Gyms & fitness studios
Books and taxes for CrossFit affiliates.
Monthly dues, a barbell order from Rogue, coaches paid per class, and the annual affiliate fee. 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 $7,700. The new set of bumper plates from Rogue is booked as equipment, not supplies, since it's the kind of buy that should be written off right.
- Wodify EFT batchMembership dues
- Rogue plates and rig orderEquipment
- Coach payroll runStaff wages
- CrossFit HQ affiliate feeAffiliate fee
- Programming subscriptionSoftware
Why your books are different
A CrossFit box's books go wrong in the same recurring spots.
A generalist sees dues and a rent bill. Your box runs on a barbell budget, coaches paid per class they teach, an affiliate fee due once a year, and members who compete and need their own line. When the books miss that, the real cost of running class stays hidden.
-
1
The affiliate fee gets lost in general expenses
The annual fee paid to CrossFit HQ to keep the affiliation is a real, predictable cost, but when it lands in the same bucket as rent and utilities, nobody notices it's due again until the invoice shows up.
What we doKeeps the affiliate fee in its own line so it's expected every year instead of a surprise. -
2
Coaches paid per class look like flat wages
A coach who's paid a set rate for each class she teaches, on top of a cut for personal training clients, shows up on the bank feed as one lump payroll number, which hides what coaching actually costs against classes taught.
What we doKeeps per-class pay and PT commissions in their own lines, separate from base wages, so coaching cost stays visible. -
3
A barbell order reads as a supply run
A set of bumper plates, a new rig, or a rower can run into the thousands, but filed as supplies it muddles the month and misses out on being written off the way real equipment should be.
What we doFlags big equipment buys the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
4
Competition team costs blend into regular dues
Members who compete at the CrossFit Open or a local throwdown often pay entry fees and buy team shirts through the box, and when that money mixes with regular dues, you can't tell whether the competition side pays for itself.
What we doKeeps competition entry fees and team costs in their own category so you can see whether that program breaks even. -
5
Prepaid memberships get counted too early
A member who prepays for six months hands you money for time that hasn't happened yet. Counted all at once, one month looks great and the ones after it look worse than they are.
What we doRecognizes prepaid dues month by month as they're used up, so a big renewal doesn't make one month look like the box suddenly took off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a CrossFit affiliate.
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
- Membership duesMonthly EFT drafts through Wodify or SugarWOD.
- Personal trainingOne-on-one and small group sessions sold in blocks.
- Drop-insVisiting athletes paying for a single class.
- RetailShirts, chalk, wrist wraps, and gear sold at the box.
- Competition team feesEntry fees and team costs, kept apart from regular dues.
Money out
- Coach wages and per-class payKept apart so you can see coaching cost against classes taught.
- EquipmentBarbells, plates, rigs, and rowers, logged so they're written off right.
- Affiliate feeThe annual fee paid to CrossFit HQ.
- Programming and softwareWodify, SugarWOD, and any programming subscription.
- Rent and utilitiesThe building and the power a full class schedule runs on.
- InsuranceGeneral liability, given the equipment and intensity of class.
- MarketingLocal ads and referral incentives for new members.
What we watch for you
- Active member count
The base the dues number rests on, since class-based boxes run on a steady roster.
- Coach pay share
Wages and per-class pay against total revenue, so coaching cost stays visible.
- Equipment spend
What's going toward barbells and rigs each quarter, so a big buy doesn't surprise you.
- The set-aside
What you'll owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things box 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.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
It's not, it's its own line, kept separate from rent and utilities, so it reads as the annual cost it actually is, not a surprise.
If she's not on payroll and you pay her $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 CrossFit affiliate.
Most of what trips up a box is timing and labels. Equipment filed as supplies, coach pay tangled with wages, and a fee nobody planned for.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Barbells, plates, and rigsGym equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Whether to take it all now depends on the year you're having.
- Coach or contractorA coach who teaches your class schedule with your equipment 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 seminar coach or specialist not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if paid $2,000 or more in 2026. Gus keeps that list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when dues, coaching, and equipment are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions CrossFit affiliates miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Equipment repair and maintenance
- Chalk and gym supplies
- Programming subscription
- Wodify or SugarWOD fees
- Competition entry fees
- Liability insurance
- Coach certifications
- Flooring and rig anchoring
- Business phone line
- Website and booking widget
- Marketing and referral incentives
- Uniforms with your logo
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 CrossFit box's year, kept every month.
The Open comes every spring. Your taxes come on their own schedule. 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, and you get a monthly set-aside so the January signup wave doesn't turn into an April surprise.
- 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'll owe, and whether the CrossFit Open in spring brought in the members it usually does.
- October
Before the next affiliate fee
Before the affiliate fee renews and the next equipment order gets planned, Gus looks at what's worth buying 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 CrossFit affiliates. 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 box owners ask first.
Can Gus keep the affiliate fee separate from rent?
Yes. The annual fee paid to CrossFit HQ gets its own line, so it reads as the yearly cost it is instead of getting lost in a general expenses category.
I run class through Wodify. Do I have to change anything?
No. Keep running the box the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement and EFT batch, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
My coaches are paid per class plus a PT cut. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps per-class pay and PT commissions in their own lines so coaching cost stays visible against what class and training bring in.
Do I write off a new rig all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the box can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
My books are a mess from the first year. Is that a problem?
No. Hand over the statements from since the box opened. Gus sorts through the backlog, the accountant checks his work, and most owners know where they stand 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.
- Adult & ballroom dance studios
- Aerial silks & circus arts studios
- All-star cheerleading gyms
- EMS training studios
- Parkour gyms
- Pole fitness studios
- Powerlifting & strongman gyms
- Prenatal & postnatal fitness
- Running coaches & run clubs
- Senior fitness programs
- Triathlon & endurance coaches
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu academies
- Competitive kids dance studios
- Gymnastics & tumbling centers
- Hybrid & functional fitness (HYROX-style) gyms
- MMA gyms
- Outdoor bootcamps
- Rock climbing & bouldering gyms
- Swim schools
- Women-only gyms
- 24-hour access gyms
- Barre studios
- Boxing & kickboxing gyms
- Independent gyms
- Indoor cycling studios
- Kids martial arts schools
- Online personal trainers
- Personal training studios
- Reformer Pilates studios
- Yoga 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