Gyms & fitness studios
Books and taxes for independent gyms.
Monthly dues, personal training packages, drop-in fees, and a pro shop that sells more shaker bottles than you'd think. 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
March came in at $13,400. Half of that January signup wave already used up their first month, so I moved their dues into the months they cover instead of counting it all now.
- Mindbody EFT batchMembership dues
- Personal training depositPT packages
- Rogue Fitness invoiceEquipment
- Pro shop restockRetail
- Trainer payroll runStaff wages
Why your books are different
An independent gym's books go wrong in the same handful of places.
A generalist sees deposits and a rent bill. Your business is dues paid months ahead, trainers paid a cut of what a client owes, and a pro shop that has its own margin. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you.
-
1
A year of dues counted the day it lands
A member who prepays for twelve months hands you money for eleven months that have not happened yet. Booked all at once, January looks huge and every month after it looks worse than it is.
What we doSpreads prepaid dues across the months they actually cover, so no single month is carrying eleven others. -
2
Trainer pay hides inside payroll
A trainer who keeps 60 percent of every session she sells looks like a flat wage on the bank feed. That buries what training actually earns you against what it costs.
What we doKeeps trainer commissions apart from base wages so you can see what training brings in against what it pays out. -
3
The pro shop and the dues get mixed together
Protein powder, shirts, and shaker bottles ring up through the same system as membership dues, so you never see whether the retail case is actually making money after what it cost to stock.
What we doKeeps retail in its own line, separate from dues and PT, so the pro shop's real margin shows up on its own. -
4
A rack of new equipment reads as one flat cost
A financed set of racks or a new line of cardio machines shows up as one withdrawal a month, but part of that is interest and part is paying down what you own. Booked as a plain expense, it overstates what the gear cost you.
What we doSplits the payment into principal and interest, so the real cost of the equipment stays separate from the cost of financing it. -
5
EFT holds and failed drafts muddy the top line
A batch from your billing system bundles regular dues with holds, refunds, and retried failed payments, so a normal month can look thin for reasons that have nothing to do with how the gym actually did.
What we doReconciles the batch against what members actually owed, so a hold or a failed draft shows up as what it is, not as lost revenue.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an independent gym.
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 Mindbody, Zen Planner, or PushPress.
- Personal training packagesSession blocks sold up front, drawn down as they're used.
- Drop-ins and day passesWalk-ins and ClassPass or Mindbody marketplace bookings.
- RetailShirts, shaker bottles, supplements, and gear sold at the front desk.
- Initiation feesThe one-time signup charge, kept apart from ongoing dues.
Money out
- Staff wagesFront desk and management, paid on a regular schedule.
- Trainer commissionsThe cut trainers keep, kept apart from flat wages.
- EquipmentRacks, plates, cardio machines, and financed gear payments.
- Rent and utilitiesThe building, plus the power bill that climbs with a full floor.
- SoftwareMindbody, Zen Planner, or PushPress, and the door access system.
- Retail inventoryWhat the pro shop restocks, kept apart from what it sells for.
- MarketingLocal ads, referral incentives, and a website or booking widget.
What we watch for you
- Active member count
The base the dues number rests on. A steady count matters more than any single strong month.
- Retail margin
What the pro shop earns after what it cost to stock, separate from dues.
- Trainer pay share
Commissions against PT revenue, so you know what training actually nets you.
- The set-aside
What you'll owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things independent gym 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.
Because a lot of that was people paying for the full year up front. I only counted the piece of it that covers January, and the rest is waiting on the months it belongs to.
It depends on whether she sets her own hours and brings her own clients, or works your schedule with your equipment. That one's above my pay grade, so I flagged it for the accountant before you make it official.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I keep that list running so it's ready when the date comes.
The tax side
The tax side of running an independent gym.
Most of what trips up a gym is timing and labels. Dues counted before they're earned, trainer pay tangled with wages, and equipment written off the wrong way.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Racks, plates, and cardio machinesGym 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.
- Trainer or employeeA trainer who works your schedule with your equipment is usually an employee, no matter what the pay arrangement is called. Getting it wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Sales tax on the pro shopShirts, supplements, and gear sold at the desk are usually taxed even when dues aren't, and the rule varies by state. Gus keeps retail separate so that number is easy to find.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books track dues, PT, and retail correctly all year.
Deductions independent gyms miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Equipment repair and maintenance
- Membership software fees
- Door access and key fobs
- Cleaning service
- Mirrors and flooring
- Business liability insurance
- Marketing and referral incentives
- Front desk phone and tablet
- Music licensing fees
- Staff certifications
- Website and booking widget
- 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
An independent gym's year, kept every month.
January brings the crowd. The rest of the year tests what you built. 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 usual spring dip in memberships changed the number.
- October
Before the fall push
Before back-to-school schedules settle and the next January rush gets planned, Gus looks at equipment you might buy 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 independent gyms. 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 independent gym owners ask first.
Can Gus handle members who prepay for a full year?
Yes. He spreads that payment across the months it actually covers instead of counting it all the day it lands, so no single month looks inflated at the cost of the ones after it.
I run everything through Mindbody. Do I have to change anything?
No. Keep running the gym 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 trainers are paid a commission split. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps commissions and wages in separate lines so you can see what training actually nets against what it pays out.
Does the pro shop need its own set of books?
Not separate books, just its own category. Gus tracks retail apart from dues and PT so you can see the pro shop's real margin, and whether sales tax on those items is being set aside.
My books are a mess from last year. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Send whatever statements you've got, even a stretch of months. Gus works backward through them, the accountant checks the result, and most owners have a clear picture 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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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