Online coaches and course sellers: books, quarterly payments and taxes done for you

Free tax review

Find out what we’d handle and what it costs

Thirty minutes by phone; you leave with one written price.

Every month we keep the books, tie each Stripe and PayPal payout to its sales and refunds, figure your quarterly payments, and at year end we prepare the return. Bookkeeping starts at $375 a month, quoted as a flat fee in writing before we start. Based in Santa Clarita, we work with online coaches and course sellers in any state.

The year’s sales matched to each 1099-K Refunds booked against the sale they reverse Quarterly payments figured from your own books One team for the books, payroll and the return

Typical situations

Do you work with online coaches and course sellers like me?

Yes, we take on online coaches and course sellers who run the business themselves — coaches paid through Stripe or PayPal, course creators on Kajabi, Teachable or Thinkific, and Substack or Patreon writers with paid subscribers.

A life or business coach paid through Stripe

The coach bills sessions and monthly retainers through Stripe, and payouts land after fees and refunds come out. The 1099-K — the form a payment company files showing the gross it paid you — shows more than reached the bank. The return then gets filed off the form’s gross, with the fees and refunds never taken off. We tie each Stripe payout to its charges, refunds and fees. Monthly bookkeeping from $375 a month: how the monthly books run.

A course creator selling on Kajabi or Teachable

After a launch, refund requests come in during the refund window, and chargebacks — disputes where the card company pulls the payment back — can arrive after it closes. The books keep the launch’s full sales, and the refunds paid out of later payouts never come off. We record each refund and chargeback against the sale it reverses and the dispute fee as a cost.

A Substack or Patreon writer with a day job

The platform pays out after its cut, and the withholding on the day-job paycheck was set for the salary alone, so April brings a bill. We record each payout from the Substack or Patreon earnings export at what subscribers paid, with the platform’s cut as a cost, match any 1099-K that arrives to the books, and figure the quarterly payment the newsletter income needs.

A coach paying an editor overseas and an assistant in another state

No tax forms are on file for either, and January arrives with no idea who needs a 1099. We collect a W-8BEN — the form a contractor outside the U.S. gives you instead of a W-9 — from the editor. The assistant signs a W-9, the form that gives you a contractor’s taxpayer ID, before the next payment. We track each person’s total and file the assistant’s 1099-NEC — the form reporting what you paid a contractor — if it’s due. The rule is in the FAQ below.

A former employee coaching full-time this year

No paycheck withholding has come out since the last day at the old job, and no estimates — the tax payments made four times a year — have been paid. We set up the books from the final pay stub from the old job, the Stripe or PayPal account clients pay into and the bank account the payouts land in, figure the remaining 2026 estimate payments from the payouts so far, and lay out the LLC and S-corp question on the owner’s own numbers. The return alone, from $650 for a Schedule C (the business page of your personal return) or $850 for an LLC or S-corp with the owner’s personal return included: how we prepare the return and how we model the entity choice.

A course creator two years behind

Stripe and platform reports were never downloaded, receipts sit scattered through email, and two years of returns are unfiled — or were filed from the one 1099-K that arrived, with the platform income that came without a form left off. The cleanup comes first, then the returns: from $750, how a cleanup project runs.

Getting paid

Why doesn’t my 1099-K from Stripe or PayPal match what reached my bank?

The 1099-K that Stripe or PayPal sends an online coach or course seller reports the gross of what clients paid, with refunds and processing fees still inside it, so it shows more than reached the bank.

Stripe and PayPal each say they send one when a year’s payments top the federal line — more than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions — and may send one under a lower line that some states set. The income is reportable either way, so we book every payout whether or not a form arrives.

We tie each payout to its charges, refunds, chargebacks and processing fees. Every dollar on the 1099-Ks is on the return, along with any payout that came without a form; refunds come off on the returns-and-allowances line and the fees go in as costs. For a writer paid through Patreon or a newsletter, our post on Patreon and paid-newsletter taxes walks through the same reconciliation.

Sales tax

Do I charge sales tax on coaching, courses or downloads in California?

In California, coaching is a service, so a coaching fee carries no sales tax, and in 2026 a course, e-book or other download delivered over the internet is generally not taxed either.

We sort each sale in the books into coaching, electronic products and anything physical, and flag any bundle with a printed workbook or flash drive, which usually makes the whole sale taxable.

Catch-up work

What does a catch-up look like when an online coach or course seller’s books are behind?

A catch-up rebuilds the missing months from your bank, Stripe and PayPal payout reports and your course-platform, Substack or Patreon earnings exports, then prepares the return and the quarterly estimates from the reconciled numbers — cleanup starts at $750.

