and contractor cost, account by account.

  • Days to collect

    Brand clients often pay net 60 or net 90, so a slipping number signals a coming cash gap.

  • Rebate exposure

    How much volume rebate is likely still owed but not yet paid, so it is not mistaken for income already earned.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked against your IO commission income every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things programmatic and CTV agency 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.

Our DSP bills media and their own technology fee as one lump sum. Can that be split?

Yes. I keep the technology and data fee apart from the actual media cost, so you can see what a client's budget really bought.

We fell short of a committed quarterly spend and got hit with a shortfall charge.

I logged it against the quarter it applies to, so it reads as a known cost of that commitment instead of a random hit to this month.

A rebate check just came in from a streaming partner covering all of last year.

I tied it back to the spend that earned it, so it counts as income from the year it was actually earned, not a windfall now.

The tax side

The tax side of a programmatic and CTV agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is what a number represents and which period it belongs to. Media cost blended with DSP fees, a shortfall charge with no home, and a rebate that lands a year late.

What your return has to get right

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

  • DSP fees are a real cost, tracked apartTechnology and data fees charged by a DSP on top of media cost are legitimate business expenses. Keeping them apart from raw media cost keeps a client's true cost readable.
  • Contractor 1099sAny US-based trader, strategist, or creative contractor not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current all year.
  • Foreign contractorsA trader or contractor working outside the US usually does not get a 1099-NEC. A signed W-8BEN is generally the paperwork instead, and the accountant confirms exactly what applies.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when IO commission, DSP fees, and rebates are all timed and sorted correctly.

Deductions programmatic and CTV ad agencies miss

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

  • DSP technology and data fees
  • Programmatic reporting software
  • Contractor traders and strategists
  • Creative production contractors
  • Home office or coworking desk
  • Laptop and monitors
  • Payment processing fees
  • Business phone and internet
  • Client presentation software
  • Industry conference travel

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 programmatic and CTV agency year, kept every month.

Brand budgets move on annual planning cycles more than the season. Your team keeps you ahead of both the swings and the tax calendar. 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, your 1099 list for domestic traders and strategists is ready, and a monthly set-aside begins so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has tracked your IO commission income every month since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a spring IO renewal changed the number.

  4. October

    Before Q4 budgets land

    Brand clients often push their biggest CTV commitments into the holiday quarter. Before it hits, Gus looks at what's worth buying or setting aside before December.

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 programmatic and CTV ad 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 programmatic and CTV agency owners ask first.

Our DSP bills one number for media and their own fee. How does Gus separate that?

He splits the technology and data fee from the actual media spend using your DSP statement, so a client's real media cost and your own technology cost both show up honestly.

We missed a committed quarterly spend and got charged a shortfall fee. Is that deductible?

Yes. It is a real cost of doing business under that commitment. Gus logs it against the quarter it applies to so it reads as what it is.

A volume rebate just landed covering spend from over a year ago. Do I owe tax on it now?

It still counts as income in the year it is actually received, but Gus ties it back to the spend that earned it so you can see the full story, not just an odd deposit.

How does an IO commission show up differently than a flat retainer?

It gets tied to the specific insertion order and its committed spend, so you can see the margin on that one account instead of a single blended number for everything you run.

Our biggest client pays net 90. Is that a problem for the books?

It changes when cash lands, not what you earned. Gus tracks what is owed against what has been paid, so a slow-paying brand client does not read as a loss.

My books are behind since we added a CTV desk to what used to be a straight ad shop. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank and DSP 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.

More in performance marketing & lead gen

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