Organic, social & brand marketing

Books and taxes for short-form video and clipping agencies.

A client's clipping budget that pays clippers by the view, a monthly retainer for running the program, editors paid per finished clip, and a viral clip that suddenly owes real money. 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
DecemberExample month
$7,500
what you made

December came in at $7,500. One clip from Client M's podcast went wide and pushed the view-based payout pool up fast, so I flagged it before the clipper payments went out.

  • Clipping budget, Client MClient clipping budget
  • Program management retainerRetainer revenue
  • Clipper payout batchClipper payouts
  • Freelance editor, long-form cutsContractor payouts
  • CapCut Pro subscriptionEditing software
Money in$28,000
Money out$20,500
Set aside for taxes$2,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Clipping agency books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a client deposit and a pile of small payments going out. Your business is a clipping budget that belongs to the client until it is paid out by view count, a retainer for running the program on top of that budget, and a viral clip that can owe more overnight than the whole program made last month. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell what the agency actually earned.

  1. 1

    A client's clipping budget looks like your revenue

    A creator funds a $10,000 pool that pays clippers based on how many views their clips get. Booked as agency income, it makes the business look far bigger than the management fee it actually earned.

    What we doBooks the clipping budget as a pass-through, in and back out to the clippers, so only the management retainer counts as agency revenue.
  2. 2

    A viral clip creates an obligation nobody planned for

    One clip crosses a few million views overnight, and the view-based payout owed to that clipper jumps well past what was budgeted for the month, straining cash if it is not seen coming.

    What we doFlags a fast-growing payout obligation as soon as a clip's view count spikes, so a viral hit does not become a cash surprise.
  3. 3

    Clipper payouts hide who is actually worth keeping

    Dozens of clippers get paid in one batch based on performance, and lumped together it is hard to see which clippers are consistently producing clips that earn their payout and which are not.

    What we doKeeps payout batches broken out by clipper, so performance stays visible instead of disappearing into one lump expense.
  4. 4

    Long-form editing costs blend into clipper pay

    A freelance editor who cuts a client's full podcast into raw segments gets paid differently than the clippers who turn those segments into short videos, but both often land in one contractor line.

    What we doKeeps long-form editing pay separate from clipper payouts, so you can see what each stage of the process actually costs.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a clipping agency.

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

  • Client clipping budgetMoney a client funds to pay clippers based on view performance.
  • Retainer revenueMonthly fees for running and managing the clipping program.
  • Launch and setup feesOne-time fees for onboarding a new client's clipping program.
  • Editing project feesOne-off long-form editing jobs billed apart from the clipping program.

Money out

  • Clipper payoutsView-based payments to the clippers who made and posted the clips.
  • Contractor payoutsFreelance editors who cut long-form content into raw segments.
  • Editing softwareCapCut, and caption and animation tools used across clips.
  • View tracking toolsDashboards used to verify view counts before payouts go out.
  • Coworking and officeShared office space or a home office setup.

What we watch for you

  • Management fee margin

    What the agency actually kept once the clipping budget pass-through is set aside.

  • Payout obligation

    How much is currently owed to clippers based on view counts, so a viral spike does not surprise cash flow.

  • Top clipper performance

    Which clippers consistently earn their payout, once batches are broken out.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month so a viral spike never turns into a tax surprise.

Ask Gus

Things clipping agency 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.

A client funded a $10,000 pool to pay clippers by the view. Does that count as our revenue?

No. I book that as a pass-through, in and back out to the clippers, so only your management retainer counts as what the agency earned.

One clip went viral overnight. Am I about to owe way more than I planned for?

Possibly. I flagged the payout obligation as soon as the view count spiked, so you can see it coming instead of finding out at payout time.

Do the clippers we pay need 1099s?

Anyone based in the US, not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more this year gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list across every clipper.

The tax side

The tax side of a clipping agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is what counts as income. A client's clipping budget booked like revenue, clippers owed forms across different countries, and a set-aside nobody started until April.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Clipping budgets are mostly pass-throughMoney a client funds to pay clippers by performance is not agency revenue. It passes through, in and back out, and only the management fee counts as what the agency earned.
  • 1099s for US clippersAnyone based in the US, not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list across every clipper paid.
  • Clippers outside the USA clipper working outside the US usually does not get a 1099-NEC. The accountant collects a different form and decides what applies.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated agencies can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. Above roughly $200,000 single, the accountant checks how much still applies once clipping budgets are set aside as pass-through.

Deductions short-form video and clipping agencies miss

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

  • CapCut Pro subscription
  • Caption and animation tools
  • View tracking dashboards
  • Freelance long-form editor payments
  • Business liability insurance
  • Coworking space
  • Business phone and internet
  • Conference tickets and travel
  • Website hosting for the agency
  • Accounting and legal fees

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 clipping agency's year, kept every month.

A clip can go viral on any day of the year, but tax deadlines do not move. 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

    Set the year's pace

    Last year's return gets started, the clipper 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed and wrapped

    Your return is filed and signed. Even a viral month did not throw off the set-aside built since January.

  3. July

    Halfway read

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether management fee margin held up through a summer of viral spikes.

  4. October

    Before budget renewals

    Clients revisit clipping budgets before the new year. Gus looks at which clippers earned their keep before those renewal talks.

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 short-form video and clipping agencies. 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 clipping agency owners ask first.

A client funds a pool that pays clippers based on views. Does Gus count that as our income?

No. Gus books the clipping budget as a pass-through, in and back out to the clippers, so your taxable income only reflects the management fee you actually kept.

One clip went viral and the payout owed jumped fast. Can Gus catch that before it becomes a cash problem?

Yes. Gus flags a fast-growing payout obligation as soon as a clip's view count spikes, so you see it coming rather than finding out at payout time.

We pay dozens of clippers in one batch based on performance. Can Gus tell which ones are worth keeping?

Yes. Gus keeps payout batches broken out by clipper, so performance stays visible instead of disappearing into one lump expense.

Do we need 1099s for every clipper, even ones outside the US?

US clippers paid $2,000 or more this year and not on payroll get a 1099-NEC by January 31. Clippers outside the US usually need a different form, which the accountant sorts out.

Our books mix clipping budgets, clipper pay, and our own fee together right now. Can that get sorted out?

Yes. Send the bank and payout statements you have. Gus works out what belongs to the clippers, what was your management fee, and the accountant checks it, usually 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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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