Childcare & youth programs
Books and taxes for kids gyms and play programs.
Monthly memberships, open play walk-ins, tumbling class packages, and birthday parties booked on top of a full class schedule. 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
February made $7,700. The new American Athletic foam pit panels went in under gym equipment, not repairs, since they're a real upgrade, not a fix.
- Jackrabbit membership billingMemberships
- Open play walk-insOpen play fees
- Birthday party bookingsParty bookings
- American Athletic orderGym equipment
- Coach payrollInstructor wages
Why your books are different
A kids gym's books go wrong when four different revenue types blend into one deposit.
A generalist bookkeeper sees a daily deposit and calls it done. Your gym runs monthly memberships, drop-in walk-ins, class packages, and birthday parties all in the same week, and each one has its own rhythm. Gus keeps them apart so you can see what is actually driving the business.
-
1
Memberships, walk-ins, and parties blur into one number
A single day's deposit might include monthly membership renewals, open play walk-in fees, and a birthday party payment all at once, and if they land in one line, you cannot tell which part of the business is actually growing.
What we doKeeps memberships, open play fees, and party bookings in their own lines, so each part of the business is visible on its own. -
2
Class packages get counted as income before the classes happen
A family who buys an eight-week tumbling package in January did not hand you eight weeks of earned income that day, and booking the full amount up front overstates January and understates the weeks the classes actually run.
What we doHolds class package sales as money collected in advance and counts them as income as each class session happens. -
3
Birthday party costs get lumped into general supplies
Party host pay, decorations, and any food add-ons for a Saturday birthday party are real costs tied to that specific booking, and mixed into general gym supplies, you cannot see whether your party packages are actually priced to make money.
What we doKeeps party-specific costs in their own line so you can see whether party pricing covers what each event actually costs to run. -
4
Big equipment buys look like a bad month
A foam pit upgrade or new trampoline panels from a supplier like American Athletic can run several thousand dollars, and filed as a regular expense, it makes a normal month look like a loss.
What we doFlags gym equipment purchases the day they show up, logs them separately from supplies, and lets the accountant decide how they get written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a kids gym.
Set up once for a business running four kinds of revenue in the same week. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- MembershipsRecurring monthly billing through Jackrabbit or a similar system.
- Class packagesMulti-week tumbling, ninja, or gymnastics packages, held until each class runs.
- Open play feesWalk-in fees for drop-in free play sessions.
- Party bookingsBirthday party package payments, including deposits and balances due.
- Retail salesGear, water bottles, or merchandise sold at the front desk.
Money out
- Instructor wagesCoach pay for classes, open play supervision, and parties.
- Payroll taxes and workers compThe cost of keeping coaches on payroll rather than contract.
- Gym equipmentAmerican Athletic orders and other major equipment upgrades.
- Party suppliesDecorations, favors, and food add-ons tied to a specific booking.
- Facility rent and utilitiesThe building your gym operates in.
- Background checks and certificationsFingerprinting and CPR and First Aid renewal for coaching staff.
- Liability insuranceCoverage sized for tumbling, trampolines, and open play equipment.
What we watch for you
- Revenue mix
How much of a month comes from memberships versus walk-ins, packages, and parties.
- Party margin
Party booking fees against party-specific costs. It tells you if your packages are priced right.
- Membership retention
Steady monthly membership income against what came in last month, as a sign of who is staying.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things kids 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.
I keep memberships, open play, and party bookings in their own lines, so you can see it was really the two parties that made that Saturday strong, not a jump in memberships.
Not yet. I hold package sales as money collected in advance and count it as income as each class actually happens, so it doesn't inflate this month and understate the next two.
Usually it can. I logged it as gym equipment, not a repair, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of running a kids gym.
Most of what matters here is timing class package income correctly and writing off equipment the right way, since a gym's floor is one of its biggest investments.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Coaches and instructors are usually employeesA coach who teaches your curriculum on your schedule under your supervision is an employee, not a contractor, even if they only work a few classes a week.
- Class packages and revenue timingMoney collected for a multi-week class package is not fully earned until the classes are actually taught, which matters for an accurate year-end number.
- Gym equipment and Section 179Trampolines, foam pits, and tumbling equipment can usually be written off the year they're bought, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed, which comes out right when memberships, packages, and parties are booked correctly all year.
Deductions kids gyms and play programs miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Gym and tumbling equipment
- Party supplies and decorations
- Background check and fingerprinting fees
- CPR and First Aid renewal
- Liability insurance
- Facility rent and utilities
- Class scheduling software
- Marketing and social media ads
- Coach uniforms
- Retail inventory for the front desk
- Cleaning and sanitizing supplies
- Continuing education for coaching staff
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 kids gym's year, kept every month.
Your calendar mixes memberships, packages, and parties every week. Your taxes come on their own 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.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the coach 1099 or payroll list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- 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 for the year, and whether summer camp and open play traffic changed what you will owe.
- October
Before the holiday party season
A look at equipment worth buying before December, ahead of the birthday party season that usually picks up around the holidays.
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 kids gyms and play 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 kids gym owners ask first.
We run memberships, walk-ins, and parties in the same week. Can the books separate all of that?
Yes. Gus keeps each revenue type in its own line, so you can see whether a strong week came from new memberships, walk-in traffic, or a couple of big parties.
Families buy eight-week class packages up front. How does that get booked?
Gus holds package sales as money collected in advance and counts them as income as each class session actually runs, so a big sales week doesn't overstate itself.
Do birthday party costs need to be tracked differently from regular gym supplies?
Yes. Gus keeps party-specific costs like decorations and food add-ons in their own line, so you can see whether your party pricing actually covers what an event costs.
We just put in a new foam pit. Does that all come off this year's taxes?
Often it can. Equipment bought for the gym can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
Our coaches teach a mix of classes and cover open play. Are they employees?
Usually, yes. A coach teaching your curriculum on your schedule is an employee, even if the hours vary week to week.
Our books are behind since we switched scheduling software mid-year. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send statements from both systems, even overlapping. Gus sorts it out and the accountant works from what actually happened.
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 childcare & youth programs
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Baby & toddler classes (music, sensory)
- Babysitting agencies
- Before & after school programs
- Drop-in & hourly childcare
- In-home family daycares
- Overnight summer camps
- Parents' night out programs
- Specialty camps (STEM, arts, sports)
- Summer day camps
- Tutoring-plus-childcare hybrids
- Kids birthday party venues
- Nanny agencies
- Childcare & daycare centers
- Preschools
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