Creative & production services
Books and taxes for real estate photographers.
A listing photo package, a Matterport virtual tour add-on, a twilight shoot booked last minute, and a dozen realtors who each pay differently. Gus sorts 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
May came in at $10,200. You shot fourteen twilight sessions this month instead of the usual four, so that add-on income showed up clearly instead of blending into your standard packages.
- Listing packages x31Standard listing packages
- Twilight shoots x14Twilight and add-on shoots
- Matterport subscriptionVirtual tour tools
- Adobe Lightroom planEditing software
- Gas, multiple listingsMileage and travel
Why your books are different
Real estate photography books go wrong at the add-on and the realtor account.
A generalist sees a photo shoot and calls it one flat fee. Your business runs on standard listing packages, add-ons like drone shots and virtual tours, same-day turnaround pressure, and dozens of individual realtors who each book and pay differently. When the books do not separate those, you cannot see which part of the work actually pays.
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1
Add-ons get folded into the base listing price
A twilight shoot, a drone pass, or a Matterport tour is worth more than a standard daytime listing package, but if it all gets billed as one number, you cannot tell how much extra revenue your add-ons are really bringing in.
What we doKeeps add-on income in its own line so you can see what twilight shoots, drone passes, and virtual tours actually add to a listing. -
2
Dozens of small realtor payments look like noise
Thirty different agents paying $150 to $300 per listing through a mix of cards, checks, and apps can look like scattered small deposits instead of a real client base worth tracking.
What we doTracks income by realtor so you can see which relationships bring you the most repeat business over a year. -
3
Same-day rush turnaround gets billed like standard work
A listing that needs photos back within hours for an open house the next morning takes real hustle that a flat per-listing rate does not always reflect.
What we doKeeps rush fees in their own line so you can see how much of your income comes from same-day turnaround work. -
4
A Matterport or drone purchase gets filed as a supply
A 3D camera rig or a drone can cost thousands, and filed as a supply purchase it wrecks the month and misses the equipment write-off.
What we doFlags drone and 3D rig purchases the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
5
Mileage across dozens of listings goes untracked
Driving to thirty or more different properties a month adds up to real vehicle cost and a real mileage deduction, but it is easy to lose track of trip by trip.
What we doKeeps mileage and travel costs in their own line so the deduction is not left on the table at tax time.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a real estate photography 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
- Standard listing packagesDaytime interior and exterior photos, priced per listing.
- Twilight and add-on shootsEvening shoots, drone passes, and virtual tours billed apart from the base package.
- Rush feesCharged for same-day or next-morning turnaround.
- Floor plan feesMeasured floor plans sold alongside photo packages.
Money out
- Virtual tour toolsMatterport or similar 3D scanning subscriptions.
- Editing softwareLightroom, Photoshop, and HDR blending tools.
- EquipmentCameras, drones, and 3D rigs, logged so they get written off right.
- Mileage and travelFuel and vehicle costs across listing visits.
- Hosting and delivery toolsClient gallery sites and photo delivery tools billed per listing.
- InsuranceEquipment and liability coverage for shoots on someone else's property.
What we watch for you
- Add-on share
Twilight, drone, and virtual tour income against standard listing income.
- Realtor concentration
How much of your income comes from your top few agents, worth knowing before one stops calling.
- Listings per month
Volume tracked from the books themselves, a leading sign of a slow or busy season ahead.
- The set-aside
What you will owe across listing and add-on income, tracked monthly so April holds no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things real estate photographer 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.
No, twilight and add-on shoots stay in their own line, so this month shows clearly as an add-on surge instead of blending into your standard packages.
Yes, I track income by realtor so you can see which relationships bring the most repeat business over the year, no matter how each one pays.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a real estate photography business.
Most of what goes wrong here is mileage left untracked and equipment filed like ordinary supplies.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Mileage to listingsDriving to properties in a personal vehicle can be deducted at the standard mileage rate, 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after.
- Cameras, drones, and 3D rigsBusiness equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025, covering most camera and drone purchases.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo real estate photographers can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when listing and add-on income is tracked cleanly.
- Self-employment tax on solo incomeA one-person photography business pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, so the set-aside has to cover both.
Deductions real estate photographers and media companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Cameras and lenses
- Drones and batteries
- Matterport or 3D scanning fees
- Editing software licenses
- Mileage to listings
- Client gallery hosting
- Insurance for gear and liability
- External drives and cloud backup
- Business cards and marketing
- Continuing education courses
- Vehicle maintenance
- Tripods and lighting gear
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 photography year, kept every month.
Listing volume swings with the housing market. Your books stay current no matter the season, and the return follows. 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 as the spring listing rush approaches, and a monthly set-aside means April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed right as the spring listing rush kicks in. The set-aside covered it since January, so the bill is not a surprise.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the busy spring listing season changed the number.
- October
Before the market slows
Listings often dip in colder months. Gus looks at equipment you might buy while volume is still steady and 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 real estate photographers and media companies. 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 photographer owners ask first.
Does a slow winter month look bad in my books compared to spring?
Gus tracks your numbers month by month against your own history, so a normal seasonal dip reads as exactly that, not a warning sign.
I shoot for a lot of different realtors who each pay differently. Can Gus still keep it straight?
Yes. Income gets tracked by realtor no matter how each one pays, so you can see which relationships are worth the most over time.
Do I write off a new drone all at once?
Often you can. Drones and 3D scanning gear can usually be deducted in the year you buy them, and sometimes spreading the cost out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
I drive to thirty listings a month. Is my mileage really worth tracking?
Yes. At the standard mileage rate it adds up fast across that many stops, and Gus keeps a running total so the deduction is not left on the table.
My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send whatever listing invoices and statements you have. Gus sorts add-on income from standard packages, and most owners 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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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