Vehicle sales & auto services

Books and taxes for motorcycle training schools.

Course tuition, private lessons, drop damage on the training bikes, and a season that shuts down every winter all move through the books on their own terms. Gus sorts every dollar into its own line, 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
MayExample month
$7,200
what you made

May netted $7,200. Three bikes needed drop damage repairs from the beginner course, so I kept that in its own line instead of a general repairs bucket.

  • Basic Rider Course paymentCourse tuition
  • Private lesson, cardPrivate lessons
  • Drop damage repairFleet maintenance and repairs
  • Range lot rentalRange and classroom space
  • Instructor pay, weekend courseInstructor wages
Money in$22,600
Money out$15,400
Set aside for taxes$1,700
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A motorcycle school's books go wrong around the season and the drops.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs a fleet of bikes that get dropped by beginners on purpose, shuts down entirely for part of the year, and sometimes charges a separate fee tied to a state test waiver. When the books do not expect any of that, the numbers look wrong even when the school is fine.

  1. 1

    Drop damage gets treated like a random repair bill

    Training bikes get dropped by beginners constantly, and the resulting scrapes and broken levers land in a generic repairs line instead of being tracked as a normal cost of running a fleet of student bikes.

    What we doKeeps drop damage and fleet upkeep in its own line, so it reads as the expected cost of teaching beginners, not a mystery expense.
  2. 2

    A closed winter season looks like the business failed

    Many schools shut down riding courses entirely once the weather turns, and months with no course income can look like the business collapsed if nobody expects the shutdown.

    What we doTracks the seasonal closure so a normal winter with no course revenue does not get read as trouble.
  3. 3

    The license waiver fee gets mixed with tuition

    In states where finishing the course waives the DMV skills test, a separate processing fee is sometimes charged and it gets lumped into tuition instead of tracked as its own pass-through charge.

    What we doKeeps waiver processing fees separate from tuition so what you actually earned on the course itself is clear.
  4. 4

    Gear rental income disappears into course fees

    Renting a helmet or riding gear to a student who doesn't own their own gets bundled into the course price instead of tracked separately, so it is hard to tell if gear rental is worth the wear on the inventory.

    What we doKeeps gear rental income in its own line so you can see what it actually contributes.
  5. 5

    Instructor certification renewals get forgotten as a cost

    Instructors need to keep up state or Motorcycle Safety Foundation certification, and the fees for that renewal get paid personally sometimes instead of tracked as a real cost of keeping the school running.

    What we doTracks instructor certification costs as a business expense so nothing gets missed at tax time.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a motorcycle training school.

Set up once for how courses, lessons, and gear rental come in, and how the season shuts down every year. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Course tuitionBasic and advanced rider course fees, often tied to a Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum.
  • Private lessonsOne-on-one instruction booked outside the standard course.
  • License waiver processing feesA separate charge in states where course completion waives the DMV skills test.
  • Gear rentalHelmet and riding gear rented to students who don't own their own.

Money out

  • Fleet maintenance and repairsDrop damage, tire wear, and routine upkeep on the training bikes.
  • Range and classroom spaceRented lot or parking area used for skills exercises, plus any indoor classroom space.
  • Instructor wagesPay for certified riding coaches and classroom instructors.
  • Fleet insuranceCoverage on training bikes, which see more drops and low-speed spills than a normal fleet.
  • Helmets and gear inventoryLoaner helmets, gloves, and jackets kept on hand for rental.
  • Instructor certification renewalsKeeping riding coaches current on state or Motorcycle Safety Foundation credentials.
  • Course curriculum and materialsManuals, cones, and other range equipment.

What we watch for you

  • Revenue per course session

    What a single course actually nets once instructor pay and range rental are considered.

  • Fleet repair cost

    Drop damage and upkeep against how many students rode that month.

  • Seasonal course count

    How many courses ran this month compared to the same month last year, since the season swings hard.

  • Gear rental share

    How much rental income is actually covering wear on the loaner gear.

Ask Gus

Things motorcycle 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.

Three bikes got dropped this month during the beginner course. Is that going to eat my profit?

I keep drop damage in its own line, so you can see it is a normal cost of teaching beginners, not a surprise. It's already factored into what a course really nets.

We're closed December through February. Will that look like the business is failing?

No, I track the seasonal shutdown so those months read as expected, not trouble. Your numbers pick back up the same way every spring.

Our state charges a waiver processing fee separate from the course. How do you track that?

It gets its own category, apart from tuition, so what the course itself actually earned stays clear.

The tax side

The tax side of a motorcycle training school.

Most of what goes wrong here is the season and what counts as an instructor. Getting both right is what makes the return come out clean.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Training bikes and Section 179Motorcycles bought for classroom and range use can usually be expensed the year you buy them, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Worker classification for instructorsA riding coach who teaches your curriculum on your schedule with your bikes is usually an employee, not a contractor. Getting that wrong gets expensive.
  • Seasonal income and expensesA business that closes for part of the year still reports a full calendar year of income and expenses. Off-season costs like storage and insurance count the same as costs during riding season.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, with limits starting above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint taxable income.

Deductions motorcycle training schools miss

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

  • Training bike repairs and tires
  • Loaner helmets and riding gear
  • Range lot rental
  • Instructor certification renewals
  • Course manuals and range cones
  • Fleet insurance premiums
  • Storage for bikes in the off-season
  • Safety vests and cone markers
  • First aid supplies for the range
  • Advertising for course enrollment
  • Trailer and transport for bikes
  • Windshield and mirror replacements

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 motorcycle school's year, kept every month.

Riding season starts and ends on the calendar every year. 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started while the school is closed for winter, and a monthly set-aside is planned before riding season brings the year's real income.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed as the first spring courses fill up. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been running since January even through the off-season.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand at midyear, what you will owe, and whether peak riding season is filling courses the way it did last year.

  4. October

    Before the season winds down

    Gus looks at any bike or equipment worth buying while there is still course income coming in before the winter shutdown.

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 motorcycle training 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 motorcycle school owners ask first.

We're closed all winter. Does Gus still track anything then?

Yes. Storage, insurance, and any off-season costs still count, and Gus keeps the year's set-aside running so the slow months don't catch you short.

How do you handle drop damage on the training bikes?

It stays in its own repair line, tracked as a normal cost of teaching beginners, so it doesn't get mistaken for an equipment problem.

Do you handle certifying our instructors with the state or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation?

No. Gus tracks the cost of keeping instructors certified. The certification itself stays with your instructors and the certifying body.

Some students rent a helmet, some bring their own. Does that matter for the books?

It can. Gear rental gets its own category so you can see whether it is worth the wear on your loaner inventory.

Our state waives the road test if you finish our course. Is that fee handled differently?

Yes. Any waiver processing fee stays separate from your course tuition, so what the course itself earned is clear.

My records from last season are a mess of app payments and cash. Can you work with that?

Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it into course tuition, private lessons, and gear rental as best he can, then tells you where you stand.

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