Hair & grooming
Books and taxes for wig and hair replacement studios.
A custom unit ordered weeks out, a deposit held against it, medical clients paying out of pocket, and inventory worth thousands sitting in the back room. 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 $17,000. Two custom lace units from Jon Renau finally shipped and got installed, so I moved that inventory cost into the month it was actually delivered, not the month it was ordered.
- Custom unit depositUnit deposits
- Cranial prosthesis, client payMedical client services
- Jon Renau orderWig and unit inventory
- Attachment supply orderAttachment and care product
- Studio rentStudio rent and utilities
Why your books are different
A hair replacement studio's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a deposit and a big supplier bill. Your business runs on custom units ordered weeks or months ahead, inventory worth thousands sitting unsold, and clients who pay out of pocket for what is sometimes a medical need. When the books cannot see the timing, a slow ordering month looks like a crisis.
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1
Deposits counted as income before the unit ships
A client pays a deposit toward a $2,800 custom unit that will not arrive for six to ten weeks. Counted as income the day it lands, the ordering month looks better than it is and the fitting month looks worse.
What we doHolds unit deposits as money owed until the unit is delivered and fitted. -
2
Wig inventory sits on the books as a flat expense
A custom or stock order from a supplier like Jon Renau or Amore can cost thousands and sit for weeks before it is sold or installed. Booked as an expense on arrival, a normal ordering month looks like a loss.
What we doTracks unit inventory separately until it is sold or installed, not as a straight expense on arrival. -
3
Medical hair loss clients pay differently than everyone else
A client with medical hair loss sometimes pays out of pocket for a cranial prosthesis where a general retail client would not, and mixing the two makes it hard to see how much of the business is medical-adjacent work.
What we doKeeps medical client services in their own line, separate from general wig sales and styling. -
4
Attachment and maintenance product blur into unit cost
Adhesive, tape, and maintenance product used across many clients is a routine supply cost, but it is easy to lump it in with the far bigger cost of the units themselves, hiding what routine service work actually costs.
What we doKeeps attachment and care product in its own line, apart from unit and inventory purchases.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hair replacement studio.
Set up once for how orders and appointments get paid and what the studio spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Unit depositsHeld until a custom or special-order unit is delivered.
- Unit salesFull payment for a wig or hair system at pickup or fitting.
- Medical client servicesCranial prosthesis and hair loss services paid out of pocket by the client.
- Maintenance appointmentsCleaning, styling, and reattachment visits for existing clients.
Money out
- Wig and unit inventoryCustom and stock units from suppliers such as Jon Renau or Amore.
- Attachment and care productAdhesive, tape, and maintenance product used across clients.
- Studio rent and utilitiesLease, water, and power for the space.
- Booking softwareScheduling app subscription and card processing fees.
- Tools and equipmentStyling tools and fitting equipment that wear out and get replaced.
- Continuing educationCertification and training in fitting and hair replacement methods.
What we watch for you
- Inventory on hand
What is sitting unsold or unfitted, so a big order does not look like a loss.
- Deposit-to-delivery lag
How long between a deposit and the unit shipping, since long lags can distort a single month.
- Medical client share
How much of revenue comes from medical hair loss services versus general retail.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things hair replacement studio 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.
Not really. I am tracking those units as inventory, not a flat expense, so the cost evens out as they get sold and fitted over the next couple months.
Not yet. I hold it until the unit ships and gets fitted, so neither the deposit month nor the fitting month gets distorted.
That is outside what I do. I track what clients pay you directly for the books and taxes, but insurance claims and billing are handled separately.
The tax side
The tax side of running a hair replacement studio.
Most of what goes wrong here is inventory timing on units that cost thousands each, not the tax rate itself.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory versus expenseUnits bought and sitting unsold are inventory, not a deduction, until they are sold or installed. Getting this right keeps a custom order from making a good month look like a loss.
- Self-employment taxA studio owner who takes profit directly instead of a paycheck, common when running a one-person fitting business, owes self-employment tax of 15.3 percent on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- Section 179 on studio equipmentFitting equipment and styling tools can usually be written off in the year they are bought, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost studio owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions wig and hair replacement studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Wig and unit inventory sold
- Attachment adhesive and tape
- Maintenance and care product
- Fitting tools and equipment
- Certification and training courses
- Studio rent and utilities
- Booking software subscription
- Card processing fees
- Liability insurance
- Storage for unit inventory
- Trade shows and hair replacement expos
- Marketing and photography
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 hair replacement studio year, kept every month.
Order lead times and client fittings matter more here than a single busy season. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax side 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, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether recent custom orders changed the number.
- October
Before December fittings
Gus looks at unit inventory worth ordering ahead and any moves worth making before December fittings pick up.
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 wig and hair replacement studios. 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 hair replacement studio owners ask first.
I keep units in stock before they are sold. How does that affect my taxes?
Units sitting in stock are inventory, not an expense yet. Gus tracks them that way, so the cost shows up when a unit is actually sold or fitted, not the day it arrives.
Does Gus handle insurance billing for my medical hair loss clients?
No, that is outside the subscription. Gus books what clients pay you directly for bookkeeping and tax purposes. Insurance claims and billing paperwork are handled separately.
I take deposits weeks before a custom unit ships. How does that get booked?
The deposit is held as money owed until the unit is delivered and fitted, not counted as income the day it is paid, so neither month gets distorted.
My inventory is worth a lot more than a typical small business. Does that change anything?
It means tracking inventory carefully matters more here than in most trades. Gus keeps unit cost separate from routine supplies so a big order does not make a good month look like a loss.
My books are behind from tracking custom orders by hand. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements and any order records you have. Gus sorts them, an accountant checks them, and most owners 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