Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for YouTubers.

AdSense that pays two months behind, sponsor wires, channel memberships, and an editor to pay every week. 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
FebruaryExample month
$18,000
what you made

February came in at $18,000. The new lighting rig from B&H went in as equipment, since it will outlast this month's video by years.

  • YouTube AdSense depositAd revenue
  • Sponsor wire, Denali GearSponsorships
  • B&H PhotoEquipment
  • Epidemic SoundMusic licensing
  • Editor payment, FiverrEditing
Money in$42,000
Money out$24,000
Set aside for taxes$4,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A YouTube channel's books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees deposits from Google and calls it done. Your channel runs on AdSense that pays late, sponsor money that lands in one lump, and an editor who needs paying whether the video did well or not. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies.

  1. 1

    AdSense pays two months behind

    The deposit that lands in March is usually for views from January, so a month with a viral upload can look flat on the books while a slow month looks like a windfall, purely on timing.

    What we doTags every AdSense deposit to the month it actually pays for, so a slow upload month does not get blamed on a good one.
  2. 2

    One sponsor wire skews the whole quarter

    A single $12,000 integration paid up front can make three ordinary months look like a hit show, and the channel ends up budgeting off a number that will not repeat.

    What we doKeeps sponsor money in its own line, apart from AdSense and memberships, so the recurring part of the channel stands out on its own.
  3. 3

    The editor and thumbnail designer disappear into supplies

    A weekly payment to an editor on Fiverr or Upwork gets lumped in with random purchases, so nobody can see what post-production actually costs against what the channel brings in.

    What we doKeeps editing and design pay in its own line and tracks who has been paid enough to need a 1099 by January.
  4. 4

    A camera or lens buy looks like a bad month

    A $4,000 lens bought the same month a sponsor check landed late makes that month look like a loss, when the channel is actually fine.

    What we doLogs the gear as equipment the day it is bought, so a big purchase does not read as the channel losing money.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a YouTube channel.

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

Money in

  • Ad revenueAdSense deposits, tagged to the month they were actually earned.
  • SponsorshipsBrand integration payments, kept apart from the recurring money.
  • Channel membershipsMonthly member payments through YouTube itself.
  • Affiliate commissionsAmazon Associates and brand affiliate links in video descriptions.
  • Merch salesStorefront sales through Shopify or Fourthwall.

Money out

  • Editing and thumbnailsPayments to editors and designers on Fiverr, Upwork, or direct invoice.
  • Cameras and gearBodies, lenses, lighting, and audio kit.
  • Music and stock licensingEpidemic Sound, Artlist, and stock footage subscriptions.
  • Studio spaceRent or the portion of a home used for filming.
  • SoftwareEditing suites, thumbnail tools, and scheduling apps.
  • Travel for shootsTrips taken specifically to film or attend brand events.

What we watch for you

  • Ad revenue share

    How much of the month came from AdSense alone, since a sponsor drying up hits differently than a view count dropping.

  • Sponsor concentration

    How much of the year rode on one or two brand deals landing on time.

  • Post-production cost

    What editors and designers cost against what a video actually earned.

  • The set-aside

    What the channel will owe, tracked every month, so a big sponsor quarter does not become a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things YouTubers 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.

AdSense paid me way less this month even though views were up. What happened?

That deposit was for January, before the upload that did well. I tagged it to the right month so the books show what actually happened.

A brand sent me a $6,000 camera instead of paying cash. Does that count?

It does. I flagged it and the accountant puts a fair value on it, since a gift for a video is still income.

Should I set up an S corp now that the channel is doing six figures?

That is above my pay grade. I have been watching your profit all year, and the accountant is running the numbers now.

The tax side

The tax side of running a channel.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: AdSense counted in the wrong month, a gifted lens never logged, and a set-aside that only starts in April.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Gifted gear and brand tripsA camera, a trip, or product sent instead of cash is still income at what it is worth. Gus flags it the month it arrives so the accountant can value it.
  • The S corp questionOnce a channel's profit clears well above a reasonable salary, an S corp election can lower the self-employment tax bill. It is a call the accountant makes on the actual numbers, not something to elect by default.
  • Paying an editor $2,000 or moreAn editor or designer not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running all year.
  • Equipment write-offsCameras, lenses, and lighting bought for the channel can usually be written off the year they are bought, since bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.

Deductions YouTubers miss

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

  • Camera bodies and lenses
  • Lighting and backdrops
  • Editing software
  • Music licensing
  • Editor and designer pay
  • Studio rent or home office share
  • Thumbnail design tools
  • Travel to shoots and events
  • Backup drives and storage
  • Business phone plan
  • Liability insurance
  • Props and set pieces

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 YouTube channel's year, kept every month.

Upload schedules do not stop for tax season, and neither does your team. The books close every month, all year. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Set the channel's pace

    Last year's return gets filed, the editor's 1099 is prepared, and a monthly set-aside is dialed in so April never sneaks up.

  2. April

    Return filed, camera rolling

    The return is filed and signed, and because the set-aside has been running since January, there is no scramble for cash.

  3. July

    Mid-year lens check

    A look at where the channel stands, what it will owe, and whether the spring sponsor run moved the number.

  4. October

    Before Q4 sponsors

    Brand budgets spend down before the year ends. Gus looks at any gear worth buying 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 YouTubers. 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 YouTubers ask first.

Do I need to report AdSense income if I never got a 1099?

Yes. All AdSense income is taxable whether or not a form arrives. Gus tracks every deposit from your bank statement so nothing gets missed.

I run two channels under one business. Can Gus keep them separate?

Yes. He keeps revenue and costs sorted by channel so you can see what each one actually earns, even while they share one set of books.

My sponsor paid me in a foreign currency by wire. Does that change anything?

It can. Gus keeps that income visible as its own line, and the accountant sorts out anything different about how it gets reported.

Can Gus tell me if my editor should be an employee instead of a contractor?

He flags anyone paid regularly who looks employee-shaped, like someone working set hours on your schedule, and the accountant weighs in before it becomes a habit.

I bought a new camera the same month a sponsor check was late. Will that look bad?

No. Gus logs equipment as equipment, not a loss, so a big gear purchase does not make an otherwise normal month look like trouble.

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