What we ask for

The processors’ payout reports, your course-platform, Substack or Patreon earnings exports, and the bank and card statements for the missing months. Where a report was never downloaded, we pull what the processor and platform still hold.

How the cleanup runs

We rebuild each payout into its sales, refunds, chargebacks and fees, record prepaid packages in the year they were paid, code the software, ads and contractor payments, and put a W-9 or W-8BEN on file for each contractor.

What you get

The rebuilt year, each 1099-K matched to the rebuilt sales, and the return, quoted alongside the cleanup.

Cleanup is billed half to start and the balance on delivery — see how a cleanup project is scoped.

The monthly close

What do you check in a coach’s books every month?

Each month we check the Stripe and PayPal payout reports, the platform earnings exports, the refund and dispute reports, the software and ad invoices, and the contractor paperwork against the bank, and match the 1099-Ks to the books.

Each payout report tied to the bank deposits
Course-platform, Substack or Patreon earnings exports matched to sales
Refund and dispute reports booked against the sales they reverse
Prepaid packages and payment plans recorded when paid
Software subscriptions and ad invoices coded
Contractor invoices checked against their W-9s or W-8BENs
The year’s 1099-Ks matched to the books as they arrive

Each month you get the P&L (the profit and loss statement), the balance sheet and a short note on what needs attention — what the monthly bookkeeping includes.

California

What’s different for an online coach or course seller in California?

In California, three things change for an online coach or course seller: the state return and its own estimate schedule, the state’s contractor report, and the City of Los Angeles business tax registration.

The same profit is also reported on California’s own return, the Form 540, and California runs its own estimate schedule with no September payment — we figure the California payments alongside the federal ones.
A California business paying contractors files California’s contractor report, the DE 542, with the EDD, California’s Employment Development Department, within 20 days of the first payment or the contract, whichever comes first; we check which contractors it covers.
A coach or writer based in the City of Los Angeles, or working inside it seven days or more a year, registers for the City’s business tax; with $100,000 or less of prior-year worldwide gross receipts the tax is zero, but only for a registered business that renews on time. We check the address and calendar the renewal.

Pricing

What does this cost an online coach or course seller in 2026?

In 2026, bookkeeping for an online coach or course seller starts at $375 a month, payroll at $95 a month for an owner who runs an S-corp or has employees, the return alone at $650 for a Schedule C or $850 for an LLC or S-corp with the owner’s personal return included, and a cleanup at $750. Each is a flat fee quoted in writing before we start.

Tying payouts to the 1099-Ks, collecting W-9s and W-8BENs for your contractors and the quarterly estimate figures sit inside the quote; there’s no separate charge for any of it. What moves a quote: how many platforms and processors pay you, sales and refunds a month, contractors you pay and whether any are overseas, accounts and cards, and how far behind the books are. The quote is the price.

Books

from $375/mo

Stripe, PayPal and platform payout reports reconciled to the bank
Software subscriptions, ad spend and contractor payments coded
Monthly P&L, balance sheet and a short note

Payroll

from $95/mo

For an owner who runs an S-corp or has employees
Pay runs weekly, biweekly or monthly, direct deposit and pay stubs, year-end W-2s included
Filing W-2s and 1099s on their own, without monthly books, from $95
We run payroll for anyone you put on it — how payroll runs with us

The return alone

from $650 / from $850

Schedule C — the business page of your personal return — from $650
From $850 for an LLC or S-corp, the owner’s personal return included
Every 1099-K matched to the books — how we prepare the return

Book my free 30-minute call

How it works

What happens after you book?

The free 30-minute call comes first, and the engagement letter goes out during it; the steps below take it from there.

The 30-minute call

We ask what you sell and who pays you — Stripe, PayPal, a course platform, Substack or Patreon — which 1099-Ks arrived, who you pay and how far behind the books are. The call ends with one flat price for the work we’d take on, quoted in writing before we start.

The engagement letter

It goes out during the call and you sign when you’re ready — it doesn’t expire. Once you sign, we set up a short onboarding call.

Access and documents

The portal invite comes from the onboarding call. Then you connect read-only bank feeds or share the QuickBooks file, the Stripe and PayPal payout reports, your platform earnings exports and last year’s 1099-Ks.

Behind first, then monthly

If the books are behind, the cleanup comes first, then the first monthly close.

The return, from your own books

Half the return fee starts the work and the balance is due before e-file. You review the return before anything is filed, and questions during the year go to the same team.

Communication

You’ll know where the books and the return stand.

The person who answers the phone is on the same team that keeps your books and prepares your return.

The same-day rule

Call or email during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day — all twelve months.

Coaches and course sellers are welcome

One client or a full calendar, a first course or a full-time launch schedule — the free call ends with a straight answer on whether we’re the right fit.

