Wedding & event vendors

Books and taxes for quinceañera and special occasion planners.

Planning fees, padrino and madrina sponsorships that pay vendors directly, court of honor choreography, and several family members each covering their own share. 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
AprilExample month
$6,000
what you made

April came in at $6,000 in real planning fees. The padrino's cake sponsorship passed straight through to the vendor, so it does not count against your actual take.

  • April 26 quinceañera final paymentPlanning fees
  • Padrino sponsorship for cake vendorSponsor pass-through
  • Cake vendor paymentVendor pass-through
  • Choreographer fee for court of honorContract choreographers
  • Venue deposit paid on client's behalfVendor pass-through
Money in$16,000
Money out$10,000
Set aside for taxes$1,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A quinceañera planner's books go wrong in the same handful of places.

A generalist sees deposits and vendor bills. Your business runs on padrinos and madrinas paying vendors directly, several family members covering different shares of one event, and a court of honor that needs its own rehearsals. When the books do not know that, your real earnings disappear into money that was never yours.

  1. 1

    Padrino and madrina sponsorships are not your income

    It is common for godparents or family sponsors to pay a vendor directly for one part of the celebration, like the cake or the dress, and if that money flows through your account, it can look like your revenue when it was never yours to keep.

    What we doKeeps sponsor pass-through money apart from your planning fee.
  2. 2

    Multiple family payers make deposits confusing

    Parents, godparents, and other family sponsors sometimes each pay a portion of the total cost separately, and if those payments are not tracked against what has actually been collected for the event, it is easy to lose track of who still owes what.

    What we doTracks each payment against the full event cost, so nothing gets missed.
  3. 3

    Court of honor coordination gets lumped with planning fees

    Coordinating the court of honor's choreography and rehearsals is real, separate work from general event planning, and if it is not tracked apart, you cannot tell if that service is priced to cover the time it takes.

    What we doKeeps choreography and court coordination fees in their own line.
  4. 4

    Vendor payments made on a family's behalf blend with your fee

    Many quinceañera planners pay vendors directly using money the family provided, and if that spending is not kept apart from your own planning fee, your real revenue gets lost inside money that was never yours.

    What we doKeeps vendor payments made on a client's behalf apart from your planning fee.
  5. 5

    The deposit is not spending money yet

    A family books a celebration months out and pays a deposit, and if it is treated like this month's earned income, the books overstate the work actually done.

    What we doFlags booked deposits for events not yet worked, apart from revenue you have actually earned.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a quinceañera planning 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

  • Planning feesYour real fee for coordinating the celebration.
  • Booking depositsHeld when a family books, often months before the event.
  • Sponsor pass-throughPadrino and madrina payments routed to a specific vendor, not your revenue.
  • Choreography and court coordinationFees for rehearsals with the court of honor.
  • Rehearsal coordination feesCharged apart from the main planning fee.

Money out

  • Vendor payments made for clientsCake, venue, and other vendors paid using family-provided funds.
  • Contract choreographersHired help for the court of honor's routines.
  • SoftwarePlanning and scheduling tools.
  • MarketingWebsite, social ads, and quinceañera expo booths.
  • InsuranceProfessional liability coverage.
  • TravelTrips to rehearsals and vendor meetings.
  • Card processing feesWhat your payment processor keeps before payout.

What we watch for you

  • Sponsor pass-through on hand

    Money held for vendors that is not yet, and never becomes, your revenue.

  • Cost per event

    Choreography and coordination against what each celebration actually billed.

  • Outstanding family payments

    Who still owes their share of the total cost, so nothing slips through before the event.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things quinceañera planners 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.

The padrino paid the cake vendor directly through my account. Is that my income?

No, that is sponsor pass-through. I keep it apart from your planning fee so your real revenue is not overstated.

Parents and godparents are each paying a different portion. How do I keep track of who's paid?

I track each payment against the full event cost, so you always know who still owes their share.

I run rehearsals for the court of honor's choreography. Is that part of my regular planning fee?

I keep it in its own line, so you can see if that fee actually covers the time the rehearsals take.

The tax side

The tax side of a quinceañera planning business.

Most of what goes wrong here is mixing your fee with money family sponsors are only routing through your account.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Contractor 1099sChoreographers and other contractors not on payroll get a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
  • Sponsor and vendor pass-through is not incomeMoney a family sponsor gives you to pay a vendor directly usually is not counted as your revenue. The accountant confirms this against how your contracts are written.
  • Self-employment tax and quarterly estimatesIf you are not on your own payroll, you owe 15.3 percent self-employment tax and are expected to pay estimated tax four times a year rather than waiting for April.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions quinceañera and special occasion planners miss

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

  • Contract choreographer fees
  • Planning software subscriptions
  • Website and social ads
  • Quinceañera expo booth fees
  • Professional liability insurance
  • Travel to rehearsals and meetings
  • Printed planning materials
  • Continuing education
  • Client gifts
  • Phone plan for coordination calls
  • Card processing fees
  • Business cards and branding

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 quinceañera planner's year, kept every month.

Celebrations happen year-round, with spring and summer bringing the heaviest bookings. Gus keeps the return on its own schedule. 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, the 1099 list for choreographers is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned before booking season picks up.

  2. April

    Filed and signed

    Your return is filed and signed before the spring and summer celebration season ramps up, so tax season never competes with your busiest weeks.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand midyear, what you will owe, and whether this year's bookings changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the fall push

    Fall celebrations are still booking. Gus looks at what is worth setting aside before December and what next year's pricing should look like.

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 quinceañera and special occasion planners. 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 quinceañera planners ask first.

Can Gus tell the difference between my fee and a padrino's sponsorship payment?

Yes. Sponsor pass-through funds are kept apart from your planning fee, so your real revenue never looks bigger than it is.

Multiple family members are paying different portions. Can that be tracked?

Yes. Each payment is tracked against the full event cost, so you always know who still owes their share.

Is choreography coordination part of my regular fee?

No. It stays in its own line, so you can see if it is priced to cover the time the rehearsals take.

Do vendor payments I make for a family count as my expense?

No. They are kept apart as pass-through funds, since that money was never your revenue to begin with.

My books are behind. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it. Most planners know where they stand 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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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