Youth & adult sports training
Books and taxes for fencing clubs.
Monthly club dues, private lessons with the head coach, a USA Fencing membership fee collected from every family, and an electric scoring box that needs recalibrating again. 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
October came in at $5,500. Two new families' USA Fencing membership fees moved through your account this month, so I kept that apart from your own club dues.
- Monthly club duesMembership dues
- Private lesson feesPrivate lessons
- USA Fencing member feesGoverning body pass-through
- Scoring box repairElectric scoring equipment
- Blade and mask orderFencing equipment
Why your books are different
A fencing club's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your club charges monthly dues, sells private lessons at a premium over group class, and moves a governing body membership fee through the same account it uses for everything else. When the books do not separate those, the club's real margin disappears.
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1
Private lessons and group class dues get logged as one number
A private lesson with the head coach often costs three or four times what a month of group class dues runs, but if both land in one lesson-income bucket, you cannot tell which is actually paying the coach's time.
What we doKeeps private lesson income apart from group dues, so each can be measured against what it costs to deliver. -
2
USA Fencing membership fees look like club revenue when they aren't
A family often pays their yearly USA Fencing membership fee to the club, which forwards it on to the governing body. Counted as club income when it lands, it inflates what the club actually earned that month.
What we doKeeps membership fees collected for USA Fencing separate from real club income, so revenue reflects only what the club kept. -
3
Electric scoring equipment repairs get buried in general supplies
A scoring box, reels, and body cords need regular calibration and repair that costs differently than replacing blades or masks, but often get logged as one generic equipment expense.
What we doKeeps scoring equipment repair in its own line, apart from weapons and protective gear, so you can see what keeping bouts running actually costs. -
4
Hosting a tournament brings in referee and bout committee costs that get missed
A club that hosts its own open tournament pays referees and a bout committee separately from its usual coaching staff, and that cost is easy to leave out when it only happens a few times a year.
What we doTracks tournament referee and bout committee pay as its own cost, so a hosted event's real profit or loss is visible. -
5
A bulk blade and mask order lands as one expense with no season attached
Ordering foils, epees, and masks for a group of new members ahead of a fall session often gets booked as one supply run, disconnected from the dues that are supposed to cover the new gear.
What we doTies equipment orders to the session or season they support, so a bulk order doesn't distort one month's number.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a fencing club.
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 or annual club access, tracked apart from lessons.
- Private lessonsOne-on-one coaching time with the head coach or an assistant.
- Tournament entry feesEntry fees for open tournaments the club hosts.
- Gear salesBlades, masks, and jackets sold to members.
Money out
- Coach payHead and assistant coach pay, kept apart from your own draw.
- Fencing equipmentFoils, epees, sabers, masks, and protective gear.
- Electric scoring equipmentScoring boxes, reels, and body cord repair.
- Governing body pass-throughUSA Fencing membership fees forwarded on families' behalf.
- Strip and facility rentalGym or strip space rented for practice.
- InsuranceGeneral liability coverage for the club and its bouts.
What we watch for you
- Private lesson mix
How much of your revenue comes from private lessons versus group dues.
- Scoring equipment cost
What keeping electric scoring gear working actually costs each month.
- Tournament net
What a hosted tournament actually nets once referees and the bout committee are paid.
- The set-aside
What dues and lesson income actually owe, tracked monthly so April brings no surprises.
Ask Gus
Things fencing club 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.
No, and I keep it separate from your club revenue. That money passes through your account, but it was never really the club's to begin with.
I keep scoring equipment repair in its own line, apart from blades and masks, so you can see what keeping bouts running is actually costing you.
Send me the entry fees as they come in and what you pay referees and the bout committee. I'll track it as its own event so you know whether hosting it was worth it.
The tax side
The tax side of a fencing club.
Most of what trips up a club is separating what's really its own money from what passes through, and tracking equipment that needs constant upkeep.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Coach worker classificationA coach who teaches on the club's schedule using the club's strips is usually an employee, not a contractor, even part time.
- Contractor 1099s for referees and bout committeesA referee or bout committee member paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for hosted tournaments, and not on payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Governing body pass-through feesMembership fees collected on behalf of USA Fencing and forwarded on are not the club's income and should not be taxed as if they were.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when dues, lessons, and pass-through fees are kept apart.
Deductions fencing clubs miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Foils, epees, and sabers
- Masks and protective jackets
- Body cords and reels
- Electric scoring box repair
- Strip flooring and tape
- Liability insurance
- Coaching certification fees
- Website and scheduling software
- Tournament listing fees
- First aid supplies
- Storage for club equipment
- Referee and bout committee pay
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 fencing club's year, kept every month.
Class sessions and tournament season come on their own calendar. Your taxes come on a fixed one. 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, the coach and referee 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, right as the spring tournament circuit picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer camp or national event travel changed the number.
- October
Before winter session
Before the fall and winter class session fills up, Gus looks at equipment worth restocking 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 fencing clubs. 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 fencing club owners ask first.
Can Gus keep private lesson income separate from group dues?
Yes. He tracks them in separate lines, so you can see whether private coaching time is actually earning what it should against everything else you run.
We forward USA Fencing membership fees for our members. Is that taxable to the club?
No. That money passes through and isn't the club's income. Gus keeps it out of your revenue so your real earnings stay accurate.
Our scoring equipment needs constant small repairs. Is that worth tracking separately?
It is. Gus keeps scoring gear repair apart from weapons and protective equipment, so you can see what staying bout-ready actually costs.
We're planning to host a small open tournament. What do we need to keep track of?
Entry fees coming in, and what you pay referees and the bout committee going out. Gus tracks it as its own event so you can see whether it was worth running.
Our books have just been a shoebox of receipts since we opened. Can Gus start from there?
Yes. Bring whatever you have, receipts included, along with your bank statements, and Gus builds a real picture of where the club stands.
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 youth & adult sports training
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Golf academies for juniors
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- Private pitching & hitting coaches
- Quarterback & position coaches
- Referee & sports official assignors
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- Youth sports leagues
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- Tennis clubs & teaching pros
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- Powerlifting & strongman gyms
- Prenatal & postnatal fitness
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