Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for high-ticket coaching programs.

Application calls that close five figures at a time, a closer working on commission, payment plans that sometimes stop paying, and ad spend to keep the calendar full. Your own bookkeeper 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
JanuaryExample month
$43,000
what you made

January came in at $43,000. Two clients paid in full and three are on payment plans, so I kept the paid-in-full number separate from what is still owed.

  • Enrollment, paid in fullProgram enrollments
  • Client payment plan installmentProgram enrollments
  • Closer commission payoutSales team pay
  • Meta ads, application funnelPaid advertising
  • Calendly and CRM subscriptionSoftware
Money in$85,000
Money out$42,000
Set aside for taxes$11,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A high-ticket coaching business's books go wrong in a few spots.

A generalist sees a five-figure deposit and calls the week a win. Yours really includes a paid-in-full enrollment, three months of a payment plan still owed, a closer's commission that has to come out before the money is really yours, and a defaulted plan from two months ago. When the books do not separate them, cash flow is a guess.

  1. 1

    Paid-in-full and payment plans get mixed together

    A $15,000 program sold as $15,000 up front to one client and $2,500 a month for six months to another looks the same on the surface, but only one of those is fully collected, and treating both the same overstates what is actually in hand.

    What we doKeeps paid-in-full enrollments and payment plan installments in view separately, so you know what has actually landed against what is still owed.
  2. 2

    A closer's commission is not yet subtracted

    A closer paid 10 to 15 percent on every sale means an enrollment that looks like $10,000 in revenue is really $8,500 to $9,000 once the commission goes out, and skipping that step overstates the program's real margin.

    What we doBooks commission owed the same month the sale closes, so the number you see already reflects what the sale actually kept.
  3. 3

    A payment plan stops paying and nobody notices for months

    A client on a six-month plan who defaults after payment two often just quietly stops, and if that is not tracked separately from active plans, the business keeps counting income that already stopped coming in.

    What we doFlags a payment plan the month it stops paying, so future months are not still counting income that will not arrive.
  4. 4

    Application funnel ad spend swamps a slow enrollment month

    Running ads to fill an application calendar costs money every week whether or not calls convert that month, so a stretch of low close rates next to steady ad spend can look like the business is losing money when it is really a cash flow timing issue.

    What we doTracks ad spend against enrollments closed in the same window, so a slow close month reads clearly instead of like a crisis.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a high-ticket coaching business.

Set up once for how the program gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Program enrollmentsPaid-in-full and payment plan installments from clients.
  • VIP day upsellsOne-off intensives sold to current or past clients.
  • Application feesAny fee charged to book a sales call.
  • Affiliate or referral incomeCommissions earned referring clients elsewhere.

Money out

  • Sales team payCloser and setter commissions and base pay.
  • Paid advertisingMeta and Google ads run to fill the application calendar.
  • CRM and scheduling softwareCalendly, a CRM, and call tracking tools.
  • Coaching delivery costsAny coaches or contractors delivering sessions on the owner's behalf.
  • Client materialsWorkbooks, assessments, and program resources.

What we watch for you

  • Collected versus owed

    How much of enrolled revenue has actually been paid against what is still on payment plans.

  • Default rate

    What share of payment plans stop paying before completing, which tells you about real revenue, not just sales.

  • Cost per enrollment

    What ad spend and commissions cost against each enrollment closed.

  • The set-aside

    What will be owed, tracked every month, so a big enrollment month does not turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things coaching program 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.

I closed $30,000 this week but most of it is payment plans. What do I actually have?

About $12,000 landed already, and I am tracking the rest as it comes in over the next several months so you are working from real cash.

One of my payment plan clients stopped paying after month two. Now what?

I flagged that plan as defaulted so it stops counting as expected income going forward. What to do about collecting the rest is a call for you and the accountant.

Should my closer be a W-2 employee instead of a 1099 contractor?

That is above my pay grade. She is paid on commission and works your schedule, which I have flagged, and the accountant can weigh in on the right setup.

The tax side

The tax side of running a high-ticket coaching program.

Most of what trips people up here is counting money before it actually lands, and a sales team paid on commission with no clean paper trail.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Paying a closer $2,000 or moreA closer or setter not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026 in commissions, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that running total.
  • A closer who looks like an employeeA closer working your hours, using only your CRM, and following your script usually looks like an employee to the IRS, no matter what the contract says. Gus flags it for the accountant.
  • The S corp questionOnce profit clears well above a reasonable salary, an S corp election can lower the self-employment tax bill. The accountant runs the numbers on actual profit, not the sales total.
  • The pass-through deductionMost coaching businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how the enrollment mix affects how much applies.

Deductions high-ticket coaching programs miss

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

  • Sales team commissions
  • CRM and scheduling software
  • Application funnel ad spend
  • Client workbooks and materials
  • Call recording and tracking tools
  • Business phone and internet
  • Coach and contractor pay
  • Business liability insurance
  • Payment processor fees
  • Website and landing pages
  • Accounting and legal 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

A coaching program's year, kept every month.

Enrollment comes in bursts around cohorts and calendars, but the books stay closed every month between them, all year. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Reset the enrollment goals

    Last year's return gets started, the sales team's 1099s are prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is no scramble.

  2. April

    Filed, enrollments open

    The return is filed and signed, no scramble for cash, since each enrollment since January has fed the set-aside along the way.

  3. July

    Enrollment scoreboard check

    Where the business stands, what it will owe, and whether a spring enrollment push changed the number.

  4. October

    Before a Q4 enrollment push

    Many coaches run a final cohort or cart-open before year end. Gus looks at what is planned and anything worth doing 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 high-ticket coaching programs. 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 coaching program owners ask first.

Do I owe tax on the full contract value or just what has been paid?

Generally only on what has actually been collected. Gus tracks payment plan installments as they arrive so the accountant works from real cash, not the full signed amount.

My closer works from home on her own hours. Does that change anything?

It can. Gus looks at the whole picture, whether she uses your CRM and script, and flags anything that looks employee-shaped for the accountant to weigh in on.

A client defaulted on their payment plan after two payments. Do I still owe tax on the full amount?

No. You only owe on what was actually collected. Gus flags the default so future months stop expecting income that stopped coming in.

I run ads constantly, even in months with no launch. How does that affect the books?

Gus tracks ad spend against enrollments closed in the same window, so a heavy ad month with a slow close rate reads as a timing issue, not a loss.

My enrollment and commission numbers have never been tracked cleanly. Can Gus fix that?

Yes. Send the bank and processor statements you have. Gus sorts enrollments, plans, and commissions, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand inside 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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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