Legal
Books and taxes for real estate attorneys.
Flat fees per closing, recording and title search costs passed through, hourly billing for disputes, and a closing calendar that can shift overnight. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $11,500. Two closings fell through at the last minute, so I kept those fees out entirely instead of counting a deal that never actually funded.
- Closing fee, 214 Larkspur StClosing fees
- Contract dispute hours, BoyetteHourly billing
- County recorder feeRecording and filing fees
- Title search serviceTitle search costs
- Casetext subscriptionLegal research
Why your books are different
Real estate law books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a fee for a closing and assumes every deal closes the same way. Your business is a closing calendar that can shift overnight, recording costs that pass straight through, and earnest money that is never the firm's to book as its own.
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1
A closing that falls through is not a fee
A deal can collapse the day before closing after real work has already gone into it, and if a fee is booked as soon as a closing is scheduled rather than when it actually funds, the books can show income for a deal that never happened.
What we doBooks a closing fee only once the deal actually funds, so a collapsed deal never shows up as income the firm never received. -
2
Recording and title costs are not the firm's fee
Recording fees, title search costs, and similar third-party charges often get collected from the client alongside the firm's own closing fee, and blended together, they inflate what the firm actually earned on the deal.
What we doKeeps recording and title search costs in their own line, separate from the firm's fee, so income reflects only what the practice actually kept. -
3
Earnest money is never the firm's money
When the firm holds earnest money or closing funds as an escrow or settlement agent, that money belongs to the parties to the transaction, not the firm, and even a passing mention of it in the regular books blurs a line that needs to stay clear.
What we doWorks only from the firm's own operating account. Escrow or settlement funds held for a transaction are never touched or reported on here, because that is handled under its own strict rules, separate from these books. -
4
Flat fee closings and hourly disputes blur together
A closing practice billed flat fee and a litigation matter billed hourly run on completely different economics, and lumped into one income line, it is hard to tell whether closings or disputes are actually driving the month.
What we doKeeps closing fees and hourly dispute billing in separate lines, so each side of the practice is visible on its own. -
5
A slow closing month can still be a normal month
Closings cluster around when deals happen to be ready, not a fixed season, so a quiet month can look alarming next to a busy one when it is really just how transactional work runs.
What we doTracks the set-aside against the year as a whole, so a quiet month does not throw off what the firm should be setting aside.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a real estate practice.
Set up once for how closings get paid and what passes through to others. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Closing feesThe firm's fee for a completed residential or commercial closing.
- Hourly billingContract disputes, title defects, and other litigation-style work.
- Document review feesStandalone contract or lease reviews billed apart from a closing.
- Referral fees receivedFees from other attorneys who send the firm a matter.
Money out
- Recording and filing feesCounty recorder and clerk costs passed through from a closing.
- Title search costsThird-party title search and abstract services.
- Legal researchReal estate specific research services and general legal databases.
- Staff and paralegal wagesThe people who prepare closing documents and coordinate title work.
- Malpractice insuranceAnnual or quarterly professional liability premiums.
- Marketing and referral outreachCosts to build relationships with agents, lenders, and title companies.
What we watch for you
- Closing volume
How many closings actually funded this month versus were scheduled, since a scheduled deal is not yet income.
- Pass-through share
How much of each deposit is recording and title costs versus the firm's own earnings.
- Closing to dispute mix
Whether closing fees or hourly dispute work is actually driving the month.
- The set-aside
What the firm will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.
Ask Gus
Things real estate attorneys 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 only book a closing fee once a deal actually funds. Those two show as no income this month, which matches what really happened.
No, that is outside what I do. Escrow and settlement funds held for a transaction stay on their own separate accounting under its own strict rules. I work only from the firm's regular operating account.
If you paid them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on your payroll, that is a 1099-NEC due January 31, and I have been keeping that list current all year.
The tax side
The tax side of a real estate practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is booking a fee before a deal actually closes, or letting a pass-through cost look like the firm's own earnings.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Closing fee income is counted on fundingA closing fee becomes income once a deal actually funds, not when it is scheduled. A collapsed closing simply never becomes income at all.
- A heavy closing year can hit the deduction ceilingMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit, but law counts as a specified service trade, so a strong year of closings can push taxable income above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, where the deduction begins to shrink.
- Contractor 1099s for title and research vendorsA title search vendor, contract paralegal, or researcher paid $2,000 or more in 2026 and not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Quarterly estimated taxes on closing volumeAn owner without steady payroll withholding typically owes estimated payments on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15, and a heavy closing quarter changes what is owed the next.
Deductions real estate attorneys miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Bar dues and CLE
- Malpractice insurance
- Legal research subscriptions
- Closing and title software
- Recording and filing fees on the firm's own matters
- Mileage to closings and court
- E-filing and PACER fees
- Payment processing fees
- Office rent and utilities
- Referral and networking event costs
- Case management software
- Answering or intake service 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 real estate law year, kept every month.
Closings cluster around when deals are ready, not the calendar. Gus keeps the set-aside steady either way. 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, the 1099 list for vendors and contract help is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned around expected closing volume.
- April
Filed, closing calendar and all
Your return is filed and signed, whatever pace the closing calendar set this year. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where the firm stands, how the closing calendar looks for the rest of the year, and whether the set-aside still fits.
- October
Before year end
A look at any equipment or software worth buying before December, and a check on pending closings that may push into next year.
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 real estate attorneys. 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 real estate attorneys ask first.
Can Gus manage the escrow account we use for closings?
No. Escrow and settlement funds held for a real estate transaction are handled under their own strict rules, separate from ordinary bookkeeping. Gus works only from the firm's regular operating account, after fees have already been earned.
A closing fell through after we did the title work. Does that hurt our books?
It shows up as work performed with no fee earned, which is accurate. Gus only books a closing fee once a deal actually funds, so a collapsed deal never gets counted as income the firm did not receive.
How does Gus separate our fee from recording and title costs in the same payment?
He keeps recording fees and title search costs in their own line, separate from the firm's own closing fee, so income reflects only what the practice actually earned on the deal.
We do closings and also handle contract disputes. Can Gus track those separately?
Yes. Closing fees and hourly dispute billing stay in their own categories, so you can see whether closings or litigation work is actually driving a given month.
Our closing volume swings with the local market. Does that hurt our taxes?
No. The set-aside follows what actually closes and funds each month, not an assumed pace, so a slow stretch in the local market does not leave the firm owing more than it planned for.
Can Gus tell me whether closings or disputes are actually paying the bills?
Yes. Closing fees and hourly dispute work stay in separate lines, so over a few months you can see which side of the practice is actually carrying it.
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