Skin, nails & body art

Books and taxes for body contouring studios.

Multi-session packages sold thousands of dollars at a time, financing payouts that land short of the sticker price, and machines that need real upkeep. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
JanuaryExample month
$13,200
what you made

January came in at $13,200. New Year body goals drove three big package sales, and I kept the financing company's cut out of your sales number so your real income stays honest.

  • Cherry financing payoutFinanced packages
  • Session package paymentSession packages
  • Machine maintenance serviceEquipment maintenance
  • Groupon package promo feeMarketing and lead fees
  • Treatment room suite rentStudio rent
Money in$28,400
Money out$15,200
Set aside for taxes$3,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Body contouring books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and a maintenance bill. Your business is packages sold thousands of dollars at once, a financing company that keeps a fee before you get paid, and machines expensive enough that a repair bill can swing a whole month. When the books do not know that, real per-package profit stays hidden.

  1. 1

    Multi-session packages get counted as income too early

    A client pays $2,400 upfront for a six-session package. If the full $2,400 lands as income the day she buys it, that month looks great and the months she actually comes in for sessions look thin.

    What we doKeeps a running balance of sessions still owed on the package, and counts each one as income only when she comes in for it.
  2. 2

    Financing payouts land short of the sale price

    When a client finances a $3,000 package through a company like Cherry, the lender pays you less than the full price and keeps its fee. Book the payout as the sale and both your sales and your costs come out wrong.

    What we doBooks the full package price as money in and the lender's cut as a financing fee, so your prices and your costs both show up honest.
  3. 3

    Equipment repairs get filed as a supply cost

    A body contouring machine can need calibration, applicator replacement, or repair work that runs into the thousands, and filed as regular supplies, it wrecks the month it happened.

    What we doKeeps equipment maintenance in its own line, so a repair bill does not distort a month that was otherwise on track.
  4. 4

    Groupon and deal-site fees hide the real cost of a promo client

    A promotional package sold through a deal site brings in a new client, but the site's fee can eat a large share of that sale, and if it is not tracked, you cannot tell whether those clients are worth the discount.

    What we doKeeps deal-site and marketing fees visible against the sales they bring in, so promo pricing can be judged on real numbers.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a body contouring studio.

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

  • Session packagesMulti-session packages, counted as income when each session happens.
  • Financed packagesThe full package amount, with the lender's cut booked as a fee.
  • Single session salesOne-off sessions booked without a package.
  • Retail salesPost-treatment skincare and compression garments.

Money out

  • Equipment maintenanceMachine calibration, applicator replacement, and repairs.
  • Financing and card feesWhat the financing company or card processor kept before you got paid.
  • Marketing and lead feesDeal-site promotions and paid social ads.
  • Studio rentTreatment room or suite lease.
  • Licensing and insuranceBusiness license and liability insurance.
  • Continuing educationDevice certification and technique training.

What we watch for you

  • Package balance

    Sessions clients have paid for but not used yet, so you know what is already owed.

  • Financing cost

    What lenders keep on financed packages, worth knowing before offering it on every sale.

  • Average package value

    Money in divided by packages sold, so pricing changes show up fast.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things body contouring studio 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.

A client financed a $3,000 package but I only received $2,750. Where did the rest go?

The financing company kept $250 as its fee. I booked the full $3,000 as your sale and the fee as a cost, so your real income and expenses both show up honest.

Why does January look lower than what I actually sold in packages?

Package sales only count as income when clients come in for each session. Several clients still have sessions sitting on their balance from January's sign-ups.

My machine needed a $2,800 repair this month. Does that come off this year?

Usually a repair like that counts right away as a cost, rather than something to write off over years. I flagged it so the accountant confirms with your full year in view.

The tax side

The tax side of a body contouring studio.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Package income counted too early, financing fees mixed with sales, 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.

  • Equipment depreciationA body contouring machine can usually be written off the year it is bought. Section 179 covers up to $2,560,000, and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for equipment placed in service after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sAny contractor or technician paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
  • Quarterly estimated taxesNothing withholds tax from package and session income automatically, so most owners pay estimated taxes April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.

Deductions body contouring studios miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Machine calibration and repairs
  • Applicator and treatment head replacement
  • Compression garments and aftercare product
  • Financing and card processing fees
  • Business license and liability insurance
  • Device certification training
  • Booking software subscription
  • Deal-site and marketing fees
  • Treatment room linens
  • Consultation intake forms
  • Studio lighting
  • Sanitizing supplies

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 body contouring year, kept every month.

New Year resolutions and pre-summer goals drive most of the year's package sales. Your team keeps you ahead of both the rush and the tax deadlines. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled, right as New Year package sales pick up.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer body prep season changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the holidays

    Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 body contouring studios. 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 body contouring studio owners ask first.

Can Gus handle packages sold through a financing company?

Yes. He books the full package as money in and the lender's fee as a cost, so your sales are not understated and the fee still counts against your taxes.

I sell multi-session packages upfront. When does that count as income?

Only when each session actually happens. Gus keeps a running balance of what clients have paid for but not used, so your monthly number reflects real work done.

Does a big equipment repair wreck my monthly numbers?

It shows up as a cost the month it happens, kept in its own line apart from small supplies, so you can see it clearly without it muddying your regular spending.

I run promotions through Groupon. Does that complicate the books?

No. Gus tracks deal-site fees against the sales they bring in, so you can judge whether that kind of promotion is actually worth the discount.

My books have never separated financing fees from sales. Can that get fixed?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts what the financing company kept from what you actually sold, 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.

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We keep books for the business next door too.

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