Skin, nails & body art
Books and taxes for beauty schools and cosmetology academies.
Tuition paid over a program's length, student kits sold at enrollment, clinic floor services priced below market for real clients, and instructor pay. 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
September came in at $17,200. A new class enrolled and paid their first tuition installment, which I kept apart from the clinic floor's client revenue.
- Tuition installment paymentTuition revenue
- Student kit saleKit sales
- Clinic floor client paymentClinic floor revenue
- Instructor payrollInstructor wages
- State board exam fee reimbursementLicensing and exam fees
Why your books are different
Beauty school books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees tuition payments and a payroll run. Your business is a program that runs for months, students who buy a kit on day one, and a clinic floor selling real services to the public at a discount. When the books do not know that, real per-program profit stays hidden.
-
1
Tuition gets counted as income the day it is paid
A student pays $4,000 upfront for a nine-month program. If the full $4,000 lands as income the month she enrolls, that month looks great and the months of actual instruction look thin.
What we doKeeps a running balance of the program still owed to each student, and counts tuition as income across the months instruction is delivered. -
2
Kit sales get mixed into tuition revenue
A student kit of shears, combs, and mannequin heads sold at enrollment gets rung into the same total as tuition, so you cannot see whether kit sales cover their own cost.
What we doSplits kit sales and their cost from tuition revenue, so real kit margin is visible on its own. -
3
Clinic floor revenue looks like a loss instead of training income
Clinic floor services priced well below market rate for the public bring in real cash, but compared to full-price salon services, that revenue can look like the school is losing money on every haircut.
What we doKeeps clinic floor revenue in its own category, so it reads as training income at a training price, not a failing service line. -
4
Instructor pay and clinic floor supervision blur together
An instructor who teaches classroom hours and also supervises the clinic floor gets paid one wage that does not show which part of the job the hours went to.
What we doKeeps instructor wages in one line, with notes on classroom versus clinic hours where the payroll data allows it.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a beauty school.
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
- Tuition revenueProgram tuition, counted across the months instruction is delivered.
- Kit salesStudent kits of tools and supplies sold at enrollment.
- Clinic floor revenueDiscounted services performed by students for the public.
- Registration and application feesOne-time fees collected at enrollment.
Money out
- Instructor wagesClassroom and clinic floor supervision pay.
- Kit and supply inventoryShears, combs, mannequin heads, and other student kit contents.
- Licensing and exam feesState board licensing, accreditation, and student exam fees.
- Facility rentLease on the school and clinic floor space.
- Marketing and enrollmentAdvertising and open house events to recruit students.
- EquipmentStyling chairs, shampoo bowls, and clinic floor equipment.
What we watch for you
- Tuition still owed
Program months not yet delivered against tuition already collected, so income is not counted early.
- Kit margin
What student kits cost against what they sell for, kept apart from tuition.
- Clinic floor volume
Services performed on the clinic floor, a sign of how much hands-on training students are getting.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things beauty school owners 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.
Not exactly. I count tuition as income across the months of instruction, so this month reflects real teaching delivered, not the full enrollment payment.
No, I keep clinic floor revenue in its own category, so it reads as training income at a training price, not a loss compared to full salon rates.
That depends on which aid programs you participate in and their reporting rules. That one is above my pay grade, so a real accountant is looking at it.
The tax side
The tax side of a beauty school.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Tuition counted too early, kit sales mixed with tuition, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Revenue recognition for tuitionTuition paid upfront for a multi-month program is usually recognized as income across the months instruction is delivered, not all at once, which keeps monthly numbers honest.
- Equipment depreciationStyling chairs, shampoo bowls, and clinic equipment can usually be written off the year they are bought. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Instructor payroll and contractor statusAn instructor who teaches your curriculum on your schedule is usually an employee, not a contractor, even if paid per class.
- Quarterly estimated taxesNothing withholds tax from tuition and clinic revenue automatically, so most owners pay estimated taxes April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
Deductions beauty schools and cosmetology academies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Student kit inventory
- Styling chairs and shampoo bowls
- Clinic floor equipment
- Textbooks and curriculum materials
- State board licensing and accreditation fees
- Instructor continuing education
- Facility rent
- Marketing and open house events
- Liability insurance
- Sanitizing and cleaning supplies
- Student management software
- Card processing fees
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 beauty school year, kept every month.
Enrollment cycles and graduation timing shape the year more than any single season. Your team keeps you ahead of both the enrollment swings and the tax deadlines. 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, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer enrollment classes changed the number.
- October
Before the holidays
Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December, ahead of a new enrollment cycle.
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 beauty schools and cosmetology academies. 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 beauty school owners ask first.
Can Gus spread tuition income across a program's length instead of counting it all at enrollment?
Yes. He keeps a running balance of the program still owed to each student, and counts tuition as income across the months instruction is actually delivered.
How does Gus handle student kit sales?
Kit sales and their cost get split from tuition revenue, so you can see whether kits cover their own cost or need repricing.
Why does clinic floor revenue look so much lower than a real salon's prices?
It is priced as training, not full-service work, and Gus keeps it in its own category so it reads honestly as training income rather than looking like a loss.
Are my instructors employees or contractors?
An instructor teaching your curriculum on your schedule is usually an employee, even if paid per class. Gus flags any pay setup that looks off, and the accountant makes the final call.
My school's books have never separated tuition from clinic revenue. Can that get fixed?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts tuition, kit sales, and clinic revenue apart, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
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.
More in skin, nails & body art
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Independent booth-renting stylists
- Men's grooming lounges
- Salon suite operators
- Scalp micropigmentation studios
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