Wedding & event vendors

Books and taxes for wedding officiants.

Ceremony fees for a Saturday with four weddings, associate officiants sent to different venues, counseling add-ons, and mileage that adds up fast. Gus 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
JuneExample month
$6,000
what you made

June came in at $6,000. Four ceremonies ran across two associate officiants that Saturday, so I kept their pay apart from your own take.

  • June 14 ceremony fees, 4 weddingsCeremony fees
  • Premarital counseling sessionsCounseling add-ons
  • Associate officiant payoutAssociate officiants
  • Ordination renewal feeLicensing and certification
  • Travel mileage reimbursementTravel
Money in$15,000
Money out$9,000
Set aside for taxes$1,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A wedding officiant's books go wrong in the same handful of places.

A generalist sees ceremony fees and travel receipts. Your business is four weddings booked on one Saturday with two different officiants, counseling sessions billed apart from the ceremony, and mileage that piles up between venues. When the books do not know that, the number they hand you is wrong.

  1. 1

    Associate officiants blend into your own pay

    Your business books four ceremonies on one Saturday and sends different officiants to each, and if all their pay comes out of one lump sum, you cannot tell which ceremony actually made money.

    What we doTies each associate officiant's pay to the ceremony they performed, so profit per booking stays honest.
  2. 2

    The deposit is not spending money yet

    A couple books a fall wedding in June and puts down a deposit, and if it is treated like this month's earned income, the books overstate what has actually been performed.

    What we doFlags booked deposits for ceremonies not yet performed, so you always know how much of the balance is spoken for.
  3. 3

    Premarital counseling gets lumped with ceremony fees

    Some couples add premarital counseling sessions months before the wedding, and if that income is not tracked apart from the ceremony fee itself, you cannot tell whether counseling is worth offering on its own.

    What we doKeeps counseling income in its own line, apart from ceremony fees.
  4. 4

    Mileage across multiple venues in one day gets missed

    Driving between four different ceremony sites in one Saturday adds up in mileage and time, and if it is not tracked against what each ceremony actually pays, you cannot tell if travel-heavy days are worth it.

    What we doKeeps travel costs visible against ceremony income, so pricing reflects the real distance.
  5. 5

    Ordination and certification fees get lost in general expenses

    Renewing ordination credentials or state officiant registration has real annual costs, and buried in general expenses, it is easy to miss when a renewal is coming due.

    What we doKeeps licensing and certification costs in their own line, so nothing lapses unnoticed.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a wedding officiant business.

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

  • Ceremony feesThe base charge for performing a wedding ceremony.
  • Rehearsal attendance feesCharged for attending the wedding rehearsal separately.
  • Premarital counselingSessions booked ahead of the wedding, billed apart from the ceremony.
  • Vow renewals and elopementsSmaller ceremonies booked outside a full wedding.
  • Custom ceremony writingFees for a fully personalized script.

Money out

  • Associate officiant payWhat goes out to other officiants covering separate ceremonies.
  • Licensing and certificationOrdination renewal and state officiant registration.
  • Travel and mileageGetting between venues, sometimes more than one a day.
  • InsuranceLiability coverage for on-site work.
  • MarketingWebsite and The Knot or WeddingWire listings.
  • Sound equipmentA portable PA or microphone for outdoor ceremonies.
  • Printed materialsVow booklets and printed ceremony scripts.

What we watch for you

  • Booked deposits on hand

    How much of the balance belongs to ceremonies not yet performed, so it is never mistaken for spare cash.

  • Associate payout share

    What goes to other officiants against what you keep, so your real take-home is clear.

  • Ceremonies per weekend

    How many bookings are actually happening on your busiest days, since travel time limits how many you can run.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things wedding officiants 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.

Four ceremonies were booked for the same Saturday with two associate officiants. How is that tracked?

Each officiant's pay is tied to the ceremony they performed, so you can see which one actually made money.

A couple added premarital counseling sessions on top of the ceremony. Does that count the same as the ceremony fee?

No, I keep counseling income in its own line so you can see if it is worth offering on its own.

My ordination renewal is due this year. Is that just a regular business cost?

Yes, kept with your other licensing costs so it does not get lost and you do not miss the renewal.

The tax side

The tax side of a wedding officiant business.

Most of what goes wrong here is one fee that needs to be split among officiants and small annual costs that are easy to overlook.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Associate officiant 1099sAnyone not on payroll you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, like an associate officiant, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
  • Self-employment tax and quarterly estimatesIf you are not on your own payroll, you owe 15.3 percent self-employment tax and are expected to pay estimated tax four times a year rather than waiting for April.
  • Licensing and certification costsOrdination renewal and any state officiant registration fees are usually ordinary deductible business costs. Gus keeps them tracked so nothing lapses unnoticed.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions wedding officiants miss

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

  • Associate officiant pay
  • Ordination and licensing renewal
  • Travel and mileage
  • Liability insurance
  • Portable sound equipment
  • Printed vow booklets and scripts
  • Website and listing fees
  • Business cards and branding
  • Officiant attire
  • Counseling certification courses
  • Phone plan for client calls
  • Card processing 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 wedding officiant's year, kept every month.

Saturdays fill up fast in spring and fall and go quiet in winter. Your team keeps you ahead of both the calendar and the return. 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, the 1099 list for associate officiants is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned before booking season floods your inbox.

  2. April

    Filed and signed

    Your return is filed and signed right as the spring ceremony rush hits, so tax season never competes with your busiest weekends.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand midyear, what you will owe, and whether this year's ceremony count is on pace.

  4. October

    Before the fall push

    Fall's ceremony-heavy weekends are still ahead. Gus looks at what is worth buying before December and what the winter months need to cover.

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 wedding officiants. 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 wedding officiants ask first.

Can Gus track pay for different officiants I send to different ceremonies on the same day?

Yes. Each associate's pay is tied to the ceremony they performed, so you can see the real cost and profit of every booking.

Do premarital counseling sessions count the same as the ceremony fee?

No. They are kept in their own line so you can see if counseling is worth offering on its own.

Is my ordination renewal deductible?

Usually, yes. Gus keeps licensing and certification costs tracked with your other business expenses.

I do several ceremonies in different cities on one Saturday. Does mileage matter?

Yes. Travel is kept visible against your ceremony income, so pricing reflects what a travel-heavy day really costs.

My books are behind from a busy wedding season. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it. Most officiants know where they stand within 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