Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for virtual summit hosts.

All-access pass sales during a launch week, sponsor booths paid for exposure, and forty speakers each earning a commission for promoting the event. Your own bookkeeper 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
MarchExample month
$19,000
what you made

March came in at $19,000. Speaker commissions on pass sales came out before the summit even closed, so I booked those against the sales that earned them.

  • All-access pass salesTicket sales
  • Sponsor invoice, software brandSponsor income
  • Speaker affiliate commissionsSpeaker commissions
  • Webinar software, event tierEvent technology
  • Replay bundle upsellReplay and upsell sales
Money in$41,000
Money out$22,000
Set aside for taxes$5,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A virtual summit's books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist sees a launch week deposit and calls it the summit's revenue. Yours is really all-access pass sales split with dozens of speakers who each earn a commission for promoting it, sponsor money that pays for exposure rather than a product, and a replay bundle that sells for weeks after the event ends.

  1. 1

    Speaker commissions come out before the summit even closes

    With 35 speakers each earning 30 to 50 percent on passes sold through their own link, a big launch week can look like a huge win until the commissions are subtracted, and the real number left over is often much smaller.

    What we doBooks speaker commissions against the pass sales that earned them the same week, so the summit's real take is clear from the start, not a surprise after the fact.
  2. 2

    Sponsor money looks the same as ticket sales

    A sponsor paying for a virtual booth or a mention in the emails is compensation for exposure, not a customer buying a pass, and mixing the two hides how much of the summit's income actually depends on attendee sales.

    What we doKeeps sponsor income in its own line, separate from pass sales, so the two revenue sources stay distinct.
  3. 3

    Replay sales trickle in for weeks after the event

    A summit that runs for three days keeps selling replay bundles for a month afterward, and if those sales are not tied back to the event, the following month looks like it came from nowhere.

    What we doKeeps replay and upsell sales tied to the summit they came from, so late income is understood as part of that launch, not a mystery.
  4. 4

    Event technology costs spike once a year

    A webinar tool upgraded to its highest tier just for summit week, plus editing and hosting for dozens of speaker sessions, is a real cost that can look alarming if it is not expected as part of running the event.

    What we doTracks event technology costs against the summit they supported, so a spike in software spend reads as a planned cost, not a surprise.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a virtual summit.

Set up once for how the summit gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Ticket salesFree registrations and all-access pass upgrades.
  • Sponsor incomePayments from brands for booths, mentions, or ad placements.
  • Replay and upsell salesBundles and courses sold to attendees after the event.
  • Affiliate income earnedCommissions earned promoting other events or products.

Money out

  • Speaker commissionsAffiliate payouts to speakers for passes sold through their links.
  • Event technologyWebinar software, editing tools, and hosting for the event.
  • Production and editingEditors and producers cutting speaker sessions.
  • Marketing and adsPaid promotion to fill the registration list.
  • Speaker giftsThank-you gifts or honorariums for participating speakers.

What we watch for you

  • Net after commissions

    What pass sales actually keep once every speaker's commission is paid out.

  • Sponsor share

    How much of the summit's income came from sponsors rather than attendees.

  • Replay tail

    How much of total revenue trickles in as replay sales after the event closes.

  • The set-aside

    What will be owed, tracked every month, so a strong launch week does not turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things summit hosts 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.

Pass sales were $30,000 this launch, but I owe a lot of that out in speaker commissions. What do I actually keep?

I booked the commissions against those sales already, so the number I am showing you is what the summit actually kept after every speaker is paid.

A sponsor paid me to be featured in the summit emails. Does that count the same as a ticket sale?

No, I keep that in its own line. It is compensation for exposure, not an attendee buying a pass, so the two should not blend together.

Replay sales are still trickling in a month after the summit ended. Is that a new revenue stream?

It is part of the same launch. I keep it tied back to the summit so the timing makes sense instead of looking like income out of nowhere.

The tax side

The tax side of running a virtual summit.

Most of what trips people up here is commissions owed to dozens of speakers, and sponsor income that is easy to mistake for a ticket sale.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Paying a speaker $2,000 or more in commissionsA speaker not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026 in affiliate commissions, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus tracks each speaker's running total.
  • Self-employment taxA summit host not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
  • Form 1099-K from payment appsStripe and similar apps send a 1099-K once you cross $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. Pass sales are taxable whether or not a form arrives.
  • The pass-through deductionMost summit businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how much applies.

Deductions virtual summit hosts miss

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

  • Webinar and event software
  • Video editing and production
  • Speaker commissions paid
  • Speaker gifts and honorariums
  • Marketing and ad spend
  • Landing page and funnel tools
  • Business phone and internet
  • Business liability insurance
  • Payment processor fees
  • Accounting and legal fees

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 summit's year, kept every month.

The event itself may run once a year, but planning, promotion, and replay sales stretch across most of it. Your team keeps the books closed every month. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan next year's summit

    Last year's return gets started, speaker commission 1099s are prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is no scramble.

  2. April

    Filed, replays still selling

    The return is filed and signed while replays keep selling, with no scramble since the set-aside has been building since January.

  3. July

    Post-summit tally

    Where the business stands, what it will owe, and whether this year's summit changed the number.

  4. October

    Before next year's planning

    Many hosts start locking in speakers and sponsors for next year's event now. Gus looks at what is committed and anything worth doing 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 virtual summit hosts. 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 summit hosts ask first.

Do I owe tax on the full pass price or just what is left after speaker commissions?

Generally on the net amount after commissions are paid out, since those are a real cost of the sale. Gus books both sides so the return reflects what the summit actually kept.

I run summits in more than one niche. Can Gus keep them separate?

Yes. He tracks pass sales, sponsor income, and commissions by summit so you can see what each event actually earns on its own.

My speakers are paid through my event software directly. Does Gus still see that?

Yes. Gus works from your bank and payout statements to keep a running total for each speaker, so the year-end 1099 list is ready.

A sponsor gave me free software instead of paying cash for their booth. Does that count as income?

Usually yes, at what it is worth. Gus flags gifted sponsorship value so the accountant can decide how it should be reported.

My pass sales, sponsor income, and commissions have never been tracked separately. Can Gus fix that?

Yes. Send the bank and payout statements you have. Gus sorts each revenue and cost type by event, the accountant checks it, and most hosts 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