Marketplace sellers & custom goods

Books and taxes for screen printing shops.

A school spirit wear order, a blank apparel invoice from S&S Activewear, plastisol ink and new screens, and a press that costs as much as a truck. Your own bookkeeper keeps it straight, 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
AugustExample month
$6,900
what you made

August came in at $6,900. The new press you bought this month went in as equipment, not supplies, so it gets written off the right way.

  • School spirit wear orderOrder sales
  • S&S Activewear blank orderBlank apparel
  • Plastisol ink orderInk and screen supplies
  • New press, manual 6-colorEquipment
  • Screen reclaim chemicalsInk and screen supplies
Money in$24,800
Money out$17,900
Set aside for taxes$1,900
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Screen printing books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist sees a blank invoice and a customer payment. Your business is minimum order quantities that shrink margin on small jobs, ink and screens bought in bulk, and a press that costs as much as a vehicle. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which jobs are actually worth taking.

  1. 1

    A press is not a supply purchase

    A manual or automatic press can cost thousands of dollars. Filed as supplies, it muddles the month it was bought and misses how it should be written off.

    What we doFlags big equipment buys the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off.
  2. 2

    Ink and screen supplies get bought in bulk

    Plastisol ink, emulsion, and screens are typically bought in bulk to last for months of jobs. One large order can make a slow month look worse than it is and the following months look artificially strong.

    What we doKeeps bulk ink and screen buys visible against the jobs they actually go into, so one big order does not read as a bad month.
  3. 3

    Small orders under minimum quantity eat margin quietly

    A small run below your usual minimum order quantity still needs the same screen setup and cleanup time as a big job, and it is easy to underprice it without realizing the setup cost barely gets covered.

    What we doKeeps setup-heavy small orders visible against what they actually cost to run, so pricing decisions have real numbers behind them.
  4. 4

    Rush jobs blur into regular order pricing

    A rush order for a same-week event deadline often means overtime or bumping other jobs, but if the rush fee is not tracked apart from the base order, it is hard to tell if it actually covers the disruption.

    What we doKeeps rush fees in their own line against the order they belong to, so you can see whether rush work is worth the schedule strain.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a screen printing shop.

Set up once for how a job gets billed and made. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Order salesTeam, school, and business orders, billed by the job.
  • Rush feesExtra charges for tight-deadline turnarounds, kept apart from the base order.
  • Retail walk-in salesSmall one-off orders sold directly at the shop.
  • Wholesale contract printingBulk printing done for another apparel brand or reseller.

Money out

  • Blank apparelShirts, hoodies, and hats bought from S&S Activewear, alphabroder, or SanMar.
  • Ink and screen suppliesPlastisol or water-based ink, emulsion, screens, and reclaim chemicals.
  • EquipmentPresses, dryers, and exposure units, logged so they get written off right.
  • Digitizing and designArt setup and separations for a customer's design.
  • Freight and shippingBlank goods delivery and finished order shipping to customers.
  • Payroll and laborWages for press operators and shop staff.

What we watch for you

  • Cost per job by order size

    Ink, screens, and setup time added up against order size, so small runs get priced to actually cover their cost.

  • Blank apparel cost trend

    What blanks actually cost month over month, so a supplier price increase gets caught before it eats your margin.

  • Rush order margin

    Whether rush fees actually cover the schedule strain, so you know which fast turnarounds are worth taking.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things screen printing 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.

I bought a new automatic press this month. Does that all come off this year?

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.

A small order this week barely felt worth the setup time. Was I pricing it wrong?

I keep setup-heavy small runs tracked against what they actually cost, so that is a real conversation to have with your bookkeeper next time we talk.

I bought a big batch of plastisol ink and screens this month. Does that expense hit all at once?

I keep it tracked against the jobs it actually goes into, so one big supply order does not make a good month look thin.

The tax side

The tax side of a screen printing business.

Most of what goes wrong here is labels and timing. A press filed as supplies, ink bought in bulk, and a helper paid like a contractor who works like an employee.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Presses and dryersBusiness equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Whether to take it all now depends on the year you are having.
  • Inventory and cost of goods soldWhat was actually paid for blanks, ink, and screens used in orders shipped during the year is what counts against sales. Unsold blank stock at year end changes what the return shows as profit.
  • Employee or contractorA press operator who works your schedule with your equipment is usually an employee. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
  • 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 books are right all year.

Deductions screen printing shops miss

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

  • Blank apparel purchases
  • Plastisol and water-based ink
  • Screens and emulsion
  • Reclaim chemicals
  • Press and dryer maintenance
  • Design and separation software
  • Freight on blank goods
  • Shop rent and utilities
  • Business insurance
  • Safety equipment for staff
  • Trade show samples
  • Uniforms with your shop logo

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 screen printing year, kept every month.

Team and school orders come in around every season's schedule. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  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 you stand, what you will owe, and whether back to school orders are shaping up the way you expect.

  4. October

    Before the holiday and event rush

    Holiday parties and year-end business orders spike fast. Before it hits, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and blanks to stock up on before December.

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 screen printing shops. 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 screen printing owners ask first.

Can Gus tell me if my small orders are actually profitable?

He keeps ink, screens, and setup cost tracked against order size, so the numbers are there. Whether a given minimum order quantity is worth taking is a conversation to have with your bookkeeper.

Do I write off my press all at once?

Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.

My helper gets paid per shirt printed, not by the hour. Is that a 1099 worker?

Not automatically. Someone who works your schedule with your press is usually an employee even if paid per piece. Gus flags it so the accountant can weigh in before it becomes a habit.

Do I charge sales tax on custom printed apparel?

Usually, unless the customer is reselling the items with a valid resale certificate, like a school selling shirts at an event. The accountant checks what applies to your orders.

I bought a big batch of blanks before a price increase. Will that tank this month's number?

It will not read that way. Gus keeps a bulk buy visible against the jobs it actually fills, so a big purchase does not make a good month look like a bad one.

My books are a year behind. Is that fixable?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them out and 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.

More in marketplace sellers & custom goods

We keep books for the business next door too.

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