For wedding, portrait and commercial photographers and videographers. Your books done the day you upload your statements, for $79 a month.
Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.
Sales tax
Montana has no sales tax, so there's none to collect on your sales.
State income tax
Montana taxes income at 4.7% to 5.65% in 2026, including the profit from your business.
Federal tax
Working for yourself, you pay 15.3% self-employment tax on most of your profit, plus federal income tax, usually in four estimated payments: April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15.
Contractors
Paid a contractor $2,000 or more in 2026? Send them a 1099-NEC by January 31.
What every business here keeps track of in 2026. Rates change, so check with your accountant before you file.
Why photographers need different books
Deposits taken months before the shoot, expensive gear that lasts years, travel to every job, prints and albums next to session fees, and software subscriptions. Deposits are the tricky part: the money arrives long before the work is done.
What a bookkeeper for photographers in Montana keeps track of
Booking deposits and final payments
Cameras, lenses and computers
Travel to shoots
Prints and albums
Software and subscriptions
Taxes for photographers in Montana
Montana has no state sales tax.
Prints and albums are usually taxable where there's a sales tax; some states tax photography services too.
Camera gear can often be written off in the year you buy it.
Second shooters you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 need a 1099-NEC.
What SumSwift does for photographers and videographers, for $79 a month
Booking deposits and retainers applied to the final invoice
Big purchases get one question, "Is this equipment?", so they're written off over the right years
Invoices made, emailed and chased in SumSwift, with a pay link your customers can use
A mileage log (a CRA logbook in Canada) and the business share of your vehicle worked out for taxes
Subscriptions watched for price rises
Every statement checked against the balances your bank printed, to the cent, with personal spending kept off your profit
Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in USD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.
Questions.
How much does a bookkeeper for photographers cost in Montana?
Published price guides put most small businesses at $300 to $1,500 a month for a bookkeeper, more when the books are busy, as they often are for photographers. SumSwift does the monthly work for $79 a month, the day you upload your statements.
How do I handle wedding deposits?
SumSwift keeps them as retainers and applies them to the final invoice, so you always know what's left to pay.
Can I write off my camera?
Yes, over the years it's used or sooner where the rules allow. SumSwift asks once whether a big purchase is equipment.
Does SumSwift know Montana's tax rules?
Montana has no state sales tax. Prints and albums are usually taxable where there's a sales tax; some states tax photography services too.
Behind on my books. Can you catch me up?
Yes. A catch-up of up to 12 months is $599, once, checked against your bank to the cent.