Consulting & business services
Books and taxes for virtual assistant agencies.
A twenty-hour monthly package, an overage bill when a client blows past it, an overseas VA paid through a wire transfer, and the time tracking that has to line up with what you invoiced. 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
May came in at $9,800. Dune Apparel ran seven hours over their package, so I booked that as overage income instead of folding it into their flat retainer.
- Bloom Retail packageRetainer income
- Dune Apparel overageOverage income
- M. Santos, VA payrollSubcontracted VA pay
- Wise transfer, overseas VASubcontracted VA pay
- Hubstaff subscriptionTime tracking software
Why your books are different
A virtual assistant agency's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is a set of monthly hour packages, overage hours billed on top, and a roster of subcontracted VAs paid out of what clients pay in. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which client packages are actually profitable once every VA is paid.
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1
Package hours and overage hours blur together
A client committed to twenty hours a month runs thirty hours of work, and the extra ten gets billed at a different rate. Lumped into the flat package fee, you cannot tell how often overage is actually happening.
What we doKeeps overage income in its own line, separate from the flat package fee, so you can see which clients regularly run over. -
2
VA pay is the biggest cost and the hardest to see per client
With five VAs split across eight clients, it is easy to lose track of whether a client's package fee actually covers what their assigned VA is paid.
What we doTies VA payouts to the clients they support where possible, so you can see which packages are actually worth the hours they take. -
3
Overseas VA payments carry different paperwork than domestic ones
A VA working from outside the country is usually paid and reported differently than a US-based contractor, and mixing the two without noting which is which creates confusion at tax time.
What we doFlags which VA payments are domestic and which are overseas, so the accountant can apply the right paperwork to each. -
4
A one-time onboarding fee inflates the recurring base
A setup fee charged once when a new client signs on looks like it belongs with the ongoing package fee, but counting it as recurring overstates how much steady monthly income the agency actually has.
What we doBooks onboarding fees as one-time income, separate from the recurring package, so your recurring base stays honest.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a virtual assistant agency.
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
- Retainer incomeMonthly hour packages billed to client companies.
- Overage incomeHours billed beyond a client's committed package.
- Onboarding feesOne-time setup fees charged when a new client signs on.
- Referral incomeFees from software tools you recommend and clients adopt.
Money out
- Subcontracted VA payHourly payments to the VAs doing the client work, domestic and overseas.
- Time tracking softwareHubstaff or a similar tool used to log and bill hours.
- International transfer feesWire and currency conversion costs for overseas VAs.
- Client management softwareAsana, Trello, or similar tools for coordinating VA assignments.
- Recruiting and vettingCosts of finding and screening new VAs for the roster.
- Professional liability insuranceCoverage for the work your agency delivers on a client's behalf.
What we watch for you
- Package margin
What a client's package fee nets after their assigned VA is paid.
- Overage frequency
How often clients run past their committed hours, a signal worth pricing around.
- VA cost share
What subcontracted VA pay costs against total retainer and overage income.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things virtual assistant 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.
No, I keep it separate as overage income, so you can see clearly how often that client is running past what they committed to.
It changes the paperwork, not the work itself. I flag which payments are domestic and which are overseas, so the accountant applies the right forms to each.
I keep it as a one-time fee instead, so your recurring package income stays an honest picture of the steady base of the business.
The tax side
The tax side of a virtual assistant agency.
Most of what goes wrong here is keeping VA pay tied to the right client and sorting domestic contractors from overseas ones. 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 1099sA US-based VA paid $2,000 or more over the year, off payroll, needs a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that count current as new VAs join the roster.
- Overseas contractor paperworkVAs working from outside the country are usually reported differently than domestic contractors. Gus flags which is which so the accountant applies the right form.
- The pass-through deductionAgency profit can often qualify for up to a 20 percent deduction off taxable income, though it phases down for higher earners. The accountant works out the actual number at filing time.
- Self-employment tax and estimatesProfit that comes to you as the owner, not a wage, carries a 15.3 percent self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base, usually paid four times a year instead of once.
Deductions virtual assistant agencies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Hubstaff or time tracking software
- Client management software
- International transfer fees
- Recruiting and vetting costs
- Professional liability insurance
- Laptop and video call equipment
- Home office space
- Subcontracted VA payments
- Business formation and legal fees
- Website and lead generation costs
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 virtual assistant agency's year, reviewed four times.
Client packages renew and shift all year round with little seasonal pattern, while your own taxes follow a fixed schedule. Gus stays on top of 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 domestic VAs, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Return filed, return signed. The bill is no surprise, because the set-aside has been quietly building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether package margins are holding up as VA pay changes.
- October
Before year end
A look at software renewals and any equipment worth buying before December closes out the year.
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 virtual assistant 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 virtual assistant agency owners ask first.
My clients are on different hour packages that change month to month. Can Gus keep up?
Yes. Each client's package and any overage hours are tracked on their own, so you can see the real picture for every account.
Some of my VAs are overseas. Does that make the books harder?
No, but it changes the paperwork. Gus flags overseas payments separately from domestic ones so the accountant applies the right forms at tax time.
Can Gus tell me if a client's package is actually profitable?
Often, yes. When VA pay can be tied to the client they support, you can see whether that client's fee actually covers what the work costs you.
I charge a one-time fee to onboard new clients. Does that inflate my monthly numbers?
Not with Gus. Onboarding fees are booked as one-time income, kept apart from the recurring package fee, so your steady monthly base stays accurate.
My bookkeeping is a mess from juggling five VAs and eight clients. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements and client payout records you have. Gus sorts them out, 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