Wedding & event vendors
Books and taxes for wedding photographers.
Booking retainers, second shooter fees, album and print lab orders, and camera gear that costs more than a used car. 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 $9,000. The ProDPI album order for the Reyes wedding got filed as albums and prints, not supplies, so it does not blend with your gear costs.
- October wedding balanceWedding balances
- April 2027 booking retainerBooking retainers
- Second shooter fee, Maria T.Second shooters
- ProDPI album orderAlbums and prints
- Backblaze backup subscriptionSoftware and storage
Why your books are different
A wedding photographer's books go wrong in the same handful of places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is retainers paid a year before you shoot, second shooters paid by the day, and galleries that deliver months after the wedding. When the books do not know that, the number they hand you is wrong.
-
1
The retainer is not this month's income yet
A couple books an October wedding a year out and pays a $1,500 retainer, and if it is counted the same as a delivered gallery payment, this month looks bigger than the work actually done.
What we doFlags retainers for weddings not yet shot, apart from revenue you have actually earned. -
2
Second shooters blend into your own pay
You hire a second shooter for bigger weddings, paid a flat day rate, and if that payment is not kept apart from your own draw, you cannot tell what a wedding really cost you to shoot.
What we doKeeps second shooter fees in their own line, so cost per wedding stays honest. -
3
A new camera body looks like a supply run
A new camera body or a fast prime lens can run several thousand dollars, and filed as a supply purchase it wrecks that month's number and misses the chance to write it off properly.
What we doFlags big gear purchases as equipment, not supplies, so the accountant can decide how to write it off. -
4
Album orders get lumped with your fee
A couple orders an heirloom album through a print lab like ProDPI or Miller's, and if that cost is not tracked apart from your session fee, you cannot tell how much margin the album actually left you.
What we doKeeps album and print lab costs in their own line, apart from your photography fee. -
5
A gallery delivered months later looks like this month's work
You get paid at booking, but the gallery might not be delivered for eight to ten weeks after the wedding, so the month you got paid and the month the work finished rarely match.
What we doKeeps the booking flagged until the gallery is delivered, so you can see what has actually been completed.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a wedding photography 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
- Wedding balancesThe remaining fee paid after the wedding is shot.
- Booking retainersHeld when a couple signs, often a year or more before the wedding.
- Engagement session add-onsSeparate sessions booked alongside the wedding package.
- Album and print salesHeirloom albums and prints ordered after the gallery is delivered.
- Print release feesCharges for the rights to print images outside your lab.
Money out
- Second shooters and assistantsDay-rate help hired for bigger weddings.
- Camera and lens gearBodies, lenses, and lighting bought or repaired.
- Album and print lab ordersProDPI, Miller's, and similar labs.
- Cloud storage and backupWhere every gallery lives after delivery.
- Editing softwareLightroom, Photoshop, and culling tools.
- InsuranceGear coverage and professional liability.
- MarketingStyled shoots, website, and The Knot or WeddingWire listings.
What we watch for you
- Retainers on hand
How much belongs to weddings not yet shot, so it is never mistaken for spare cash.
- Cost per wedding
Second shooters and gear against what each wedding actually billed.
- Gallery delivery backlog
How many weddings are shot but not yet delivered, so you know what work is still owed.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things wedding photographers 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.
It is booked as income now since you run cash basis, but I flag it as tied to a wedding not yet shot, so you know how much is actually earned.
Yes, it is kept in its own line, second shooters, so you can see the real cost of that wedding, not just your take-home.
Often it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a wedding photography business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Retainers, second shooters, and gear all need to stay in their own lane.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Camera and lens equipmentGear bought for the business can usually be written off in the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. How much to take now depends on the year you are having.
- Second shooter 1099sAnyone not on payroll you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, like a second shooter or assistant, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
- Sales tax on albums and printsSome states tax physical products like albums and prints even when they are sold alongside a photography service. Rules vary by state, so the accountant checks what applies to you.
- 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 photographers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Camera bodies and lenses
- Second shooter fees
- Cloud storage and backup
- Editing software
- Album and print lab orders
- Liability and gear insurance
- Styled shoot costs
- Website and gallery hosting
- The Knot or WeddingWire listings
- Travel to out-of-town weddings
- Memory cards and batteries
- Continuing education workshops
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 photographer's year, kept every month.
Retainers land year-round but the shooting and delivery all happen on a tighter clock. Gus keeps the return on its own schedule. 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, the 1099 list for second shooters is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned before engagement season floods your inbox.
- April
Filed and signed
Your return is filed and signed before spring wedding season ramps up, so tax season never competes with your busiest weekends.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand midyear, what you will owe, and whether this year's bookings changed the number.
- October
Before the gear you need
Peak wedding season runs at full speed. Gus looks at gear worth buying before December and what the winter months need to cover.
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 wedding photographers. 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 photographers ask first.
Can Gus tell the difference between a retainer and money I have actually earned?
Yes. He flags retainers for weddings not yet shot, apart from earned revenue, so you always know how much of your balance is really yours.
I hire a different second shooter for almost every wedding. How is that tracked?
Each one is kept in its own line, so you can see the real cost of any wedding that needed a second shooter, not just your take-home.
Do I write off a new camera body all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
My album orders get billed months after the wedding. Does that mess up the books?
No. Album and print orders are kept in their own line, apart from your session fee, so you can see what margin they actually left you.
My books are a year behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, 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