Tutoring, test prep & alternative schools
Books and taxes for executive function coaches.
Weekly coaching sessions billed by the hour, a handful of families on monthly retainer, occasional school consultations, and a caseload that swells right after report cards. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November came in at $6,700. Three families started monthly retainers this month instead of paying per session, so I kept that revenue in its own category.
- Weekly session invoicesHourly coaching
- Monthly retainer paymentsRetainer coaching
- Coaching certification courseCertification and training
- Video coaching softwareScheduling and video tools
- Coaching liability premiumLiability insurance
Why your books are different
Executive function coaching books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees invoices and a home office. Your practice mixes hourly billing with monthly retainers, has almost no physical inventory, and swells right after every report card cycle. When the books do not know that, deductions get missed and cash flow looks unpredictable.
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1
Hourly sessions and monthly retainers get counted the same way
A family on a flat monthly retainer pays the same amount whether four or six sessions happen that month, and if that payment is booked like an hourly invoice, the numbers stop reflecting what work actually happened.
What we doKeeps retainer income in its own category, tracked by the month it covers rather than the sessions inside it. -
2
Certification and training costs look like a routine expense
An executive function coaching certification or an advanced training course can be a significant cost, and if it is filed the same as a subscription renewal, the deduction and the timing both get muddled.
What we doLogs a certification or advanced training cost the day it posts and holds it apart from routine subscriptions, ready for the accountant's call. -
3
School consultation fees blend into direct coaching income
A one-time consultation with a student's school, often billed differently than ongoing coaching, gets lumped into the same category, making it hard to see what consulting work brings in versus regular sessions.
What we doKeeps school consultation fees in their own category, separate from ongoing coaching revenue. -
4
A caseload swell after report cards looks like unexplained growth
New families often sign up in waves right after report cards go out, and without context, a sudden jump in session income can look like the business changed when it is really the normal seasonal pattern.
What we doTracks session volume against the school calendar so a report-card wave reads as the seasonal pattern it is.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an executive function coaching practice.
Set up once for how families pay and what the work actually involves. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Hourly coachingIndividual sessions billed by the hour, paid per visit.
- Retainer coachingFlat monthly fees covering an agreed number of sessions.
- School consultationsOne-time meetings with a student's school, billed apart from ongoing coaching.
- Group workshopsSkill-building workshops for multiple students at once.
Money out
- Certification and trainingCoaching certification programs and continuing education courses.
- Scheduling and video toolsThe video conferencing and calendar tools that run your practice.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for coaching students one-on-one.
- Assessment and planning toolsPlanner systems, apps, and materials used with students.
- Continuing educationConferences and workshops to keep credentials and skills current.
- Marketing and referralsA coaching website, parent support group outreach, and referral gifts for other providers.
What we watch for you
- Active caseload
The base your coaching income rests on. A full caseload matters more than one strong week.
- Retainer share of revenue
How much of income comes from flat monthly fees versus per-session billing.
- Session volume by month
How caseload swells around report cards, so growth and seasonality do not get confused.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things executive function coaches 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.
Yes, and I've already got it in its own category. Retainer income is tracked by the month it covers, so it never gets confused with hourly billing.
Usually, yes. I logged it as a training cost and flagged it so the accountant places it right, since the amount can matter for the year.
No, I track session volume against the school calendar, so a normal post-report-card wave reads as exactly that.
The tax side
The tax side of an executive function coaching practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is retainers billed like hourly work and training costs filed without a second thought. Fix the labels and the rest follows.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Certification and training costsExecutive function coaching certification and continuing education are generally deductible business costs, tracked as they happen so the accountant can place them on the right year's return.
- Self-employment taxA solo coach taking profit directly, without running payroll, owes self-employment tax of 15.3 percent on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- Home office deductionA dedicated space used regularly for planning and virtual sessions can often be deducted, and good books keep the records ready for the accountant to apply it correctly.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo practitioners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when hourly and retainer income are tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions executive function coaches miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Coaching certification courses
- Video conferencing subscription
- Planner systems and apps
- Liability insurance
- Continuing education and conferences
- Professional association dues
- Home office for sessions
- Marketing and referral gifts
- Business phone plan
- 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
An executive function coaching year, kept every month.
Report card season brings the phone calls. Gus keeps the year's swings organized alongside it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
New term, full caseload
Winter report cards drive a wave of new families. Last year's return gets started and the monthly set-aside gets planned.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Summer check-in
Where you stand while summer sessions run lighter, and whether the year's retainers changed what you will owe.
- October
Before the fall wave
Fall report cards bring the year's next wave of new families. Gus looks at any training or software worth doing 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 executive function coaches. 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 executive function coaches ask first.
I bill some families hourly and others on retainer. Will that confuse the books?
No. Retainer and hourly income get their own categories from the start, so you can always see which billing style is actually driving your revenue.
I have no physical office and almost no supplies. Does that mean I miss out on deductions?
It means different deductions matter most. Certification, video tools, home office, and liability insurance are the ones Gus tracks closely for a practice like yours.
Do I need to send a 1099 to the other coach who covers my caseload sometimes?
If you pay her $2,000 or more this year, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps a running list so it is ready when the time comes.
My caseload swings a lot depending on the time of year. Is that a problem for the books?
No, that is the normal shape of this work. Gus tracks session volume against the school calendar so a seasonal swing reads as what it is.
My invoicing has been scattered across three tools for two years. Can Gus untangle that?
Yes. Send what you have and he sorts it into one clean set of books. Most coaches know exactly 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.
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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