Income in lumps, costs every week
A quiet quarter followed by three closings is normal. Period-by-period reporting shows whether the year is actually on track.
For agents running their own book of business
Bookkeeping for real estate agents
Track commissions as they close, keep brokerage and marketing costs against the right period, and know what the year actually earned.
Why real estate agents end up doing this the hard way
An agent's income arrives in bursts and the costs never stop. Marketing, staging, brokerage splits, and driving all run continuously between closings. Pynse Books lines both sides up so you can see the real margin on a year rather than the gross on a cheque.
The usual friction
What actually gets in the way
Brokerage splits and fees
Record what the brokerage takes as a proper expense so your reports show what you kept, not what the deal was worth.
Marketing spend nobody adds up
Listings, photography, signage, and ads add up fast. With a connected card, every one of them lands in the books on its own.
Tax on commission income
Sales tax on commissions and the year-end return both go easier when the records were kept as you went instead of rebuilt in April.
How it works
Set it up once and the routine takes minutes rather than evenings.
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Record income as deals close
Invoice or record commission income per transaction so you can see what each deal contributed.
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Connect the card you spend on
Marketing, fuel, and subscriptions flow in automatically instead of being reconstructed from statements.
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Categorise once
Keep brokerage fees, advertising, and vehicle costs in their own categories so the report is readable.
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Review by period
Profit and loss month by month tells you what the business earned, not just what closed.
Inside Pynse Books
Everything the books need, in one place
Invoices and estimates
Send branded estimates, convert the approved ones into invoices in a click, and set recurring invoices for work you bill every month.
Connected bank feeds
Link your business chequing and credit card accounts so transactions arrive on their own instead of being typed in from a statement.
Bills and vendors
Record supplier bills, track what you owe, and keep vendor history in the same place as the money going out.
Sales tax handled
Set your tax rates once and let Pynse Books total what you collected and what you paid, so filing season is a report instead of a weekend.
Reconciliation that ends
Match bank lines to invoices and bills, clear the exceptions, and know the books tie out to the account balance.
Reports you will actually read
Profit and loss, balance sheet, and transaction detail refresh as the data lands, so you can check the month without waiting on anyone.
Bookkeeping by city
Local pages with the sales tax rules that apply where you are.
Toronto
Ontario · 13% HST
Ottawa
Ontario · 13% HST
Calgary
Alberta · 5% GST
Vancouver
British Columbia · 5% GST + 7% PST
Montreal
Quebec · 5% GST + 9.975% QST
Edmonton
Alberta · 5% GST
Winnipeg
Manitoba · 5% GST + 7% RST
Mississauga
Ontario · 13% HST
Brampton
Ontario · 13% HST
Hamilton
Ontario · 13% HST
Halifax
Nova Scotia · 14% HST
Kitchener-Waterloo
Ontario · 13% HST
All cities
Full list
Frequently asked questions
Can I see what an individual deal earned?
Record the commission and the costs tied to it in the same period and the profit and loss will show the net. Pynse Books tracks customers and categories, which is enough structure for most agents.
How do I handle the brokerage split?
Record the brokerage's share as an expense to that vendor. Your reports then show gross commission and what you actually retained.
Does it work if I am incorporated?
Yes. Pynse Books keeps the business records regardless of structure — your accountant handles the corporate filing from the reports.
Can I track my personal finances too?
Pynse Balance is the personal side. Keep the business in Books and your household money in Balance so the two never mix.
Stop dreading the bookkeeping
Set up your business, connect the bank, and send the first invoice today.