Gyms & fitness studios

Books and taxes for indoor cycling studios.

A room of financed bikes, a music license that covers every ride, and instructors paid by how full class runs. 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
JuneExample month
$9,700
what you made

June came in at $9,700. The bike financing payment split into what's paying down the fleet and what's interest, so the equipment's real cost stays clear on its own line.

  • Mindbody ride bookingsClass packs
  • Drop-in ride paymentDrop-ins
  • Bike financing paymentEquipment
  • Soundtrack Your Brand feeMusic licensing
  • Instructor pay runInstructor pay
Money in$39,800
Money out$30,100
Set aside for taxes$2,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A cycling studio's books go wrong around the bikes and the beat.

A generalist sees ride payments and a rent bill. Your studio carries a room of financed bikes, pays a music license for every class, and pays instructors by how full a ride runs. When the books miss that, you can't tell what a full room actually earns you.

  1. 1

    Bike financing reads as one flat cost

    Thirty financed bikes can run a payment of over a thousand dollars a month, but part of that is interest and part is paying down bikes you'll eventually own outright. Booked as one expense, it overstates what the fleet actually costs.

    What we doSplits the financing payment into principal and interest, so the fleet's real cost stays separate from the cost of financing it.
  2. 2

    Music licensing gets buried in general software

    A licensed music service for group rides is a real, required cost, but when it's lumped in with every other subscription, nobody notices what it actually runs each month against how many rides it covers.

    What we doKeeps music licensing in its own line so the cost per ride stays visible.
  3. 3

    Instructor pay tied to ride fill rate hides inside wages

    An instructor paid a bonus for a full room, on top of a base per-class rate, shows up as one lump payroll number, which buries what a packed ride actually costs against what it brings in.

    What we doKeeps base pay and fill-rate bonuses in their own lines so you can see instructor cost against how full rides actually run.
  4. 4

    Class packs counted the day they're bought

    A rider who buys a ten-ride pack for $280 hands you money for rides she hasn't taken yet. Counted all at once, the week she buys it looks strong and the weeks she actually rides look thin.

    What we doCounts ride-pack income as rides are actually taken, not the day the pack is bought, so each month reflects real rides.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for an indoor cycling 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

  • Ride packsBlocks of rides sold up front through Mindbody or Momence.
  • Drop-in ridesSingle rides paid by walk-ins and visitors.
  • Unlimited membershipsMonthly plans for riders who come multiple times a week.
  • RetailCycling shoes, apparel, and towels sold at the desk.

Money out

  • Instructor payBase per-class pay and fill-rate bonuses, kept apart.
  • EquipmentBikes and financing payments, split into principal and interest.
  • Music licensingSoundtrack Your Brand or a direct license, tracked on its own.
  • Rent and utilitiesThe studio space and the cooling a packed room needs.
  • SoftwareMindbody or Momence scheduling and payment fees.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability and professional liability for instructors.
  • MarketingLocal ads and referral incentives for new riders.

What we watch for you

  • Average fill rate

    How full rides are running, since a cycling room's revenue depends on bikes filled, not just classes offered.

  • Instructor pay share

    Base pay and bonuses against total revenue, so instructor cost stays visible.

  • Bike financing cost

    What's interest versus what's paying down bikes 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 cycling 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 bike financing payment looks huge on the statement. Is that normal?

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

My instructors get a bonus for a full room. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. I keep base pay and fill-rate bonuses in separate lines so you can see instructor cost against how full rides run.

Do I owe a 1099 to the instructor who only subs occasionally?

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 a cycling studio.

Most of what trips up a cycling studio is timing and financing. Ride packs counted too early, and a fleet of bikes filed the wrong way.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Bikes and studio equipmentStationary bikes and studio equipment can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Instructor or employeeAn instructor who teaches your ride schedule on your bikes 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 instructor 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 ride packs, instructor pay, and bike financing are tracked correctly all year.

Deductions indoor cycling studios miss

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

  • Bike maintenance and repair
  • Music licensing fees
  • Mindbody or Momence fees
  • Liability insurance
  • Instructor certifications
  • Sound system and lighting
  • Business phone and booking line
  • Cleaning service
  • Marketing and referral incentives
  • Website and booking widget

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 cycling studio's year, kept every month.

Ride packs sell in waves and thin out between them. 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 ride-pack 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 fill rates are holding up through the summer months.

  4. October

    Before year-end

    Before the calendar closes, Gus looks at bikes or sound 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 indoor cycling 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 cycling studio owners ask first.

Can Gus track ride packs as riders actually use them?

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

Riders book through Mindbody. Does that mean I need to change anything?

Not on your end. Gus works from your bank statement and Mindbody's payout records as they come in, and if something's unclear, he asks once instead of assuming.

My instructors get a bonus for a full room. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps base pay and bonuses in separate lines so you can see instructor cost against how full rides actually run.

Is music licensing worth tracking on its own?

Yes. It's a required, recurring cost tied directly to every ride you offer, so Gus keeps it separate from general software so you can see exactly what it costs per class.

We're behind on the books from our first few months. Is that fixable?

Not a problem. Send whatever you have on hand, and Gus will work backward through it. The accountant checks the result, and the studio's real numbers come together fast.

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