TrainedBooks
Bookkeeping for designers

Designers: your books, closed by the fifth business day.

Quick answer

For designers, TrainedBooks catches your books up and keeps them clean: a person does the cleanup, using our software. Every bank and card transaction is sorted with a plain-English reason, and you get your real profit and a location-aware tax set-aside (real federal + your state's rates), and prepares a tax-ready package so your tax pro just reviews and files. You review the few flagged items and own an exportable ledger. The diagnostic is free with no card required; a one-time cleanup starts at $1,500 and Keep-Clean at $49/mo, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It is bookkeeping, not a tax preparer, and it does not file returns.

Last updated: September 2026

Independent designers and small studios doing brand, product, and web. TrainedBooks does the close for you by the fifth business day: real profit per month, a tax set-aside, and a CPA-ready packet, so your studio's finances are handled and you can stay on the work.

The problem

Project deposits, software subscriptions, stock and font licenses, and the odd contractor all run through one account, and the books are the last thing you want to touch.

What TrainedBooks does

TrainedBooks does the close for you by the fifth business day: real profit per month, a tax set-aside, and a CPA-ready packet, so your studio's finances are handled and you can stay on the work.

Built for how a designer actually runs

Project deposits and Stripe payouts captured cleanly as income

Design software, stock, and font licenses categorized as the tools of the trade

Subcontractor and freelance payments flagged for 1099 follow-up

Your real monthly profit and tax set-aside, without the spreadsheet

How it works

1

Bring in your activity

Upload a bank or QuickBooks CSV, a statement PDF, or a photo of a receipt.

2

TrainedBooks does the close

Every line categorized with a confidence and a plain-English reason. It learns each correction you make.

3

You get your numbers

Profit, margin, and what to set aside for taxes, plus a CPA-ready packet. You approve; you stay in control.

Bookkeeping for designers: FAQ

Does TrainedBooks recognize design software and subscriptions?

Yes. Tools like Figma, Adobe, and stock licenses are categorized as software/subscriptions with a reason, and TrainedBooks remembers your corrections.

Can it handle project deposits and final payments?

Deposits and final payments are categorized as income with a confidence, so your revenue is right even when projects pay in stages.

Will my accountant be happy with the output?

TrainedBooks produces a CPA-ready packet in the format accountants expect: P&L, balances, open items, and the full register, on top of a ledger you own and can export.

Close your designer books by the fifth.

Load a sample business or drop in your own statement. No card required.

Run the free diagnostic →

Bookkeeping for other businesses

Free tool: Self-Employment Tax Set-Aside Calculator, to see how much to set aside and your quarterly payments.