Built around commission revenue and pass-through client costs, the two things agencies most often get wrong. No published standard chart exists for talent and creator agencies.

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What is different

Money you collect for a client is not your revenue

An agency that books a creator for fifty thousand and keeps twenty percent did ten thousand of business, not fifty. Booking the gross as revenue makes the agency look five times its real size, and it makes every margin ratio meaningless.

This chart puts client pass-through money in a liability account until it is paid out, and recognises only commission as revenue. The agency’s reported size then matches what it actually earns, which matters the first time anyone does diligence on it.

The chart

The full Talent agency chart of accounts

All 85 accounts, with the note that tells you what belongs in each one. This is the same file the download gives you, rendered here so you can read it without opening a spreadsheet.

Code	Account	Type	What belongs here
4000	Revenue	Income	Agency revenue. Where the agency acts as agent, only the commission is revenue, not the client's gross deal value.
4100	Commission Revenue	Income	Commission earned on deals placed for represented talent.
4110	Booking and Engagement Commission	Income	Commission on live bookings, appearances and performance engagements.
4120	Brand Deal and Endorsement Commission	Income	Commission on sponsored content, endorsements and brand partnerships.
4130	Licensing and Royalty Commission	Income	Commission on licensing, syndication, publishing and royalty income.
4140	Touring Commission	Income	Commission on tour and residency income.
4150	Packaging Fees	Income	Fee paid directly by a studio or network for packaging a project, where the agency forgoes client commission on that project. Date-scoped: the right to negotiate packaging fees on Writers Guild covered work terminated in mid-2022, so this account applies to legacy arrangements and to work outside that jurisdiction. Confirm before enabling it for a new agency.
4160	Profit Participation and Back-End	Income	Contingent participation in a project's defined profitability, recognised as the underlying sales or usage occurs.
4200	Fee Revenue	Income	Fees charged directly to talent or to brands, outside a commission split.
4210	Retainer and Management Fees	Income	Recurring monthly retainers for representation or management.
4220	Project and Consulting Fees	Income	Fixed-fee strategy, consulting and campaign management work.
4230	Production Service Fees	Income	Content production billed as a service, where the agency controls delivery.
4240	Client Service Charges	Income	Service charge billed to the booking client or brand in addition to the talent booking fee, calculated as a percentage of that fee. The client-side half of a two-sided agency model, distinct from commission taken from the talent.
4300	Gross Billings Revenue	Income	Use only where the agency is principal under ASC 606, meaning it controls the service before transfer. Recording gross when acting as agent overstates revenue.
4310	Gross Campaign Billings	Income	Full campaign value billed to the brand where the agency is principal.
4400	Other Income	Other income	Income outside representation activity.
4410	Interest and Finance Income	Other income	Interest earned on operating balances.
4420	Other Operating Income	Other income	Miscellaneous income not tied to a client engagement.
5000	Cost of Revenue	Cost of goods sold	Costs incurred to earn commission and fee revenue. Only include talent payouts here when the agency reports gross as principal.
5100	Talent Compensation	Cost of goods sold	Amounts paid to talent and to other representatives.
5110	Talent Fees and Splits	Cost of goods sold	Talent share of gross billings. Applies only when revenue is reported gross under the principal model.
5120	Sub-Agent and Co-Agent Splits	Cost of goods sold	Commission shared with co-agents, sub-agents and referring representatives.
5130	Internal Agent Commissions	Cost of goods sold	Variable commission paid to in-house agents on deals they close.
5200	Cost of Services Delivered	Cost of goods sold	Third-party costs of delivering contracted work.
5210	Freelance Creative and Production	Cost of goods sold	Freelance producers, editors, designers and strategists.
5220	Photography and Videography	Cost of goods sold	Contracted shoot costs where the agency delivers the content.
5230	Media Buying on Behalf of Clients	Cost of goods sold	Paid media placed as principal. Placed as agent, this is a pass-through, not a cost.
6000	Client Pass-Through and Trust Balances	Liability	Money that moves through the agency but is never its revenue. Misposting these to revenue or expense overstates both sides of the P&L. Held on balance sheet, never off it.
6100	Restricted Cash - Held in Trust for Clients	Asset	Segregated bank balance holding funds received on behalf of represented artists. California requires a licensed talent agency to deposit such funds immediately into a trust account.
6110	Deposits Received on Behalf of Clients	Liability	The liability matching restricted cash held in trust. Talent share of collected proceeds, pending disbursement.
6120	Talent Payable - Commissions Withheld	Liability	Amounts retained against a commission or an obligation the artist owes the agency and that is then due and owing. Some jurisdictions bar any deduction or offset beyond the agreed commission, and require prior written approval plus an itemised computation for each deductible item.
6130	Disputed Funds Held Pending Determination	Liability	Funds in dispute that must stay in the trust account and cannot be used for any purpose until the dispute is resolved.
6140	Client Advances Received	Liability	Funds received from a brand or client before the related costs are incurred.
6150	Work in Process	Asset	Costs incurred on behalf of clients, including third-party and production costs, not yet billed.
6160	Reimbursable Costs Receivable	Asset	Out-of-pocket costs incurred for a client and recharged at cost.
6170	Advances to Talent	Asset	Advances paid to talent, recoupable against future earnings.
