Paint, craft & maker studios

Books and taxes for soap and bath bomb making studios.

Cold process soap curing on the rack for six weeks, bath bombs that crumble before they sell, and a wholesale account at the spa down the street. Gus sorts 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
JulyExample month
$6,600
what you made

July made $6,600. A new spa wholesale account picked up, and I logged the tray of bath bombs that crumbled in the summer humidity as a loss instead of letting it blend into your ingredient costs.

  • Retail soap and bath bomb salesRetail sales
  • Spa wholesale orderWholesale accounts
  • Oils and lye orderSoap ingredients
  • Citric acid and baking sodaBath bomb ingredients
  • Studio rentRent and utilities
Money in$17,800
Money out$11,200
Set aside for taxes$1,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A soap studio's books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees ingredient bills and retail sales. Your business is cold process soap that sits curing on a rack for four to six weeks before it can be sold, bath bombs that crumble in humidity, and wholesale accounts priced differently than the shop floor. When the books do not know that, the month a batch was made looks nothing like the month it actually sells.

  1. 1

    A batch is made in one month and sold in another

    Cold process soap needs four to six weeks to cure before it is ready to sell, so oils, lye, and fragrance bought this month often will not turn into a sale until well into next month or the one after.

    What we doKeeps ingredient costs tracked against the batches they belong to, so a big curing batch does not make this month look like a loss when the soap simply is not ready yet.
  2. 2

    Wholesale pricing blurs into retail

    A spa or boutique buying soap at a wholesale discount rings through the same line as a full-price retail sale, making it hard to see whether a wholesale account is actually worth the lower margin over time.

    What we doKeeps wholesale orders in their own category, separate from retail sales, so you can see what each channel actually contributes.
  3. 3

    Crumbled bath bombs disappear from the numbers

    Bath bombs are fragile, and humidity, handling, or a bad batch can crumble a tray before it ever reaches a customer. The citric acid, baking soda, and fragrance are already spent, but untracked, that loss just looks like thinner margins.

    What we doKeeps an eye on the gap between ingredients bought and finished pieces sold, and flags it when breakage looks like more than normal.
  4. 4

    An oil and lye order distorts one month

    A bulk order of soap-making oils, lye, and fragrance can cover several batches spread over months, but if the whole bill lands in one month's books, that month looks like it barely made money.

    What we doKeeps ingredient purchases in one steady line and flags a bulk order so a heavy-buying month is not mistaken for a bad one.
  5. 5

    Curing racks and molds get filed as a supply

    Curing shelving, silicone molds, and a soap cutter can add up to real equipment cost for a growing studio, but lumped into general supplies, it never gets tracked or written off the way it should.

    What we doFlags larger equipment purchases the day they show up and logs them as equipment, not supplies.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a soap 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

  • Retail salesBar soap, bath bombs, and gift sets sold in the shop.
  • Wholesale accountsSpas, boutiques, and gift shops buying at a discount.
  • Class tuitionCold process or melt-and-pour soap making classes.
  • Party bookingsGroup bath bomb or soap making events paid with a deposit.
  • Gift card redemptionsMoved into revenue only when a card is actually used.

Money out

  • Soap ingredientsOils, lye, and fragrance for cold process and melt-and-pour batches.
  • Bath bomb ingredientsCitric acid, baking soda, and molds.
  • PackagingShrink wrap, boxes, and labels.
  • Curing and mold equipmentCuring racks, silicone molds, and soap cutters.
  • Studio rent and utilitiesSpace for mixing, pouring, and curing.
  • MarketingLocal ads and wholesale outreach.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability, given lye handling and hot processes.
  • Card processing feesWhat Square or Stripe keeps before you get paid.

What we watch for you

  • Cure-to-sale timing

    How long soap sits curing against when it actually sells, so batch planning matches demand.

  • Wholesale share

    How much of revenue comes from wholesale accounts versus retail.

  • Breakage rate

    How much bath bomb or soap stock is lost to crumbling or humidity.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things soap 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.

I made a big batch this month but it won't be ready to sell for six weeks. Does that mess up my numbers?

It can look like a rough month on paper, but I track ingredient cost against the batch it belongs to, so you know that soap is coming, not lost.

The spa account buys at a discount. Is it still worth it?

This month it brought in $1,900 at your wholesale rate. I keep that separate from retail so you can judge it against what a full-price sale would have been.

A whole tray of bath bombs crumbled in the heat. Does that count for anything?

Yes, I logged it as a loss instead of letting it disappear into your ingredient spend. If it keeps happening, worth a look at storage.

The tax side

The tax side of a soap studio.

Most of what goes wrong here is a curing batch treated like a monthly expense instead of inventory in progress, and wholesale mixed with retail.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Ingredients and work-in-progress as inventoryOils, lye, fragrance, and soap still on the curing rack are inventory until finished and sold. Tracking roughly what is curing and what is ready keeps the return accurate.
  • Sales tax on retail and wholesaleRetail soap and bath bomb sales are usually taxable. Wholesale sales to a business that will resell the product are often exempt with the right resale certificate on file.
  • Equipment depreciationCuring racks, molds, and a soap cutter bought for the business can usually be written off in the year they are bought, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
  • Writing off lost inventoryBath bombs or soap batches ruined by humidity, a bad cure, or handling can sometimes be written off as spoiled inventory, which lowers taxable income.

Deductions soap and bath bomb making studios miss

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

  • Soap-making oils and lye
  • Fragrance and essential oils
  • Citric acid and baking soda
  • Molds and curing racks
  • Packaging and labels
  • Studio rent and utilities
  • Liability insurance
  • Local social ads
  • Card processing fees
  • Gloves and safety gear for lye handling
  • Gift set boxes
  • Cleaning supplies

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 soap studio year, kept every month.

A holiday gift set rush, spring cleaning season, and a summer humidity stretch 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned 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 how wholesale accounts have tracked against retail so far.

  4. October

    Before the holidays

    Gus looks at ingredient stock, curing rack capacity for holiday gift sets, and any equipment worth buying 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 soap and bath bomb making 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 soap studio owners ask first.

A batch I made this month won't be ready to sell for six weeks. Does that hurt my numbers?

It does not have to. Gus tracks ingredient cost against the batch it belongs to, so a big curing batch reads as inventory in progress, not a loss.

Is my wholesale account to the local spa actually worth the discount?

Gus keeps wholesale sales separate from retail, so you can see exactly what that account brings in against the lower price you sell it at.

Does crumbled or ruined stock count for anything on my taxes?

Often yes. Batches lost to humidity or a bad cure can sometimes be written off as spoiled inventory. Gus flags the pattern so the accountant can make that call.

Do I charge sales tax on my wholesale orders too?

Usually not, if the buyer has a valid resale certificate on file, since they will collect tax when they resell it. Gus keeps wholesale and retail sales separate either way.

Is a bulk oil and lye order going to make a month look bad?

Gus keeps ingredient purchases in a steady monthly line and flags a big stock-up, so a heavy-buying month is not read as a slow one.

My books are behind from tracking batches in a notebook. 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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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