Brokerage, lending & investing

Books and taxes for residential real estate teams.

Buyer agent closings, listing agent closings, the ISA's payroll, and the leader's override on every split. 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
MayExample month
$14,700
what you made

May cleared $14,700 after every agent's split. Three closings ran through the ISA's leads, so I tagged those against what you paid Zillow this month.

  • Keller Williams commission depTeam commissions
  • Zillow FlexLead spend
  • Agent split payout, J.R.Agent splits
  • ISA payrollTeam payroll
  • Curbio renovation drawListing prep costs
Money in$61,500
Money out$46,800
Set aside for taxes$3,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A team's books go wrong where the splits meet.

A solo agent has one split to track. A team has six agents, a leader's override, an ISA on payroll, and lead sources that need to earn their keep. When the books blur those lines, you cannot tell which agent, which lead source, or which listing actually made the team money.

  1. 1

    The team leader's override gets lost in the agent's split

    When an agent under the team closes a deal, the brokerage pays the commission, the agent takes a split, and the team leader takes an override on top. Booked as one deposit, the leader's actual take disappears into agent payroll.

    What we doKeeps the brokerage deposit, each agent's split, and the leader's override on separate lines, so what the team actually keeps is visible every month.
  2. 2

    The ISA looks like a cost with no return

    An inside sales agent works the phones and books appointments but never closes a deal directly, so their payroll cost sits alone with nothing next to it showing what those appointments turned into.

    What we doTags closings that came from an ISA-set appointment, so the payroll cost has a number to measure against.
  3. 3

    Lead spend never gets tied to the agent who converted it

    Zillow Flex, referral network fees, and Facebook lead ads all draw from one card, and one team member can quietly outperform another on the exact same lead source.

    What we doKeeps each lead source in its own line against the closings tagged to it, so you know which one is actually paying you back.
  4. 4

    Recruiting and coaching income mixes with production income

    A team that earns a cut for mentoring newer agents or running a small brokerage-within-a-brokerage sees that money land next to regular commission deposits, and the two get treated like the same thing.

    What we doSeparates coaching or override income from production commissions, so growth from recruiting is never mistaken for a strong sales month.
  5. 5

    Listing prep advances look like a straight expense

    A concierge program or a private line of credit that fronts staging and repair costs on a listing gets repaid at closing, but if the advance and the repayment are not linked, the books show a cost with no matching income months later.

    What we doTies a listing prep advance to the closing that repays it, so the real cost of getting a home market-ready is what is left over, not the whole advance.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a residential team.

Set up once for how the team gets paid and where it spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Team commissionsBrokerage deposits after the split, kept by agent so each one's production is visible.
  • Team leader overridesWhat the leader keeps on top of an agent's split.
  • Referral feesFees from agents in other markets sending business to the team.
  • Coaching or mentoring incomeWhat newer agents pay the team to be under its umbrella, kept apart from production.

Money out

  • Agent splitsWhat each agent is paid out after the brokerage takes its cut.
  • Team payrollISA, transaction coordinator, and marketing staff on the team's own payroll.
  • Lead spendZillow Flex, Facebook ads, and referral network fees, kept apart by source.
  • Listing prep costsStaging, photography, and minor repairs fronted ahead of a closing.
  • MLS and brokerage feesDesk fees, MLS dues, and franchise royalties for the whole team.
  • CRM and dialer softwareFollow Up Boss, kvCORE, or a similar system the whole team runs on.
  • Team marketingBranded signage, print, and video shared across every listing.

What we watch for you

  • Cost per lead source

    What each lead channel costs against the closings it produced, so spend follows what works.

  • Agent split retained

    What the team keeps after every agent's split, the real measure of the team's own take.

  • ISA-sourced closings

    Deals tied back to an ISA appointment, to see if that payroll cost is earning its keep.

  • Team payroll share

    Payroll against total money in, so growth in headcount is matched by growth in production.

Ask Gus

Things team leaders 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.

Can you tell me if the Zillow spend is actually worth it this quarter?

So far three closings trace back to Zillow leads against what you spent there. I keep that tally running so you can see it any month.

My ISA closed nothing directly this month. Is that payroll a waste?

Two of your agents' closings started as appointments she set. I tag those, so the payroll has something to measure against, even without a direct close.

One of my agents wants to know their real take-home after everything.

That is one for the accountant, since it touches their own filing status too. I can hand over exactly what they were paid and what came out of it.

The tax side

The tax side of running a team.

Most of what matters here is who is really an employee, who is a contractor, and keeping each agent's split visible enough that nobody's number is a guess at tax time.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Contractor 1099s for agentsAgents paid a split rather than a wage, and referral fees paid to outside agents, get a 1099-NEC once they clear $2,000 in 2026. Gus keeps that list running all year.
  • ISA and staff payrollAn ISA or transaction coordinator working set hours under the team's direction is usually a W-2 employee, not a contractor, even without a direct closing to point to.
  • Self-employment tax for the team leaderA team leader's own commission and overrides carry self-employment tax at 15.3 percent up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the splits and overrides are booked correctly all year.

Deductions residential real estate teams miss

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

  • MLS and brokerage desk fees
  • Zillow Flex and referral network fees
  • CRM and dialer software
  • Team branded signage and print
  • Concierge or listing prep advances
  • Referral fees paid out
  • Continuing education for the team
  • Office space or a shared team suite
  • Recruiting event costs
  • Team headshots and video
  • Phone and data plans for staff
  • E and O insurance

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 team's year, kept every month.

Spring and summer bring the volume. The rest of the year is where a team either scales up right or bleeds on lead spend nobody is watching. 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

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, 1099s go out to every agent and referral partner, and a monthly set-aside is planned for the year ahead.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where the team stands, what it will owe, and whether the spring closing volume changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the slow months

    Winter usually slows the team down. Gus looks at software, staffing, or equipment worth buying before December and anything worth doing first.

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 residential real estate teams. 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 team leaders ask first.

Can Gus track which agent brought in what?

Yes. Each agent's split is kept on its own line against the brokerage deposit, so production by agent is visible every month, not just the team total.

My ISA is paid a base plus a bonus on booked appointments. Does that change anything?

It changes what the payroll line looks like, not what you do. Gus keeps base pay and bonus pay together as payroll and tags the appointments that led to closings.

We just added a seventh agent. Does that change how the books are set up?

No new setup is needed. Gus adds the new agent's split as its own line the same way the others are tracked, starting with their first commission.

Does Gus handle the team's own brokerage-within-a-brokerage structure?

He books what comes in and out the way your structure actually works, including any coaching or override income kept apart from production. The legal setup itself is something the accountant weighs in on.

How does Gus handle a listing prep advance that gets repaid at closing?

He ties the advance to the closing that pays it back, so the real cost of prepping a listing shows up as what is left after repayment, not the full amount spent upfront.

We are mid-year and our books are a mess across six agents. Can Gus untangle it?

Yes. Send the bank statements and payroll records you have. Gus sorts every deposit and split by agent, and most teams know where they stand within a couple of weeks.

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