Tutoring, test prep & alternative schools
Books and taxes for language schools.
Semester-long group classes paid up front, private conversation lessons billed by the hour, native-speaking instructors paid per class, and textbooks ordered from a foreign publisher. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
September made $10,500. The fall semester enrollment posted this month, so I split it across the twelve weeks of class it actually pays for.
- Fall semester enrollmentGroup class tuition
- Private conversation lessonsPrivate lessons
- Instructor pay, per-class rateInstructor pay
- Textbook import orderCurriculum and textbooks
- Classroom leaseFacility rent
Why your books are different
Language school books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees semester tuition and a lease. Your school runs on classes sold in twelve-week terms, native-speaking instructors paid per session, and textbooks that sometimes come from overseas publishers. When the books do not know that, a strong enrollment month hides a term that has not been taught yet.
-
1
Semester tuition gets counted the week it is paid
A student pays for a twelve-week course before the first class even meets, and if that payment is booked as income the day it lands, the enrollment month looks strong while the teaching months that follow show nothing to match.
What we doSpreads semester tuition across the weeks of class it actually covers, so enrollment and teaching months both show the real picture. -
2
Native-speaking instructors paid per class look like simple contractors
An instructor who teaches your curriculum on your schedule in your classroom is often an employee even when paid a flat rate per class session, and treating every instructor as a 1099 by default can miss that.
What we doFlags instructor pay against how the work is actually structured, so the classification question gets asked early. -
3
Imported textbook costs land in one lump and skew a month
A bulk order of textbooks from a foreign publisher, sometimes with shipping and customs costs on top, can hit the books all at once and make a single month look far more expensive than a typical one.
What we doKeeps textbook and materials costs in a steady line and flags a bulk order so it does not distort how the month reads. -
4
Private lessons and group class revenue blend together
A student who takes both a group course and private conversation practice pays for both at once, and if the payment is not split, the school cannot see which format actually drives revenue.
What we doKeeps group tuition and private lesson revenue in separate categories, even when one student pays for both.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a language school.
Set up once around your semester schedule. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Group class tuitionSemester-long courses sold by level and language.
- Private lessonsOne-on-one conversation practice and tutoring, billed by the hour.
- Registration feesOne-time signup charged before a new student's first term.
- Materials and textbook feesCharged apart from tuition when materials are billed separately.
Money out
- Instructor payPer-class or salaried pay for native-speaking and other instructors.
- Curriculum and textbooksImported or domestic course materials, workbooks, and audio programs.
- Facility rentThe classroom or office space the school operates from.
- Scheduling and enrollment softwareThe tool tracking student levels, terms, and payments.
- Marketing and referralsLocal ads, community partnerships, and referral incentives.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for the classroom and instructional activities.
What we watch for you
- Active enrollment by term
The base your semester tuition rests on. A steady count beats one strong term.
- Instructor pay share
What instruction costs against total revenue, tracked by pay type.
- Private lesson share
How much of revenue comes from one-on-one sessions versus group tuition.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things language school 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, I spread it across the twelve weeks of class it pays for, so September and the rest of the term both show what actually happened.
I keep materials costs steady across the year and flag a bulk import order, so it reads as what it is instead of a bad month.
That leans toward payroll based on how the work is set up. I flagged it so the accountant can walk through the classification with you.
The tax side
The tax side of a language school.
Most of what goes wrong here is semester tuition counted too early and instructor pay filed on autopilot. Fix the timing and the classification, and the rest follows.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Deferred semester tuitionTuition paid before a term begins is not fully earned yet, and good books recognize it across the weeks of class it actually covers.
- Instructor classificationAn instructor who teaches a set curriculum on the school's schedule in its classroom is usually an employee, even when paid a flat per-class rate.
- Contractor 1099sAny instructor not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when semester tuition is tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions language schools miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Textbooks and course materials
- Facility rent
- Scheduling software
- Liability insurance
- Marketing and referral incentives
- Continuing education for instructors
- Website and enrollment page
- Classroom furniture and supplies
- Shipping and customs on imported materials
- Card processing 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 language school year, kept every month.
Terms run on a semester schedule, but taxes run on the calendar year. 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
Winter term begins
Winter semester enrollment posts, last year's return gets started, and the monthly set-aside gets planned.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Summer intensives check-in
Where you stand as summer intensives replace the regular term schedule, and whether spring enrollment changed what you will owe.
- October
Before the fall push
Fall enrollment often brings the year's biggest term. Gus looks at equipment or materials worth buying 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 language schools. 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 language school owners ask first.
We sell semester-long courses paid up front. How does Gus book that?
He spreads the tuition across the weeks of class it actually covers, so a strong enrollment month does not overshadow the term of teaching still ahead.
Our instructors are paid per class, not a salary. Does that make them contractors?
Not necessarily. Gus flags how the work is structured, and if it looks like an employee arrangement despite the per-class pay, the accountant weighs in before it becomes a habit.
We import textbooks from abroad and the shipping costs vary a lot. Is that hard to track?
No. Gus keeps materials costs in one steady line and flags a bulk import order so a big shipment doesn't make an otherwise normal month look off.
Some students take both group classes and private lessons. Do we need to split that payment?
Yes, and Gus does that automatically. Keeping the two revenue streams apart lets you see which format actually drives the school's income.
Our books have been a mix of cash payments and bank transfers for two years. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send what you have and he sorts it into one clean set of books. Most owners know exactly where they stand within 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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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