Gyms & fitness studios

Books and taxes for EMS training studios.

Twenty-minute sessions priced at a premium, a fleet of financed electrical muscle stimulation suits, and trainers paid per session they run. 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
OctoberExample month
$7,500
what you made

October came in at $7,500. The suit financing payment split into what's paying down the equipment and what's interest, so the real cost of the fleet stays clear.

  • Session package depositSession packages
  • Single session card paymentSingle sessions
  • EMS suit financingEquipment
  • Trainer pay runTrainer pay
  • Studio leaseRent
Money in$26,400
Money out$18,900
Set aside for taxes$1,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

An EMS studio's books go wrong around the suits and the short sessions.

A generalist sees session payments and a rent bill. Your studio runs on a fleet of financed electrical stimulation suits, prices twenty-minute sessions at a premium most gyms don't charge, and pays trainers per session they run rather than per hour. When the books miss that, the real cost of a session stays hidden.

  1. 1

    Suit financing reads as one flat equipment cost

    A fleet of EMS suits can run a financing payment of several hundred dollars a month, but part of that is interest and part is paying down suits you'll eventually own outright. Booked as one expense, it overstates what the fleet actually costs.

    What we doSeparates each payment into what pays down the suits and what's interest, so the fleet's true cost never gets confused with the price of financing it.
  2. 2

    Premium per-session pricing gets compared to regular gym rates

    A twenty-minute EMS session priced at a premium looks expensive next to an hour-long class at another gym, and without the right framing in the books, it's easy to misjudge whether the pricing actually covers the suit and trainer cost behind it.

    What we doTracks revenue per session against suit and trainer cost per session, so the premium pricing's real margin is visible.
  3. 3

    Trainer pay per session hides inside a flat wage

    A trainer paid a set rate per twenty-minute session run looks like one lump payroll number, which buries what running sessions actually costs against how many are booked in a day.

    What we doKeeps per-session pay in its own line, separate from any base wages, so trainer cost stays visible against sessions run.
  4. 4

    Session packages get counted the day they're bought

    A client who buries a ten-session package hands you money for sessions she hasn't taken yet. Counted all at once, the day she buys it looks strong and the weeks she actually attends look thin.

    What we doCounts package income as sessions are actually taken, not the day the package is bought, so each month reflects real sessions run.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an EMS training 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 packagesBlocks of sessions sold up front, counted as they're taken.
  • Single sessionsOne-off twenty-minute sessions paid at the time of the visit.
  • Membership plansRecurring monthly plans for clients training multiple times a week.
  • Body composition scansStandalone assessment sessions sold apart from training packages.

Money out

  • Trainer payPer-session pay, kept apart from any base wages.
  • EquipmentEMS suits and financing payments, split into principal and interest.
  • Rent and utilitiesThe studio space and the power the equipment runs on.
  • SoftwareScheduling and payment tools for the studio.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability and professional liability for trainers.
  • MarketingLocal ads and referral incentives for new clients.

What we watch for you

  • Revenue per session

    What each twenty-minute session brings in against suit and trainer cost.

  • Sessions used vs sold

    How much of what clients paid for has actually been delivered, so income tracks real sessions.

  • Suit financing cost

    What's interest versus what's paying down suits you'll eventually own.

  • The set-aside

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

Ask Gus

Things EMS 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.

The suit financing payment looks big on the statement. Is that normal?

Part of it is, since it covers both what you owe on the suits and the interest on carrying that balance. I split the two so the fleet's real cost stays clear.

Is our per-session pricing actually worth it once you factor in the suit cost?

I track revenue per session against suit and trainer cost per session, so you can see that margin directly instead of guessing whether the premium pricing holds up.

Do I owe a 1099 to the trainer who only fills in on weekends?

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 an EMS training studio.

Most of what trips up an EMS studio is a financed suit fleet and pricing that needs the right framing to judge correctly.

What your return has to get right

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

  • EMS suits and equipmentElectrical stimulation suits and studio 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.
  • Trainer or employeeA trainer who runs your session schedule with your suits 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 substitute trainer 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 session packages, trainer pay, and suit financing are tracked correctly all year.

Deductions EMS training studios miss

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

  • Suit maintenance and electrode pads
  • Scheduling software fees
  • Liability insurance
  • Trainer certifications
  • Studio flooring
  • Business phone and booking line
  • Cleaning service
  • Marketing and referral incentives
  • Website and booking widget
  • Sanitizing supplies for suits

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

An EMS studio's year, kept every month.

Clients come in for twenty minutes at a time, year round. Your taxes come on a fixed 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so the New Year's session-package rush 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 session pricing is holding its margin against suit costs.

  4. October

    Before year-end

    Before the calendar closes, Gus looks at suits 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 EMS training 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 EMS studio owners ask first.

Can Gus tell me if our per-session pricing is actually profitable?

Yes. He tracks revenue per session against suit and trainer cost per session, so you can see the real margin behind the pricing, instead of comparing it to a regular gym rate that doesn't reflect your costs.

How does Gus handle the suit financing payment?

He splits it into principal and interest, so what you're paying down on the suits stays separate from what you're paying in interest to carry that balance.

My trainers are paid per session run. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps per-session pay in its own line so you can see trainer cost against how many sessions are actually booked.

Can Gus track session packages as clients actually use them?

Yes. Instead of counting a package as income the day it's sold, he tracks it as sessions are taken, so your monthly number reflects real sessions run, not just money collected.

I haven't kept up with the books since opening. Is that a problem?

Not a problem. Send the statements you have since opening. Gus works backward through them, the accountant checks the result, and most owners know where they stand before long.

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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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