7000	Operating Expenses	Expense	Agency running costs, distinct from anything recharged to a client.
7100	Payroll and Benefits	Expense	Fixed staff cost.
7110	Salaries and Wages	Expense	Agents, coordinators, marketing and administrative staff base pay.
7120	Bonuses and Incentives	Expense	Discretionary and contractual bonus.
7130	Payroll Taxes and Benefits	Expense	Payroll taxes, health insurance, retirement and workers compensation.
7140	Contract and Temporary Staff	Expense	Freelance and temporary administrative support.
7200	Talent and Roster Development	Expense	Cost of finding, signing and keeping talent. The core investment line for an agency.
7210	Scouting and Recruitment	Expense	Talent scouting, discovery tools and recruitment activity.
7220	Casting and Submission Platform Fees	Expense	Casting sites, submission platforms and creator marketplaces.
7230	Market and Festival Attendance	Expense	Badges, delegate passes and registration for showcases, festivals, upfronts and industry markets, plus project submission fees.
7235	Exhibitor and Booth Costs	Expense	Exhibition space, booth build and stand costs. Kept apart from attendance because booth spend runs several times badge cost and is committed on a different cycle.
7240	Client Entertainment	Expense	Meals and entertainment with talent, buyers and brand partners.
7250	Talent Gifts and Retention	Expense	Gifts, wrap presents and roster retention spend.
7300	Sales and Marketing	Expense	Agency-level marketing, not client campaign spend.
7310	Website and Digital Presence	Expense	Agency website, portfolio and hosting.
7320	Advertising and Lead Generation	Expense	Paid advertising promoting the agency itself.
7330	Public Relations and Press	Expense	PR retainers, press placement and trade coverage.
7340	Marketing Collateral and Content	Expense	Roster decks, case studies, showreels and sales collateral.
7400	General and Administrative	Expense	Professional, regulatory and office overhead.
7405	Accounting and Bookkeeping	Expense	Bookkeeping, audit and tax preparation.
7407	Entertainment Payroll and Paymaster Services	Expense	Specialist payroll and paymaster firms that pay talent, handle loan-out corporations, union contributions and residuals. A distinct vendor category from general bookkeeping.
7410	Legal - Contract Negotiation	Expense	Deal papering, negotiation and general commercial counsel.
7415	Legal - Intellectual Property	Expense	Trademark, copyright, likeness and IP enforcement.
7420	Insurance - General Liability	Expense	Business liability and property cover.
7423	Insurance - Other Business Lines	Expense	Employment practices liability, directors and officers, cyber, commercial auto, business interruption and non-appearance cover.
7425	Insurance - Errors and Omissions	Expense	Professional indemnity and errors and omissions cover.
7430	Licensing and Surety Bond	Expense	Talent agency licence fees, branch office fees and surety bond premium required before a licence issues or renews.
7433	Statutory Artist Reimbursements	Expense	Artist travel and expenses the agency must reimburse by statute where represented employment does not materialise.
7435	CRM and Deal Management Software	Expense	Agency CRM, deal pipeline, roster management, contract and rights management systems.
7437	Creator Campaign and Discovery Platforms	Expense	Creator discovery, campaign management, media kit and brand-matching platforms, typically priced per creator on the roster.
7440	Software and Subscriptions	Expense	Accounting, productivity, analytics and collaboration tools.
7445	Office Rent and Utilities	Expense	Office rent, service charges and utilities.
7450	Telephone and Internet	Expense	Voice, mobile and broadband.
7455	Office Supplies and Postage	Expense	Stationery, printing, shipping and courier.
7460	Dues, Subscriptions and Training	Expense	Trade bodies, industry memberships, publications and staff training.
7500	Travel	Expense	Agency travel not recharged to a client.
7510	Airfare and Rail	Expense	Flights and rail for agents travelling to markets and sets.
7520	Accommodation	Expense	Hotels and short stay accommodation.
7530	Ground Transportation	Expense	Car hire, rideshare, taxis and parking.
7540	Travel Meals	Expense	Meals while travelling on agency business.
7600	Finance Costs	Expense	Cost of moving and financing money.
7610	Bank Charges	Expense	Account, wire and foreign exchange fees.
7620	Payment Processing Fees	Expense	Card and payment platform fees on collections and payouts.
7630	Factoring and Advance Fees	Expense	Cost of advancing talent against receivables or factoring invoices.
7640	Bad Debt	Expense	Written-off client and brand receivables.
9000	Interest and Other	Other expense	Non-operating items.
9100	Interest Expense	Other expense	Interest on borrowings and credit facilities.
9200	Depreciation and Amortization	Other expense	Depreciation of office and production equipment.
9300	Other Income and Expense	Other income	Gain or loss on asset disposal and other non-operating items.

Questions

Talent agency chart of accounts questions

Should an agency record gross bookings or net commission as revenue?

Net commission, in almost every case. Money collected on behalf of a client is a liability until you pay it out, not revenue. Recording gross inflates the agency's apparent size and distorts every margin ratio derived from it.

How should client pass-through payments be tracked?

In a liability account, not revenue and not an expense. The money arrives, sits as an obligation, and leaves when the client is paid. Running it through the P&L makes both revenue and costs look far larger than the business actually is.

When is commission recognised?

When the service the commission relates to has been delivered, not when the booking is signed. Recognising at signature pulls revenue into the wrong period and makes a strong booking month look like a strong trading month.

Do agencies need to file 1099s for talent?

Usually yes, where you are paying US-based individuals or unincorporated entities above the annual threshold. That means a W-9 on file before the first payment. Agencies paying many creators are the most likely to be caught out, because the volume makes reconstruction painful.

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