Youth & adult sports training
Books and taxes for basketball skills trainers.
Gym time rented by the hour, one-on-one skill sessions, AAU tryout fees, and a Dr. Dish shooting machine that cost more than a season of rent. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
December came in at $8,500. The holiday camp deposit is spread across the two weeks it actually runs, not booked all at once.
- Venmo, private sessionsPrivate training sessions
- Holiday camp depositsCamp and clinic fees
- Rec center gym rentalGym rental
- Dr. Dish maintenanceTraining equipment
- Film review software feeFilm review software
Why your books are different
A skills trainer's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business rents gym time by the hour, trains kids one-on-one and in small groups, and preps players for AAU tryouts. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell whether a rented hour actually paid for itself.
-
1
Gym rental doesn't get matched to the hours actually trained
Renting a church or rec center gym by the hour costs the same whether you fill every session or run half-empty. Filed as one flat monthly cost, you cannot see which time slots are worth keeping.
What we doTies gym rental cost to the sessions run in that block, so you can see which hours are actually worth the rent. -
2
Holiday and school-break camp money lands before the camp runs
Parents pay $300 in November for a two-week holiday camp that runs in late December. Booked as November income, the month it actually happens looks empty.
What we doSpreads camp income across the days the camp actually runs, so the month reflects the training given. -
3
AAU tryout fees get mixed with regular training packages
A $25 tryout fee for a spring AAU team is a different kind of money than an eight-session private training package, but both often land as one generic deposit.
What we doKeeps tryout fees separate from training packages, so you can see how tryouts convert into paying clients. -
4
A shooting machine gets filed as a supply purchase
A Dr. Dish or similar shooting machine can cost as much as a season's worth of gym rental. Filed as supplies, it wrecks that month's number and misses being written off as equipment.
What we doMarks a shooting machine or training tech buy as equipment the day the charge lands, and hands the write-off decision to the accountant. -
5
Assistant trainers paid per session look like a stock check
A former college player who runs sessions for a flat rate per hour looks like plain payroll once it hits the bank feed, hiding whether session pricing actually covers what you pay assistants.
What we doKeeps assistant trainer pay on its own line against session revenue, so you can see the margin on every hour sold.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a basketball skills trainer.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Private training sessionsOne-on-one and small group skill work, paid by the session or the package.
- Camp and clinic feesHoliday, spring break, and summer camps, tracked to the days they run.
- AAU tryout feesSmall fees charged before a travel team commitment is made.
- Team training blocksAAU or school teams booking regular group sessions.
Money out
- Gym rentalHourly or block-rate space rented from a church, rec center, or school.
- Assistant trainer payPer-session pay to other trainers, kept apart from your own draw.
- Training equipmentShooting machines, cones, agility ladders, and balls.
- Film review softwareHudl or similar tools used to break down player video.
- InsuranceGeneral liability coverage for training sessions and gym use.
- MarketingLocal ads, your website, and AAU circuit listing fees.
What we watch for you
- Gym hour utilization
How much of your rented gym time is actually booked with sessions.
- Tryout conversion
How many tryout fees turn into ongoing training clients.
- Trainer pay share
Assistant trainer pay against session revenue, so pricing keeps up.
- The set-aside
What your session and camp income actually owes, tracked monthly so April is never a scramble.
Ask Gus
Things basketball trainers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I tie your rental cost to the sessions run in each block, so you can see which hours are actually earning back the rent.
Most likely, yes. I filed it under equipment instead of supplies and left a note for the accountant, since that call depends on how the rest of your year shakes out.
If he mostly uses your gym time and your clients, he probably looks more like an employee. That call is above my pay grade, so the accountant is reviewing how he's set up.
The tax side
The tax side of a basketball skills training business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Camp money booked too early, machines filed as supplies, and a trainer paid like a contractor who works like an employee.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Training equipmentA shooting machine, ball rack, or agility gear can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent, permanent, for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Assistant trainer classificationA trainer who runs sessions on your gym hours with your clients is usually an employee, not a contractor. Gus watches for that pattern and brings it up before it turns into a habit.
- Contractor 1099sA guest clinician or one-time camp coach paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31, as long as they are not on payroll.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when camp and session income are booked to the right month.
Deductions basketball skills trainers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Basketballs and ball racks
- Shooting machine maintenance
- Agility ladders and cones
- Gym rental deposits
- Hudl or film review subscriptions
- Whistles and coaching gear
- Uniforms with your logo
- Website and booking software
- AAU circuit listing fees
- Liability insurance
- First aid supplies
- Storage for equipment
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A skills trainer's year, kept every month.
AAU tryouts and school-break camps come on their own schedule. Your taxes come on a schedule too. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the assistant trainer 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, right as spring AAU tryouts start filling your gym hours.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer camp season changed the number.
- October
Before winter camps
Before holiday camp sign-ups open, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for basketball skills trainers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions basketball trainers ask first.
Can Gus handle a holiday camp that spans two tax years?
Yes. He tracks camp deposits against the days the sessions actually run, so income lands in the month the training happened, not just when parents paid.
I book sessions through an app on my phone. Do I have to change anything?
Nothing changes on your end. Whatever app you use to fill your schedule is fine. Gus reads what shows up in the bank account, asking you just once if something doesn't explain itself.
I rent gym time from three different places depending on the week. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus keeps all your gym rental costs in one line, tied to the sessions you ran, so it does not matter how many gyms you use.
Do I write off the shooting machine all at once?
Usually, though it depends on the rest of your year. Machines like that typically qualify to be deducted in full the year you buy them. Gus tags the purchase and the accountant weighs in on timing.
I've never kept real books, just a shoebox of receipts. Now what?
That's a fine place to start. Bring the receipts and whatever bank statements you can pull, and Gus builds the picture from there. Most trainers see where they stand within a week or two.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever