- Katherine Studley, 28, is a financial strategist and tax accountant based in Virginia.
- Studly launched The Only Consultant to offer judgment-free tax prep services for adult entertainers.
- This is how she got the idea and what her job is like, as told to writer Jenny Powers.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Katherine Studley, a tax accountant in Virginia, about her career path. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Chances are if you're an amateur porn model making a living on OnlyFans, you might not exactly want to pop over to your local H&R Block to get your taxes done when tax season rolls around.
It's nothing personal against H&R Block or any traditional firm setting, but it's no secret people in the adult-entertainment field often experience stigma. Many OnlyFans creators want the option to be more discreet and work with a professional who understands the nuances of the adult industry. That's where I come in.
I call myself The Only Consultant because my business is tailored to OnlyFans creators who are looking for an open-minded tax professional. I'm not only unfazed by questions like, "Are the sex toys I use in my videos tax-deductible? or, "Am I required to pay taxes on cash gifts from my sugar daddy?" — I'm also equally equipped to answer them (PS. the answer to both is yes, to an extent).
My goal is to serve as an industry ally and assist sex workers with their tax prep without judgment
My dad is a tax CPA, so growing up in our house in Buffalo, New York, there were five seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall, and tax season. As a kid, everywhere we went, people would ask my dad tax questions, which made me realize early on that while everyone has to file taxes, not everyone has the wherewithal to do it on their own.
The process can be pretty daunting, especially as a 1099 independent contractor, which is the category content creators fall into because, in essence, they're operating their own small business.
I majored in accounting at Niagara University and after graduating in 2017, I did a tax internship followed by nearly two years at regional CPA firms, where I easily clocked 65 hours a week.
In summer 2019, I decided to hit the reset button on my life and moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where I began working in a coffee shop
I made it a mission to meet a lot of people and see where my networking might take me.
I began moonlighting for local business owners I met at the coffee shop and assisting them with their online marketing strategies. That winter, my networking also led to a full-time government contract job as a business operations manager.
Then COVID-19 hit, and despite still being employed in my government job, I panicked about being alone in a new city and stuck inside all day. But then something clicked.
I told myself that if I could get a grip and stop worrying long enough to focus and pay attention, there might be a business opportunity amid the chaos
In April 2020, less than a month after the pandemic hit, OnlyFans saw a 75% increase in creator accounts. One day, I got to talking to a friend of mine who'd recently started an OnlyFans page during the lockdown.
It was the first time she'd be a 1099 contractor, so I told her about everything she could deduct as work expenses, from production-related equipment like her computer, camera, and ring lights to more niche-related items like lingerie and sex toys. She had no idea those could be considered write-offs, which gave me an idea.
Shortly after, I began researching the adult industry and its niches and in January 2021, I self-published an ebook called "A Simple Resource for OnlyFans Creators Tax Guide 2021" and sold it for $15 through my social media. I figured it would be a good way to help content creators understand tax implications while simultaneously giving me a passive income.
There was some buzz around the book and by the following month, creators began to reach out to me saying, "We don't really want to learn to do our taxes, we want you to do our taxes," and that's when I decided to start my business.
One month in, I decided to quit my government job and go all-in with my new business
Although I'm a tax accountant, I'm not a CPA like my dad, which is the gold standard. So for quality-assurance purposes, I decided that I wanted all of my client's tax returns to be signed off on by a CPA.
That decision turned out to be easier said than done — every CPA I called to partner with either ignored my calls or hung up on me once I mentioned amateur porn models.
It took a month and a lot of outreach before I finally found a sole proprietor along with a local CPA firm back home in Buffalo that agreed to partner with me and sign off on my client returns.
Since quitting my job a year ago and launching The Only Consultant, I've signed more than 100 clients
The majority are millennial and Gen Z women who are OnlyFans creators and want someone approachable that they can spill the tea with and have the ability to DM or text niche-specific tax questions without the fear of being judged.
Every prospective client call begins the same way. It's a 19- to 24-year-old who had a part-time job last year, wound up turning to OnlyFans during the pandemic, and is now freaking out about how to do their taxes. They didn't know where to turn and then found me on TikTok or Instagram and want my help.
Even if I'm the one actually preparing their taxes, I also use the opportunity to educate clients on tax regulations
As a 1099 independent contractor, nothing is withheld from your income, so you have to understand what counts as a tax write-off, and that can depend on a lot of factors depending on your niche.
For example, creators into kink fetishes might deduct expenses like whips and chains, while exotic dancers might write off their Spotify subscription and women who identify as alternative and are heavily tattooed, known as Suicide Girls, might consider their tattoos and piercings a business expense.
The more I work with clients, the more I understand their other needs, so recently I branched out beyond tax prep
I've partnered with a series of other industry professionals to offer my clients everything from life insurance to financial and retirement planning to graphic and web-design services to network security and even personal security if needed.
At the end of the day, I want to be the only consultant they need, period.