BROKERAGE & AGENCIES CPA SERVICES

Accounting, Tax & CFO Services for Real Estate Brokerages & Agencies

From commission and agent-split tracking to tax planning, we handle the numbers behind every closing.

Serving Seattle-area real estate brokerages since 1971 · Licensed WA CPAs

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Accounting Built Around How Brokerages Actually Operate

Greenwood Ohlund provides real estate brokerage accounting for residential and commercial brokerages, agencies, and teams across the Seattle area. Every closing splits differently—a tiered split here, an agent who just hit their cap there, a referral fee off the top. Revenue arrives in lumps tied to closings rather than in a predictable monthly rhythm, while desk fees, E&O, and agent expenses run on their own schedule. And come January, a stack of 1099-NECs has to go out with the right number on each one.

We also handle brokerage commission accounting, real estate agency bookkeeping, and the tax planning that keeps your brokerage profitable between closings.

Managing broker reviewing closing statements and commission paperwork at a brokerage office desk

OUR CLIENTS

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The Challenges Brokerage & Agencies Face and How We Help

We track each agent’s split, cap progress, and referral deductions deal by deal, so what an agent is owed on a closing is calculated rather than reconstructed.

We maintain W-9s and year-to-date payment records through the year and file 1099-NECs for every agent and referral partner, so January isn’t spent chasing down missing information.

We build cash flow projections against your pipeline and historical closing patterns, so payroll, desk costs, and owner draws hold steady through a slow month.

We break out revenue and cost by agent and by office, so you see which desks carry the brokerage and which ones cost more than they bring in.

WHAT WE DO

How We Support Brokerage & Agencies

Tax Services

Broker-owner entity and tax planning, agent 1099 filing, and reasonable-compensation analysis if you’ve elected S-corp status.

Audit & Assurance

Financial assurance your lenders and partners can rely on, including trust-account reporting where your firm holds client funds.

Accounting & CFO Services

Commission accounting, bookkeeping, and a fractional CFO who reads your numbers by agent and by office.

What Makes Brokerage & Agency Accounting Different

Agent classification has its own rule. Most industries argue worker status under common-law factors, but licensed real estate agents fall under §3508, which treats a qualified agent as a statutory nonemployee when three conditions are met: the agent is licensed, substantially all pay is tied to sales output rather than hours worked, and a written agreement states the agent won’t be treated as an employee for federal tax purposes. A generalist accountant may run your agents through the wrong test entirely.

From there it’s commission mechanics and state layers. Commission income recognition, split calculations, and cap tracking all have to be right before a 1099 is accurate. Washington’s B&O tax applies to brokerage commissions at the entity level on gross receipts, separate from federal income tax. If your firm holds earnest money or other client funds, those accounts are regulated under Washington’s real estate license law and carry their own segregation and recordkeeping requirements. And a broker-owner’s entity choice, including whether an S-corp election makes sense and what reasonable compensation looks like inside it, changes the tax picture materially.

Desk with commission statements and signed agent agreement folders for brokerage compliance review

We serve businesses like yours

Businesses Like Yours

We work with a wide range of real estate brokerages and agencies, including:

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Residential brokerages

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Commercial brokerages

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Boutique and independent agencies

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Franchise brokerages

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Real estate teams

nonprofit accounting services
nonprofit accounting services

Leasing and property agencies

Why Brokerages & Agencies Choose Greenwood Ohlund

Decades in construction and real estate accounting

We’ve been doing this since 1971.

Tax, audit, accounting, and CFO expertise, one firm

Most firms our size don’t offer all four under one roof. You get a tax team, an audit team, and a CFO-level advisory team who already talk to each other, instead of coordinating three separate vendors yourself.

Seattle-rooted, with clients across Washington and beyond

We’re based in Seattle and built around the Pacific Northwest, with clients in other states when the relationship calls for it.

A relationship that runs all year, not just tax season

We’re recognized as a Peak Firm and a PSBJ Washington’s Best Workplaces honoree, and that same culture shows up in how we work with clients: regular conversations and actual availability, not a firm you hear from once a year.

EXPERIENCE THE GO DIFFERENCE

Your Brokerage & Agency Team

Matt Smith

AUDIT & ASSURANCE

Matt Smith, CPA

Partner

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TAX SERVICES

Paul Jandl

Senior

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TAX SERVICES

Eric Kimpton

Senior Manager

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Riley Stringer

TAX SERVICES

Riley Stringer

Manager

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TAX SERVICES

Michaela Thomassen

Senior

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Jason Mallon, CPA

CFO & ACCOUNTING SERVICES

Jason Mallon, CPA

Partner

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Andrew Van Ness

AUDIT & ASSURANCE

Andrew Van Ness, CPA

Partner

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Brian

CFO & ACCOUNTING SERVICES

Brian Vinciguerra

Partner

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MEET THE TEAM
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FAQ

Brokerage & Agency Accounting FAQs

Each closing is recorded at gross commission. Then the agent’s split, cap status, and any referral fee are applied to determine what the brokerage keeps. We track cap progress through the year so splits change at the right closing, not a month late.

Licensed real estate agents are generally statutory nonemployees under §3508 when pay is tied to sales output and a written agreement says they won’t be treated as employees. That’s a specific carve-out, not automatic. We review your agreements and pay structure against it.

Only if your firm holds client funds, like earnest money. Those accounts are regulated under Washington real estate license law and require segregation from operating funds plus regular reconciliation. We set up and maintain that discipline where it applies.

Collect a W-9 when an agent joins, track year-to-date payments continuously, and file a 1099-NEC for each agent and referral partner. As a CPA for real estate brokers, we run this through the year instead of assembling it in January.

It depends on your profit level, how much you take as salary, and your state tax position. An S-corp can reduce self-employment tax, but it requires reasonable compensation and adds payroll obligations. We run the numbers before you elect.

It depends on agent count, transaction volume, and whether you need trust-account support. We start with a conversation about your brokerage, then build a proposal around what you need.

CONTACT US

Let’s Talk About Your Brokerage

Commission accounting, agent 1099s, or a clearer view of per-agent profitability: we can take it from here. Reach out and we’ll start with a conversation about your brokerage.

Greenwood Ohlund, PS
4241 21st Ave W, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98199
(206) 782-1767