Admitted to practice before the IRS

Our team of IRS representation specialists is admitted to practice before the IRS. If an IRS letter shows up — one asking about a 1099-K, for example — forward it: how we handle IRS letters.

The N&T Tax & Advisory Group team

For your coaching or course business, we keep the books, collect the contractor forms and prepare the return from the same numbers — and we’re reachable all year.

Bookkeeping · Tax preparation · Tax planning · IRS representation · Direct line: (661) 554-4495

Reviews

Rated 5.0 on Google

★★★★★ Twelve reviews, every one five stars, every one verifiable. Read all of them on Google →

"Alex helped me resolve a complicated tax situation that had been causing me a lot of stress. He was extremely knowledgeable, responsive, and efficient throughout the entire process."

Kevin B. — via Google

"Working with Alex was straightforward. I hadn't looked at my books all year, but he made my life easy and handled the whole profit and loss at the end of the year so I could get my taxes done."

Levon B. — via Google

"I came to this company with previous tax years and bookkeeping that were done incorrectly. They're very knowledgeable about what they do and help me get everything in order at a very reasonable price."

Sayra A. — via Google

Where we work

Do you work with online coaches and course sellers outside California?

Yes, we work remotely with coaches and course sellers in any state. Documents move through the secure portal, and the monthly report goes over a call or screen share. If you work in another state, we work to that state’s payroll and filing rules and price it into your quote.

Anywhere in the US Santa Clarita Los Angeles San Fernando Valley

What we don’t do

We handle the money and tax side: the books, payroll, the quarterly payments and the returns. Marketing or pricing advice for your coaching or courses, client contracts, terms of service and refund policies, platform choice, VAT or any sales tax registration outside California, legal advice, and reviewed, compiled or audited statements are outside our work.

Worth reading

What can you read before you call?

Short articles on the same 1099, home office and quarterly-tax rules; the creator examples apply the same way to coaching and course income.

1099s for an editor or assistant you pay

Self-Employment Tax Explained: What Schedule SE Charges 1099 Workers in 2026

Records

What Receipts to Keep for Taxes in 2026: The Self-Employed Owner’s Keep-or-Toss Guide

Paid through sponsorships or ad revenue rather than coaching or course sales? See our page for creators paid by sponsorships and ad revenue.

FAQ

What should an online coach or course seller ask before booking?

Do I have to pay quarterly estimated taxes as an online coach or course seller?

Estimates are due if you expect to owe $1,000 or more for 2026 after withholding and credits. The last 2026 payment is due January 15, 2027, and the penalty runs day by day on each missed payment. We figure each payment from the closed books.

Is a prepaid coaching package taxed in the year I’m paid?

Yes, on the cash method most small businesses use: a package paid in December 2026 is 2026 income even if most sessions fall in 2027, and it counts when Stripe or PayPal collects it, not when the payout lands. Holding a payment to push it into next year doesn’t work, and the IRS’s one-year deferral for advance payments is for accrual-method businesses. We record each package on the day it’s paid and a payment plan as each installment comes in.

Do I send a 1099 to an editor or assistant who lives overseas?

A contractor who isn’t a U.S. person gives you a W-8BEN instead of a W-9, and with a valid W-8 on file no 1099-NEC is filed. An American living abroad is still a U.S. person, so the usual rule applies: a signed W-9, and a 1099-NEC once 2026 payments reach $2,000 or more, due February 1, 2027. Work a foreign contractor does inside the U.S. is a different case that we check. We collect the right form before the first payment, and if it’s unclear whether someone is a contractor or an employee, that question goes to an employment attorney.

Can I take a home office deduction for the room I coach from?

Yes, if the room or area is used exclusively and regularly for the business; a spare room that doubles as the guest room doesn’t qualify. It can count as the principal place of business when it’s where you bill clients and book sessions and no other fixed location does that work. The simplified method is $5 a square foot for up to 300 square feet, $1,500 at most. We check the room against the test before claiming it.

My books are a year behind. Can you catch them up?

Yes. A cleanup project starts at $750, quoted on the call from how many months are missing and how many platforms paid you, and billed half to start and the balance on delivery. You send the bank and card statements and whatever Stripe, PayPal and platform reports you have, and the return is prepared from the rebuilt books.

Should an online coach or course seller be an LLC or an S-corp?

Either can work; an S-corp is a tax election an LLC can also make, so the choice is about how the business is taxed, and a California LLC owes the $800 annual tax. We model both on your own numbers before you form or elect anything; our entity-selection page shows how the comparison works.

Ready to hand off the books, the quarterly payments and the return?

One free 30-minute call. You’ll leave knowing what we’d handle and what it costs — whether or not you hire us.