Wedding & event vendors
Books and taxes for wedding videographers.
Booking retainers, second camera operators, music licensing for the film, and terabytes of raw footage sitting in storage. 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
September came in at $7,000. The Artlist renewal landed this month, so I kept it as music licensing, not software, since that is really what it is.
- September wedding balanceWedding film balances
- June 2027 booking retainerBooking retainers
- Second camera operator feeSecond camera operators
- Artlist music licenseMusic licensing
- Backblaze storage planStorage and backup
Why your books are different
A wedding videographer'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 film, second camera operators paid by the day, and raw footage that sits in storage for months while you edit. 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 a June wedding a year out and pays a $1,200 retainer, and if it is counted the same as a delivered film payment, this month looks bigger than the work actually done.
What we doFlags retainers for weddings not yet filmed, apart from revenue you have actually earned. -
2
Second camera operators blend into your own pay
You hire a second camera operator 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 film.
What we doKeeps second camera operator fees in their own line, so cost per wedding stays honest. -
3
A new drone or cinema camera looks like a supply run
A drone, a gimbal, or a cinema camera body 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
Music licensing gets missed
Using a popular song in a wedding film usually requires a paid sync license, and if that fee is not tracked apart from your editing software, you cannot tell what it actually costs to legally use the music your couples want.
What we doKeeps music licensing fees in their own line, apart from editing software subscriptions. -
5
Storage costs pile up before you get paid for the edit
Terabytes of raw 4K footage from a single wedding cost real money to store and back up for months while you edit, and if that ongoing cost is not tracked, it is easy to underprice a wedding package.
What we doKeeps storage and backup costs visible as their own line, so you can see what holding footage really costs before delivery.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a wedding videography 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 film balancesThe remaining fee paid after the wedding is filmed.
- Booking retainersHeld when a couple signs, often a year or more before the wedding.
- Same-day edit add-onsA short film shown at the reception, priced separately.
- Raw footage add-onsCouples who buy the full unedited footage.
- Highlight reel upsellsShorter cuts sold for sharing beyond the full film.
Money out
- Second camera operatorsDay-rate help hired for bigger weddings.
- Camera, drone, and gimbal gearBodies, lenses, drones, and stabilizers bought or repaired.
- Music licensingArtlist, Musicbed, and similar sync license services.
- Storage and backupCloud storage plans and backup drives for raw footage.
- Editing softwarePremiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and plugins.
- InsuranceGear coverage, drone insurance, and professional liability.
- MarketingStyled shoots, website, and WeddingWire listings.
What we watch for you
- Retainers on hand
How much belongs to weddings not yet filmed, so it is never mistaken for spare cash.
- Cost per wedding
Second camera operators and gear against what each wedding actually billed.
- Edit backlog
How many weddings are filmed but not yet delivered, so you know what 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 videographers 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, but I flag it as tied to a wedding not yet filmed, so you know how much is actually earned.
Yes, kept in its own line, second camera operators, 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 videography business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Retainers, second camera operators, 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.
- Cameras, drones, and gimbalsGear 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 camera operator 1099sAnyone not on payroll you pay $2,000 or more in 2026, like a second camera operator or editor, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
- Music licensing is a real costUsing a copyrighted song in a wedding film usually needs a paid sync license. It is an ordinary cost of doing business, and Gus tracks it as its own expense, not software.
- Drone pilot certificationIf you fly a drone for hire, FAA Part 107 certification and its renewal count as ordinary business costs, kept with your other licensing fees.
Deductions wedding videographers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Second camera operator fees
- Cinema camera and lens gear
- Drone and gimbal equipment
- Music licensing subscriptions
- Cloud storage and backup drives
- Editing software and plugins
- Liability and gear insurance
- Drone pilot certification renewal
- Styled shoot costs
- Website and portfolio hosting
- WeddingWire or The Knot listings
- Travel to out-of-town weddings
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 videographer's year, kept every month.
Retainers land year-round but the filming and editing all pile up 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 camera operators 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 edit backlog grows
Peak wedding season runs at full speed. Gus looks at gear worth buying before December and what the edit backlog looks like heading into winter.
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 videographers. 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 videographers ask first.
Can Gus tell the difference between a retainer and money I have actually earned?
Yes. He flags retainers for weddings not yet filmed, apart from earned revenue, so you always know how much of your balance is really yours.
I hire a different second camera operator 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 camera operator, not just your take-home.
Do I need to track music licensing separately from my editing software?
Yes. Music licensing is a real cost of legally using the songs couples want, and it is kept apart from your editing subscriptions so you can see what it actually runs.
I am still editing weddings from months ago. Does that mess up the books?
No. Gus keeps a booking flagged until the film is actually delivered, so you can see what is finished versus still owed.
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