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Accounting for Small Creative Agencies
Bookkeeping and business tax returns for small marketing, design, PR and web studios.
Quick Answer
- I can take on bookkeeping and business tax work for small agencies under a written engagement. That includes marketing, design, PR and web studios.
- The records that need the most care are client pass-through costs, project deposits and freelancer payments.
Tax & Accounting Context for Small Creative Agencies
Agency books have three habits that make year-end harder: client money passing through the agency, deposits received before the work is done, and a changing group of freelancers. Each is manageable if it's recorded the same way every month.
Pass-through costs: Ad spend, printing, licensing and other costs you pay for a client and bill back should be identifiable in the books, by client and by project, apart from your own fees. How they are presented is decided with the facts in hand. That can't be done if they're mixed into general expenses.
Deposits and retainers: Record each deposit against the client and project it belongs to, so the books show what has been earned and what work is still owed. On accrual books, a deposit for work not yet done is usually held as a liability until the work is delivered.
Freelancers: Keep a signed agreement, a Form W-9 and a payment history for each freelancer. Whether a freelancer is a contractor or an employee is a legal question with separate federal and New Jersey tests. The first-worker records checklist lists what to collect.
Subscriptions: Agencies collect software subscriptions. A list by tool, with the client it's billed to if any, makes cleanup and year-end faster.
Written Intake
Written scope for Small Creative Agencies tax and accounting
Start with the contact form. Any response, availability, scope, price, and timing are confirmed only in writing; no call or consultation is promised.
Get StartedView PricingTax & Accounting Issues to Review for Small Creative Agencies
Client agreements and statements of work
Invoices, with the deposits and retainers applied to each
Pass-through costs by client and project, with the invoices that billed them back
Freelancer agreements, Forms W-9 and payment history
Payment-processor and platform payout reports
Bank and card statements for every business account
A list of software subscriptions
Potential Written-Scope Work
These are examples, not a claim of industry experience or acceptance. Records, jurisdictions, periods, deliverables, and exclusions require a separately accepted written scope.
Bookkeeping
I categorize and reconcile the business accounts named in the scope and prepare the agreed profit and loss statement and balance sheet.
Cleanup
A bookkeeping cleanup scope corrects past periods first.
Returns
I prepare the returns named in the engagement from the reconciled records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a different question about Small Creative Agencies tax or accounting? Send Greg a message. I read each inquiry myself and do my best to reply within a week. Sending the form creates no engagement and promises no call, consultation, or outcome. Any scope, price, availability, and timing are agreed in writing before work starts.
Do you run payroll for agency staff?
Payroll setup and operation are considered case by case under a separate written engagement and may be referred to an independent specialist. For the books, I work from your payroll provider's reports.
Can you work in our existing file?
I work mainly in QuickBooks Online and also work in FreshBooks. If the file is behind, a cleanup scope can come first.
What will it cost?
Starting prices are on the [pricing page](/pricing). The condition of your records, the number of accounts and entities, the years covered and the states involved change a quote. Any offered scope is confirmed in writing before work starts.
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Ready to simplify tax and accounting for Small Creative Agencies?
I read each inquiry myself and do my best to reply within a week. Sending the form creates no engagement and promises no call, consultation, or outcome. Any scope, price, availability, and timing are agreed in writing before work starts.
Tax advice disclaimer: This material is for general educational information only and is not legal, tax, or accounting advice for your specific facts. A CPA-client relationship is formed only through a signed engagement letter.