Vocational & certification training
Books and taxes for massage therapy schools.
Tuition, discounted student clinic sessions for the public, continuing education sales to already-licensed therapists, and linens that run through the wash every day. 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
November came in at $11,000. This month's continuing education sales are booked apart from initial licensing tuition.
- Tuition payment planTuition
- Student clinic session blockStudent clinic services
- Linen laundry serviceTreatment room supplies
- Massage oil restockTreatment room supplies
- MBLEx exam prep licenseExam prep materials
Why your books are different
A massage therapy school sells two different things under one roof.
A ledger built for a normal classroom cannot tell the difference between initial licensing tuition and a continuing education crowd of already-licensed therapists, or between a supervised student session and a treatment room that just needs restocking.
-
1
Student clinic sessions get folded into tuition
A client booking a discounted massage from a supervised student pays the school directly, and that clinic fee is a different kind of money than tuition, but the two commonly land in the same revenue line.
What we doKeeps student clinic session income in its own line, separate from tuition, so you can see what each side of the school earns. -
2
Continuing education sells to a completely different crowd
A continuing education class bought by a therapist who already holds a license runs under its own state approval and has nothing to do with a new student's tuition, yet both often get counted as one course revenue number.
What we doKeeps continuing education sales apart from initial tuition, so you can see what each audience is really worth. -
3
Linen and oil restocks look like they scale with the calendar, not the client list
A school running eight treatment rooms goes through oil, sheets, and face cradle covers in proportion to how many sessions actually happen, and treating that cost as a flat monthly bill hides whether clinic pricing still covers what it takes to run a room.
What we doTracks treatment room supply cost against sessions run, so pricing can keep pace with real usage. -
4
A treatment table or hydrotherapy tub reads as a laundry expense
A new massage table, a hot stone warmer, or a hydrotherapy tub can cost as much as a used car, and grouped in with oil and linens, it wrecks the month it was bought instead of showing up as the equipment purchase it is.
What we doFlags bigger equipment buys the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
5
An instructor who oversees the clinic looks like a contractor
An instructor who supervises student sessions every day, on your schedule, in your treatment rooms, usually counts as an employee even when paid per class.
What we doKeeps instructor pay in its own line and flags anyone who looks more like staff than a contractor.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a massage therapy school.
Set up once for how the school gets paid and what a treatment room costs to run. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Tuition, paid upfrontCourse fees for students studying for initial licensure.
- Tuition payment plansInstallments collected on the school's own schedule.
- Student clinic servicesDiscounted massage sessions performed by students under supervision.
- Continuing educationCE course sales for already-licensed therapists.
Money out
- Instructor payPayroll wages and per-class pay for massage instructors, kept in its own line.
- Treatment room suppliesMassage oil, sheets, and face cradle covers used up in the clinic.
- Treatment room equipmentTables, hot stone warmers, and hydrotherapy equipment, logged so they get written off right.
- Exam prep materialsMBLEx exam prep licensing and study materials.
- State approval and bondingThe state school license, renewal fees, and the surety bond that goes with it.
- Marketing and leadsGoogle ads, local listings, and any lead-generation spend.
- Facility rent and utilitiesClassroom and treatment room space.
What we watch for you
- Clinic session share
How much of the month came from client sessions versus new-student tuition.
- Supply cost per session
Oil and linen cost against sessions run, so clinic pricing keeps up.
- CE revenue growth
Continuing education sales tracked apart from initial tuition, over time.
- The set-aside
What the school will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things massage therapy 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 keep client sessions on their own line, separate from tuition, so you can see what the clinic side is really earning.
It shouldn't, and I did not count it that way. CE sales stay apart from initial tuition, since it is a different audience with its own approval.
I logged it as equipment, not treatment room supplies, so the accountant can decide how to write it off instead of the month absorbing the whole cost.
The tax side
The tax side of a massage therapy school.
Most of what trips up a massage school is mixing two different audiences and their costs together. Clinic income counted as tuition, equipment buried in linen costs, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Treatment room equipment depreciationMassage tables, hot stone warmers, and hydrotherapy equipment can usually be written off the year they are bought. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Instructor classificationAn instructor who runs your curriculum, on your schedule, in your clinic is usually an employee, even paid per class. Getting it wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Contractor 1099sA guest instructor or outside help paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated schools can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions massage therapy schools miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Massage oil and lotion
- Sheets and face cradle covers
- Massage table repair
- Hot stone and hydrotherapy upkeep
- MBLEx exam prep materials
- State approval renewal fees
- Surety bond premiums
- Instructor continuing education
- Liability insurance
- Certificate printing
- Website and booking software
- Laundry service for linens
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 massage therapy school year, kept every month.
Continuing education renewal deadlines drive a different rhythm than new-student enrollment. Gus keeps the tax calendar on track underneath 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 1099 list is ready, and the school gets a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
The return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where the school stands, what it will owe, and whether clinic session revenue is growing.
- October
Before the next cohort
Gus looks at treatment room equipment worth replacing before year end and anything else worth doing 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 massage therapy 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 massage therapy school owners ask first.
Do client sessions from our student clinic count as tuition income?
No. Gus tracks client sessions on their own line, apart from tuition, so the two never blend into one number.
We also sell continuing education to therapists who are already licensed. Should that be tracked differently?
Yes. Continuing education has its own audience and its own state approval, so Gus keeps it apart from initial licensing tuition.
Our oil and linen costs seem to change every month. Is that worth tracking closely?
It is. Gus tracks supply cost against sessions run, so you can tell whether clinic pricing is still covering the real cost of a room.
Do we write off a new massage table or hydrotherapy tub all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the treatment rooms can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
Our books are a year behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Does Gus handle our state massage therapy board approval or MBLEx registration?
No. Gus keeps the books ready and flags renewal costs, but board approval and exam registration paperwork stays with the school.
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