Advisors, lenders & money services
Books and taxes for SBA loan brokers.
A packaging fee that will not pay out for three more months, an appraisal cost collected from the borrower and paid straight to the appraiser, a referral split with the bank that closed the deal. Your own bookkeeper sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August closed at $16,300. Two deals that were in underwriting since May finally funded, so this month's fee reflects three months of packaging work, not just August.
- Packaging fee, closed 7(a) dealPackaging fees
- Application fee, new borrowerApplication fees
- Appraisal cost, pass-throughPass-through closing costs
- Financial spreading softwareLoan packaging software
- Referral split, correspondent bankReferral splits paid
Why your books are different
An SBA loan broker's books go wrong in a few particular spots.
A generalist bookkeeper sees a fee deposit and calls the month it lands the month the work happened. Your fee is not earned until a loan actually closes, sometimes ninety days after the file was first opened, and money collected for appraisals and reports is never yours to keep.
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1
A three-month closing cycle makes revenue look random
A packaging fee for a deal opened in May might not pay until August when the loan finally closes, so any single month can look empty or huge depending entirely on which files happened to fund that month.
What we doFlags which months a closed fee's underlying work actually spanned, so a strong month reads as the payoff of real work, not luck. -
2
Appraisal and report costs pass through, they do not stay
A borrower's fee for a required appraisal or environmental report often runs through the broker's account on its way to the vendor who did the work, and counting that pass-through as revenue overstates what the broker actually earned.
What we doKeeps pass-through closing costs separate from the broker's own fee income, so revenue reflects only what the broker actually kept. -
3
An application fee and a closing fee are not the same kind of income
A non-refundable application fee is earned the day it is collected regardless of what happens next, while the larger packaging fee depends entirely on the loan closing, and blending the two hides how much income actually depends on a deal succeeding.
What we doKeeps application fees and contingent packaging fees in separate lines, so income tied to risk is visible apart from income that is already secure. -
4
A referral split with a correspondent bank gets missed
A broker who shares a deal with a correspondent lender or another broker on a joint file often owes a split of the fee, and if that split is not tracked against the specific deal, it either gets forgotten or muddles what the broker actually kept.
What we doTies referral splits to the specific closed deal, so what the broker actually nets after every split is always visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an SBA loan brokerage.
Set up once for how the brokerage earns fees across a long closing cycle and what it spends to package deals. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Packaging feesFees earned once a 7(a) or 504 loan actually closes and funds.
- Application feesNon-refundable fees collected when a file is opened, regardless of outcome.
- Referral incomeFees received for sending a deal to a lender or another broker.
- Consulting feesStandalone fees for reviewing a borrower's readiness before a full application.
Money out
- Pass-through closing costsAppraisal, environmental, and report costs collected from the borrower and paid to the vendor.
- Loan packaging softwareFinancial spreading and underwriting preparation tools.
- Referral splits paidShares of a fee paid to a correspondent lender or co-broker on a joint deal.
- Licensing and registrationState broker registration kept current for every state the brokerage packages loans in.
- Credit report pullsReports pulled on borrowers during file preparation.
- InsuranceErrors and omissions coverage that covers the packaging work itself.
What we watch for you
- Pipeline by stage
How many files are in underwriting versus actually closed, so timing makes sense.
- Fee per closed deal
What the brokerage actually keeps once splits and pass-through costs are removed.
- Application fee coverage
How much of fixed monthly costs the non-refundable fees alone cover.
- The set-aside
What the brokerage will owe once pass-through closing costs are kept out of the number.
Ask Gus
Things SBA loan brokers 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.
August, since that is when it actually closed and became earned income. I just note that the work behind it spanned three months, so a strong month reads correctly.
No. That is a pass-through cost, not revenue. I keep it separate so your fee income reflects only what the brokerage actually keeps.
Yes. The split gets tied to this specific deal, so you always see what the brokerage kept after paying the correspondent its share.
The tax side
The tax side of an SBA loan brokerage.
Most of what matters here is timing a fee to when a loan actually closes and keeping pass-through costs out of the brokerage's own revenue, since the underlying tax rules are otherwise routine.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Packaging fees are earned at closing, not at file openA contingent packaging fee is generally taxable once the loan closes and the fee is paid, not when the file was first opened. Gus tracks the closing date so the accountant applies the right timing.
- Pass-through costs are not the brokerage's incomeAppraisal and report costs collected from a borrower and paid to an outside vendor are not revenue the brokerage earned, and should not be reported as such on the brokerage's own return.
- Packaging fee profit and the S corp questionOnce referral splits and pass-through costs are removed, a broker's real profit is taxed at 15.3 percent for self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base for 2026, a figure worth weighing against an S corp election due March 15.
- 1099s for correspondents and contract staffA correspondent broker paid a referral split, or a contract processor, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if paid $2,000 or more in 2026 and not on payroll.
Deductions SBA loan brokers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Loan packaging software
- Financial spreading tools
- State broker registration fees
- Credit report pulls
- Errors and omissions insurance
- Referral splits paid out
- Continuing education courses
- Office rent
- Phone and data plans
- Marketing and website costs
- Conference travel
- Laptop and office equipment
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
An SBA loan brokerage's year, kept every month.
Files move through underwriting on their own timeline all year, so a closed month can look nothing like the one before it. Your team keeps the brokerage's own books current through all of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Year planned
New file activity often rises as businesses plan expansions for the year, 1099s go out for correspondents and processors, and last year's return gets started.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with pass-through closing costs kept out of the brokerage's own income all year, so the total is accurate.
- July
Halfway check
Where the brokerage stands, what it will owe, and how many files in the pipeline are likely to close before year end.
- October
Before year end
A look at which deals might close before December, and software or equipment worth buying before the year is out.
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 SBA loan brokers. 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 SBA loan brokers ask first.
A deal has been in underwriting for three months. When does Gus count the fee as income?
The month it actually closes and the fee is paid, not the month the file was opened. He notes the deal spanned months so a strong closing month is not mistaken for luck.
I collect appraisal and environmental report fees from the borrower. Does that count as my revenue?
No. Those are pass-through costs on their way to the vendor who did the work. Gus keeps them separate so your own fee income is accurate.
Does Gus package the loan files or work with the lenders?
No. Gus and your bookkeeper only keep the brokerage's own books, what it makes and spends. Packaging deals and working with lenders stays entirely with you.
I split fees with a correspondent bank on some deals. How does that get tracked?
The split gets tied to the specific deal it came from, so you can always see what the brokerage kept after paying the correspondent its share.
My non-refundable application fees and my contingent closing fees get mixed together. Can Gus separate those?
Yes. Application fees and closing fees stay in their own lines, so you can see how much of your income is already secure versus dependent on a deal closing.
My books have not kept up with how long my deals take to close. Can Gus untangle that?
Yes. Send the bank statements and closing schedules you have, and Gus works through each file until the timing lines up correctly.
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