Consulting & business services
Books and taxes for translation and interpretation services.
A per-word translation project, a certified document with a notarized affidavit attached, an interpreter paid per assignment, and an agency payout that lands sixty days late. 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
October came in at $7,100. The certified birth certificate translation carried a notary fee on top of the per-page rate, so I kept that premium visible instead of folding it into your standard rate.
- Global Language Partners payoutAgency subcontract income
- Direct client, certified translationCertified translation fees
- R. Kowalski, interpreterSubcontracted interpreters
- memoQ licenseTranslation software
- ATA membership renewalCertification and dues
Why your books are different
A translation and interpretation firm's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is per-word document fees, a premium rate for certified paperwork, interpreters paid per assignment, and agencies that pay on their own sixty-day clock. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell whether your certified work is actually worth the extra care it takes.
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1
Certified work gets billed at the same rate as standard translation
A birth certificate or diploma that needs a notarized affidavit takes more care and carries real liability, but blended with standard document work, you cannot see if the certified rate is covering what it should.
What we doKeeps certified and notarized translation fees in their own line, so the premium for that extra care stays visible. -
2
Agency and direct-client payments run on different clocks
A direct client pays on delivery, but an agency you subcontract for pays sixty days later. Mixed together, it is hard to tell whether the business is actually slow or just waiting on an agency's clock.
What we doTracks agency and direct-client income separately, so a slow agency payout does not read as a slow month overall. -
3
An interpreter paid per assignment becomes a standing hire
An interpreter you call for every medical or court assignment, on your schedule and using your intake process, starts to look like an employee rather than someone hired job by job.
What we doFlags an interpreter who looks employee-like and gets the accountant's read before the pattern is a year old. -
4
Rush fees disappear into the per-word rate
A same-day turnaround charged at a premium over your normal per-word rate is easy to lose track of when it is not tagged separately, so you cannot tell if rush work pays for the late night it takes.
What we doKeeps rush premiums in their own line, so you can see whether the extra charge covers what the turnaround actually costs you.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a translation and interpretation firm.
Set up once for how you bill and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Per-word or per-page feesStandard document translation billed by volume.
- Certified translation feesNotarized or certified documents, billed at a premium rate.
- Interpretation assignmentsPer-hour or per-assignment fees for on-site or remote interpreting.
- Agency subcontract incomeWork billed through a language services agency, tracked separately from direct clients.
- Rush feesPremiums for same-day or expedited turnaround.
Money out
- Subcontracted interpretersOutside interpreters brought in for specific assignments.
- Translation softwarememoQ, Trados, or similar computer-assisted translation tools.
- Certification and duesATA certification and professional association membership.
- Notary and affidavit feesCosts tied to certifying documents as accurate translations.
- Mileage and travelGetting to court, medical, or conference interpreting assignments.
What we watch for you
- Certified versus standard mix
How much of your income comes from the higher-value certified work versus standard volume.
- Days to get paid
Agencies often pay net 60 while direct clients pay faster, and a slipping number is worth watching.
- Subcontractor cost share
What outside interpreters cost against total assignment income.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things translation and interpretation 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.
Yes. I keep certified and notarized work in its own category, so the premium rate for that extra care stays visible instead of blending into your standard work.
No, agencies often run on a sixty-day clock. I track agency and direct-client income separately so a slow payout doesn't make the whole month look worse than it is.
Worth a look. That pattern is starting to resemble an employee relationship, so I flagged it for the accountant to weigh in.
The tax side
The tax side of a translation and interpretation practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is keeping certified work and agency payments straight, and classifying the interpreters you bring in. Handled right, the year does not surprise you.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sAn interpreter or translator paid $2,000 or more across the year, off your payroll, needs a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that tally current.
- Employee or contractorAn interpreter you call for every assignment, on your schedule, is starting to look like an employee rather than an independent hire. Gus flags the pattern.
- The pass-through deductionA translation practice can often trim up to 20 percent off taxable profit, though that benefit shrinks at higher earnings. The accountant sorts out the actual figure at filing time.
- Self-employment tax and estimatesIncome that comes to you as the owner rather than a wage carries 15.3 percent self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base, generally paid in four installments across the year.
Deductions translation and interpretation services miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- memoQ or Trados license
- ATA certification renewal
- Notary and affidavit fees
- Mileage to interpreting assignments
- Professional liability insurance
- Laptop and headset equipment
- Home office space
- Subcontracted interpreter fees
- Continuing education courses
- Professional association dues
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 translation practice's year, tracked in four passes.
Court dockets, medical appointments, and document deadlines run on their own patterns all year, and your taxes run on a different one entirely. Gus keeps up with both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, 1099s go out to your interpreters, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. The set-aside running since January means there's no surprise bill to cover.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether certified work is a growing share of your income.
- October
Before year end
Agencies often settle up before their own fiscal year closes. Gus looks at software or certification renewals worth doing before December.
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 translation and interpretation services. 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 translation and interpretation owners ask first.
I bill some work per word and other jobs per hour of interpreting. Can Gus keep those separate?
Yes. Document translation and interpretation assignments are tracked in their own categories, so you can see which side of the business is actually paying.
Does Gus track what an agency owes me differently from a direct client?
Yes. Agency and direct-client income are kept apart, since agencies often pay on a much slower clock, and that difference should not make a month look worse than it is.
I subcontract to the same interpreter for every court assignment. Does that matter for taxes?
It can. If that interpreter works only for you on your schedule, the pattern can start to look like an employee relationship, and Gus flags it for the accountant to review.
Do rush and same-day fees get mixed into my regular rate?
No. Rush premiums are kept in their own line, so you can see whether the extra charge actually covers what a same-day turnaround costs you.
My invoices come from several different agencies with different pay cycles. Is that too messy for the books?
No. Send the statements or payout records you have from each one. Gus sorts them by client and pay cycle, and most people 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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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