Accounting, tax & financial pros
Books and taxes for tax preparation offices.
Counter return fees, bank product cuts, seasonal preparer pay, and a three-month lease that has to cover the whole year. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February made $21,000. The Republic Bank product fees came in separate from your return fees this time, so you can see what the bank product line is actually worth on its own.
- Counter return feesReturn preparation fees
- Republic Bank product cutBank product fees
- Seasonal preparer payrollPreparer wages
- Drake Software renewalTax software licensing
- Storefront lease, FebSeasonal rent
Why your books are different
A tax office's own books go wrong in a few predictable spots.
Four months carry the whole year, seasonal preparers come and go, and a bank pays you a cut nobody tracks separately. Gus keeps those pieces apart so a good February is not hiding a thin March.
-
1
Bank product fees hide inside return fees
When a client pays for their return out of their refund, the bank takes a cut and passes you yours, but that cut often lands in the same account as the return fee itself, so you cannot tell how much of your income depends on that arrangement.
What we doKeeps bank product fees in their own line, separate from what clients pay you directly, so both numbers are honest. -
2
Commission-based preparer pay looks like flat payroll
Seasonal preparers paid per return or on commission can make wages swing wildly week to week, and if it is booked like a flat salary, you cannot tell whether a slow week means fewer clients or just fewer returns finished.
What we doTracks preparer pay as its own line tied to the season, so wage swings match up with how many returns actually moved. -
3
A four-month lease gets spread like a year-round one
A storefront rented January through April is a real cost that has to be earned back in four months, but if it is booked evenly across the year, the busy months look less profitable than they really are.
What we doKeeps seasonal rent tied to the months it actually covers, so your busiest months show their true margin. -
4
Marketing spend and return volume get compared to the wrong month
Radio spots and yard signs bought in December and January are meant to drive February and March walk-ins, but comparing that spend to the same month's revenue makes the marketing look like it failed.
What we doKeeps marketing spend visible against the season it is meant to drive, not just the calendar month it was paid. -
5
Refund transfer and audit protection add-ons blend into one number
Add-on fees for bank products and audit protection plans often get counted as one lump of extra income, so you cannot tell which add-on clients actually want.
What we doKeeps each add-on fee in its own line, so you know which ones are worth pushing at the counter next season.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a tax office.
Set up once for how your office bills and spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Return preparation feesWhat clients pay at the counter or online, per return.
- Bank product feesYour cut when a client pays out of their refund.
- Add-on service feesAudit protection plans, ITIN help, and notary work.
- E-file and rush feesWhat clients pay to file fast or skip the line.
Money out
- Preparer wagesSeasonal staff, paid hourly or per return.
- Tax software licensingDrake, TaxSlayer Pro, or similar, renewed each season.
- Seasonal rentThe storefront lease, tied to the months it covers.
- Marketing and signageRadio, yard signs, and local ads timed for the season.
- E-file and transmission feesWhat it costs to file every return electronically.
- PTIN and licensing feesWhat preparers pay each year to legally file returns.
What we watch for you
- Bank product share
How much of your income depends on refund-based payment, so you know how exposed you are to slower refunds.
- Wage per return
Preparer pay against returns completed, so a busy week and a productive one are not confused.
- Season margin
Revenue against your seasonal rent and staffing, so the four busy months are measured on their own terms.
- Add-on take rate
How many clients buy audit protection or ITIN help, so you know what is worth offering at the counter.
Ask Gus
Things tax office 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.
Right now, about a fifth of what came in this month. I keep it in its own line so you can watch that share move as the season goes.
No, I track it as its own wage line tied to the season, so the swings make sense against how many returns actually got done.
That one is above my pay grade to settle from a bank feed. It usually depends on how much control you have over their schedule and their tools, and the accountant can walk through it with you.
The tax side
The tax side of running a tax office.
Most of what goes wrong on your own return is the same thing you warn clients about: mistiming a seasonal cost or misreading who is really an employee.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Employee or contractor preparersA preparer who works your hours, uses your software license, and sits at your counter is usually an employee, even if paid per return. Getting that wrong on your own office gets expensive fast.
- 1099s for contract preparersA genuinely independent preparer you bring in for overflow, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if they are not on your payroll.
- Section 179 on office equipmentComputers, scanners, and signage bought for the office can usually be written off in the year purchased, up to $2,560,000, with full bonus depreciation on qualifying property bought after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deduction on a seasonal businessUp to 20 percent of qualified business income can come off taxable income. A short, concentrated season does not change the math, but it can change when you actually know your final profit for the year.
Deductions tax preparation offices miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Tax software licensing
- Seasonal storefront rent
- Signage and local advertising
- PTIN renewal
- E-file transmission fees
- Preparer background checks
- Point of sale and card processing fees
- Office equipment and computers
- Continuing education for preparers
- Utilities for the seasonal location
- Notary bonding and supplies
- Storage for prior year client files
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 tax office's year, kept every month.
Your whole year lives in about fourteen weeks. Gus keeps the rest of the calendar honest too, so the slow months do not get mistaken for trouble. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Open the doors
Seasonal preparers get hired, the storefront lease starts, and last year's own return gets started before the counter gets busy.
- April
The season closes, filed
The season closes and your own return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering what the office owes.
- July
Off-season check
What the season actually earned once the lease and seasonal wages are counted, and what is worth changing before next year.
- October
Plan next season
A look at software renewals, staffing needs, and marketing timing before next year's lease and hiring start again.
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 tax preparation offices. 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 tax office owners ask first.
Can Gus separate my bank product cut from my regular return fees?
Yes. Bank product income stays in its own line, apart from what clients pay you directly, so you can see how much you depend on refund-based payment.
My preparers get paid per return, not a flat wage. Can Gus track that?
Yes. Preparer pay stays tied to the season it happens in, so a heavy week of returns and the wages behind it match up.
We use Drake Software already. Does anything change?
No. Keep filing the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and if a deposit is unclear he asks once and remembers the answer.
My storefront lease only runs four months a year. How does that get handled?
It stays tied to the months it actually covers, so your busy season shows its true margin instead of looking padded with rent that has not happened yet.
My books are only current through last April. Is that normal?
It is common in a business built around four busy months. Send the statements you have, in whatever shape they are in, and Gus and the accountant will have you caught up before the next season starts.
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