Gyms & fitness studios

Books and taxes for Brazilian jiu-jitsu academies.

Gi and no-gi tuition tracks, open mat fees, a gi order from a supplier, and a competition team heading to a regional tournament. 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
FebruaryExample month
$6,900
what you made

February came in at $6,900. Three students competed at a regional tournament this month, and I kept the entry fees and travel reimbursements in their own line, apart from regular tuition.

  • Wodify tuition draftTuition
  • Open mat feeOpen mat fees
  • Fuji Sports gi orderRetail
  • Coach pay runCoach pay
  • Tournament entry feesCompetition costs
Money in$24,800
Money out$17,900
Set aside for taxes$1,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A BJJ academy's books go wrong around belts, mats, and tournaments.

A generalist sees tuition and a rent bill. Your academy runs separate gi and no-gi programs, charges for open mat sessions, sells gis as part of training, and sends a competition team to tournaments a few times a year. When the books miss that, you can't tell what each part of the academy actually earns.

  1. 1

    Gi and no-gi tuition tracks blend together

    Students who train both programs pay one combined rate, which can hide whether the no-gi program is actually pulling its weight compared to the traditional gi classes.

    What we doKeeps combined-program tuition tagged so you can still see how each training track contributes to the month.
  2. 2

    Open mat fees look like an inconsistent extra

    A drop-in fee for open mat sessions is smaller and less regular than tuition, so it often gets folded into a catch-all category instead of tracked as its own steady source.

    What we doTracks open mat fees as their own category so that recurring income doesn't disappear into a general bucket.
  3. 3

    Competition team costs mix with regular gym expenses

    Entry fees, travel, and gear for a competition team heading to a regional or national tournament are real costs tied to specific students, but blended into general expenses they hide what the competition program actually costs.

    What we doKeeps competition entry fees and travel in their own line so you can see what fielding a team actually runs.
  4. 4

    Gi sales get mixed with tuition

    A new student buying a gi as part of signing up is a retail sale, not tuition, but the two often land in the same bucket, which hides what the gi program actually earns after what gis cost to stock.

    What we doKeeps gi and gear sales in their own category, separate from tuition, so retail margin stays visible.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a BJJ academy.

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

  • TuitionMonthly gi and no-gi program dues drafted through Wodify.
  • Open mat feesDrop-in charges for open mat sessions, kept apart from tuition.
  • RetailGis, rash guards, belts, and gear sold to students.
  • Seminar feesOne-time charges for visiting black belt seminars.

Money out

  • Coach payHead coach and assistant instructor wages.
  • Retail inventoryGis, belts, and gear restocked for students.
  • Rent and utilitiesThe building and the power it runs on.
  • SoftwareWodify or a similar class management system.
  • Competition costsEntry fees and travel for students competing in tournaments.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability, given the contact involved on the mat.
  • MarketingLocal ads and referral incentives for new students.

What we watch for you

  • Active student count

    The base tuition rests on, since gi and no-gi programs often share a roster.

  • Open mat participation

    How steady that recurring fee is running month to month.

  • Retail margin

    What gi sales earn after what they cost to stock, separate from tuition.

  • The set-aside

    What you'll owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things academy 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.

Three of our guys competed at a tournament this month. Where does that cost go?

Its own line. Entry fees and travel for competing students are kept apart from regular gym expenses, so you can see what fielding a team actually costs.

Do open mat fees really matter that much to track?

They're smaller than tuition, but they're steady. I keep them in their own category so that income doesn't quietly disappear into a general bucket.

Do I owe a 1099 to the black belt who ran our seminar?

If he's not on payroll and you pay him $2,000 or more this year, yes, by January 31. I keep that list running so it's ready.

The tax side

The tax side of running a BJJ academy.

Most of what trips up an academy is timing and labels. Tuition tracks blended together, competition costs buried, and coach pay that needs a second look.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Coach or contractorAn instructor who teaches your class schedule on your mats usually counts as an employee, not a contractor, no matter what the pay arrangement is called. Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
  • Contractor 1099sA visiting seminar instructor not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if paid $2,000 or more in 2026. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • Mat and studio equipmentMats and gym equipment can usually be written off the year they're bought. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when tuition, retail, and competition costs are tracked correctly all year.

Deductions Brazilian jiu-jitsu academies miss

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

  • Mat cleaning and resurfacing
  • Wodify or class software fees
  • Liability insurance
  • Coach certifications and seminars
  • Competition entry fees
  • Gi and gear for staff
  • Business phone and booking line
  • Cleaning service
  • Marketing and referral incentives
  • Website and booking widget

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 BJJ academy's year, kept every month.

Tournament season comes on its own schedule. Your taxes come on theirs. Your team keeps you ahead of both. 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 the New Year's sign-up wave doesn't turn into an April surprise.

  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'll owe, and whether this year's tournament travel changed the number.

  4. October

    Before year-end

    Before the calendar closes, Gus looks at mats or equipment worth buying 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 Brazilian jiu-jitsu 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 academy owners ask first.

Can Gus track competition costs separately from regular expenses?

Yes. Entry fees and travel for students competing in tournaments get their own line, so you can see what fielding a competition team costs, apart from everyday gym expenses.

I run tuition through Wodify. Do I have to change anything?

No. Keep running the academy the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement and billing drafts, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.

Do gi sales need their own category?

Yes. Gi and gear sales are kept apart from tuition so you can see what retail actually earns after what gis cost to stock, including any sales tax owed on those items.

My coaches are paid per class they teach. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps coach pay in its own line so you can see what teaching costs against what tuition brings in.

My books are behind from the academy's first year. Is that a problem?

No. Send the statements you have from that stretch. Gus catches things up, the accountant checks his work, and most owners have a clear picture within 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 gyms & fitness studios

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