Wedding & event vendors

Books and taxes for silent disco rental companies.

Rental fees, headsets that wander off with guests, charging dozens of units between events, and attendants who scale with the size of the party. 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
SeptemberExample month
$3,900
what you made

September came in at $3,900. Two headsets went missing at the reception, so the replacement fee we collected covered the cost of restocking them.

  • September 20 reception silent disco packageRental fees
  • Lost headset fee collectedLost headset fees
  • Replacement headsets orderedHeadset inventory
  • Attendant staffingAttendant pay
  • Charging station batteriesCharging and battery costs
Money in$9,800
Money out$5,900
Set aside for taxes$850
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A silent disco rental company's books go wrong in the same handful of places.

A generalist sees rental fees and a supply bill. Your business is headsets that walk off with guests, replacement orders that are really an ongoing cost of doing business, and dozens of units that need charging between events. When the books do not know that, the number they hand you is wrong.

  1. 1

    Lost headset fees get counted as pure profit

    Guests occasionally walk off with a headset, and the replacement fee you charge them is really just covering what a new headset costs, not extra income, but untracked against replacement costs, the books can make it look like more profit than it is.

    What we doTies lost headset fees to the replacement cost they cover.
  2. 2

    Headset inventory replacement looks like routine repairs

    Headsets wear out, break, or go missing regularly, and a batch replacement order can look like a big one-time expense rather than the ongoing cost of running the business it really is.

    What we doFlags patterns in headset replacement spending, so wear and loss show up consistently in the numbers.
  3. 3

    Attendant staffing looks like a fixed cost

    Bigger events need more attendants to hand out and collect headsets, and if that pay is treated like steady payroll, you cannot tell what labor actually costs against what a booking billed.

    What we doTies attendant pay to the specific event it supported.
  4. 4

    Charging and battery costs get buried in general supplies

    Keeping dozens of headsets charged between events is a real recurring cost, and if it is not tracked apart from other supplies, you cannot tell what powering your inventory actually costs.

    What we doKeeps charging and battery costs in their own line.
  5. 5

    The deposit is not spending money yet

    A client books an event months out and pays a deposit, and if it is treated like this month's earned income, the books overstate what has actually been worked.

    What we doFlags booked deposits for events not yet worked, so you always know how much of the balance is spoken for.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a silent disco rental company.

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

  • Rental feesThe base charge for a silent disco package.
  • Booking depositsHeld when a client books, often weeks or months out.
  • Lost headset feesCharged to cover a missing or damaged headset.
  • Extended time add-onsExtra charged when an event runs longer than planned.
  • DJ and channel programming upgradesCurated playlists or a live DJ across multiple channels.

Money out

  • Headset inventoryHeadsets bought to replace lost, broken, or worn units.
  • Transmitter equipmentThe broadcasting units that power the channels.
  • Attendant staffingPay tied to the size of each event.
  • Charging and battery costsKeeping dozens of headsets ready between events.
  • InsuranceLiability coverage for on-site use.
  • Delivery and transportGetting equipment to and from venues.
  • MarketingWebsite, social ads, and venue partnerships.

What we watch for you

  • Headset loss rate

    How many headsets go missing per event, so replacement fees can be priced to actually cover it.

  • Cost per event

    Attendant pay against what each booking actually billed.

  • Booked deposits on hand

    How much of the balance belongs to events not yet worked, so it is never mistaken for spare cash.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things silent disco rental 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 couple of headsets went missing at the reception and we charged the couple a replacement fee. Is that extra profit?

Not really, I tie the fee to what a replacement headset actually costs, so it reads as covering the loss, not as pure profit.

We replace headsets pretty regularly from wear and loss. Is that a routine repair cost?

I keep a running pattern on replacement spending, so wear and loss show up consistently instead of looking like one big surprise expense.

Charging dozens of headsets between events adds up. Is that just a regular supply cost?

No, I keep charging and battery costs in their own line, so you can see what powering your inventory actually costs.

The tax side

The tax side of a silent disco rental company.

Most of what goes wrong here is a replacement fee that looks like profit and inventory that wears out in a steady, predictable way.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Headsets and transmitters as business assetsLarger batch purchases of headsets and transmitters bought for the business are usually treated as equipment. The accountant decides how much of the cost to write off now.
  • Attendant 1099sAttendants not on payroll get a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
  • Lost headset feesFees collected to cover a lost or damaged headset usually just offset the replacement cost rather than count as extra taxable profit on their own, though the accountant confirms how it nets out.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions silent disco rental companies miss

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

  • Headset inventory purchases
  • Transmitter equipment
  • Attendant wages
  • Charging stations and batteries
  • Liability insurance
  • Delivery and transport costs
  • Website and social ads
  • Venue partnership costs
  • Storage and carrying cases
  • Business cards and branding
  • Card processing fees
  • Repair parts

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 silent disco rental company's year, kept every month.

Weddings and events book up spring through fall, then ease off. Your team keeps you ahead of both the calendar and the return. 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 for attendants is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned before booking season floods your calendar.

  2. April

    Filed and signed

    Your return is filed and signed right as the spring booking rush hits, so tax season never competes with your busiest weekends.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand midyear, what you will owe, and whether this year's booking count is on pace.

  4. October

    Before the last fall bookings

    The busiest fall dates are still ahead. Gus looks at inventory worth replacing before December and what the winter months need to cover.

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 silent disco rental companies. 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 silent disco rental owners ask first.

Are lost headset fees extra profit?

Not really. They are tied to what a replacement headset actually costs, so they read as covering the loss rather than as pure profit.

Is replacing worn headsets a routine repair?

It is tracked as an ongoing pattern rather than a one-off, so wear and loss show up consistently in the numbers.

Are charging and battery costs a regular supply cost?

No. They are kept in their own line, so you can see what powering your inventory actually costs.

How is attendant pay tracked for bigger events?

Each event's attendant pay is tied to that booking, so you can see if the staffing cost was worth what the event paid.

My books are behind from a busy season. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it. Most owners know where they stand within 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 wedding & event vendors

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