Paint, craft & maker studios
Books and taxes for resin art studios.
Coaster pouring sessions, a custom river table commission paid in two stages, and a batch of resin that did not cure right because the studio ran cold 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 made $7,200. The river table commission hit its final payment, and I logged the coaster batch that never fully cured as a loss instead of letting it blend into your resin budget.
- Coaster pour sessionsWalk-in pours
- River table, final paymentFurniture commissions
- Epoxy resin and hardenerResin and hardener
- Wood slab, live edgeWood stock
- Studio rentRent and utilities
Why your books are different
A resin art studio's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees session fees and a supply bill. Your business pours a two-part chemical that fails if the ratio or temperature is off, sells custom river table furniture that takes weeks and gets paid in stages, and needs real ventilation to run safely. When the books do not know that, a bad batch looks like a mystery loss instead of a normal cost of working with resin.
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1
A failed pour disappears from the numbers
Resin that does not cure right because of temperature, humidity, or a mixing ratio issue never turns into a sellable piece, but the resin and hardener already left the register. Untracked, it just looks like margins are thinner than they should be.
What we doKeeps an eye on the gap between resin bought and pieces sold, and flags it when the pattern looks like more than normal batch failure. -
2
River table commissions get booked as if the job is finished
A custom river table or large furniture commission is often paid in stages, a deposit to start and a final payment on delivery. Booking the deposit as fully earned overstates how much of the job is actually done.
What we doKeeps commission payments tied to the stage of work they represent, so income reflects how much of the job is actually finished. -
3
A pour is paid for before it can be handled
A customer pays for a coaster or tray pour the day they make it, but resin often needs a day or more to fully cure before it can be handled or picked up. Timing rarely causes real problems, but a busy group pour paid for today may not be ready until the next reporting week.
What we doKeeps pour income tied to the day the session happened, so the books reflect when the work was actually done. -
4
A resin and wood order distorts one month
A bulk order of epoxy resin, hardener, and live edge wood slabs for an upcoming commission can cover months of work, but if the whole bill lands in one month's books, that month looks like it barely made money.
What we doKeeps resin and wood purchases in one steady line and flags a bulk order tied to a project so a heavy-buying month is not mistaken for a bad one. -
5
Ventilation and safety gear get lost in supplies
Respirators, fume extraction, and proper ventilation are real, ongoing costs of running a resin studio safely, and thrown into a general supplies line they hide how much it actually costs to keep the studio safe.
What we doKeeps safety and ventilation costs in their own line, so you can see that cost clearly instead of guessing at it.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a resin art studio.
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
- Walk-in poursCoaster, tray, and small piece sessions.
- Furniture commissionsRiver tables and custom furniture, paid in stages.
- Class tuitionBeginner and technique resin classes.
- Retail finished piecesReady-made resin art sold in the studio.
- Kit salesTake-home resin kits, if offered.
Money out
- Resin and hardenerEpoxy resin and hardener, tracked with an eye on shelf life and failed batches.
- Wood stockLive edge slabs and lumber for furniture commissions.
- Pigments and moldsMica powder, dye, and silicone molds.
- Safety and ventilationRespirators, fume extraction, and studio ventilation upkeep.
- Studio rent and utilitiesSpace with the climate control resin needs to cure properly.
- Instructor payClass and workshop leaders.
- MarketingLocal ads and furniture commission portfolio promotion.
- Card processing feesWhat Square or Stripe keeps before you get paid.
What we watch for you
- Pour failure rate
How often a batch does not cure right, so it does not quietly eat your margin.
- Commission stage tracking
How much of a multi-stage furniture job's payments match the work actually completed.
- Resin cost per project
What resin and wood actually cost against what a project is priced at.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things resin art studio 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.
Yes, I logged the resin cost as a loss instead of letting it blend into your regular material spend. If it keeps happening, worth a look at studio temperature.
I book it against the stage of work it covers, and since this was the final payment on a finished piece, yes, it counts as this month's income now that the job is done.
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 resin art studio.
Most of what goes wrong here is a failed batch nobody tracked, and a multi-stage commission counted all at once.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Resin and wood as inventoryResin, hardener, and wood slabs bought in bulk are inventory until used, then they become the cost of the piece sold. Tracking roughly what is on hand keeps the return accurate.
- Writing off failed batchesResin that fails to cure properly and becomes unsellable can sometimes be written off as spoiled inventory, which lowers taxable income.
- Multi-stage commission incomeA river table or furniture commission paid across a deposit and a final payment is usually recognized as the work is completed, not all at once when the deposit clears.
- Equipment depreciationFume extraction, sanding and polishing equipment, and molds bought for the studio can usually be written off in the year they are bought, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
Deductions resin art studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Epoxy resin and hardener
- Mica powder and pigments
- Silicone molds
- Wood slabs and lumber
- Fume extraction and respirators
- Studio rent and utilities
- Liability insurance
- Local social ads
- Card processing fees
- Sanding and polishing supplies
- Gloves and protective gear
- Commission portfolio and photography
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 resin art studio year, kept every month.
Spring and summer furniture commissions, a fall class schedule, and holiday retail all pull differently. Your team keeps you ahead of the calendar and the return both. 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, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how furniture commissions have tracked against walk-in pours so far.
- October
Before the holidays
Gus looks at resin and wood stock, class scheduling, and any equipment worth buying before the holiday retail push.
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 resin art studios. 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 resin art studio owners ask first.
Does a failed pour count for anything on my taxes?
Often yes. Resin that does not cure properly and cannot be sold can sometimes be written off as spoiled inventory. Gus flags the pattern so the accountant can make that call.
How does Gus handle a river table paid in a deposit and a final payment?
Payments are tied to the stage of work they cover, so a deposit shows as work in progress and the final payment counts as income once the piece is actually finished.
A coaster session gets paid for today but the pieces cure for a day or two. Does that confuse the numbers?
No. Gus ties the income to the day the session happened, so cure time does not shift which week looks busy.
Is a bulk resin order going to make a month look bad?
Gus keeps resin and wood purchases in a steady monthly line and flags a big stock-up tied to a commission, so a heavy-buying month is not read as a slow one.
Can a fume extractor or new sander be written off this year?
Usually. Gus flags the purchase and logs it as equipment, and the accountant tells you how it gets written off.
My books are behind from tracking commissions in a text thread. Can Gus still help?
Yes. Send the bank 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.
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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