Gyms & fitness studios

Books and taxes for personal training studios.

Session packages sold in blocks, trainers paid a cut of what they sell, and clients who cancel more than they show. 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
MayExample month
$7,600
what you made

May came in at $7,600. Two clients bought twenty-session packages this month, and I'm only counting the sessions they've actually used so far, not the whole package up front.

  • Session package paymentTraining packages
  • Square card paymentSingle sessions
  • Trainer commission payoutTrainer pay
  • Studio rentRent
  • Trainerize subscriptionSoftware
Money in$28,900
Money out$21,300
Set aside for taxes$1,700
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A personal training studio's books go wrong in a small set of places.

A generalist sees card payments and a rent bill. Your business sells sessions in blocks that get used over months, pays trainers a cut of what they sell, and loses real money to no-shows nobody tracks. When the books miss that, you can't tell what training actually earns you.

  1. 1

    A twenty-session package counted all at once

    A client who buys twenty sessions for $1,800 up front hands you money for training that hasn't happened yet. Counted the day it's paid, the month it lands in looks strong and the months the sessions actually get used in look thin.

    What we doCounts package income as sessions are actually used, not the day the package is bought, so each month reflects real work done.
  2. 2

    Trainer commissions blend into flat wages

    A trainer who keeps 50 percent of every session she sells looks like a plain wage on the bank feed, which hides what training actually nets the studio after her cut.

    What we doKeeps commissions apart from any base pay so you can see what the studio keeps against what trainers earn.
  3. 3

    No-show and cancellation fees go untracked

    A client who cancels late or no-shows often owes a fee under your policy, but that fee rarely gets tracked the same way a real session does, so the cost of no-shows to the studio stays invisible.

    What we doTracks cancellation and no-show fees as their own line, so you can see how much they're actually recovering.
  4. 4

    Equipment financing looks like a flat expense

    A financed set of dumbbells, a cable machine, or a turf strip shows up as one withdrawal a month, but part of that payment is interest and part is paying down what you own.

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

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a personal training 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

  • Training packagesBlocks of sessions sold up front, counted as they're used.
  • Single sessionsOne-off training paid by card or app at the time of the visit.
  • Cancellation and no-show feesLate-cancel charges under your policy, kept apart from sessions.
  • AssessmentsStandalone fitness assessments and consultations.

Money out

  • Trainer commissionsThe cut trainers keep, kept apart from any flat pay.
  • EquipmentDumbbells, machines, and turf, including financed payments.
  • Rent and utilitiesThe studio space and the power it runs on.
  • SoftwareTrainerize, Mindbody, or a scheduling and payment app.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability and professional liability for trainers.
  • MarketingLocal ads and referral incentives for new clients.

What we watch for you

  • Sessions used vs sold

    How much of what clients paid for has actually been delivered, so income tracks real work.

  • Trainer pay share

    Commissions against total revenue, so you see what the studio nets after trainer cuts.

  • No-show recovery

    How much of your cancellation policy actually gets collected each month.

  • The set-aside

    What you'll owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things personal training 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.

A client just bought a $2,000 package. Why doesn't May look bigger?

Because I only count sessions as they're used, not the day the package is paid for. As she trains through it, you'll see it show up month by month, which is closer to the truth.

My trainers keep half of what they sell. Does that change how I pay them?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. I keep commissions apart from wages so you can see what the studio nets after their cut.

Should I turn my contract trainer into an employee?

That depends on whether she sets her own schedule and brings her own clients, or works your hours with your equipment. That one's above my pay grade, so I flagged it for the accountant.

The tax side

The tax side of running a personal training studio.

Most of what trips up this business is timing. Packages counted too early, commissions tangled with wages, and equipment written off the wrong way.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Trainer or employeeA trainer who works your schedule with your equipment usually counts as an employee, not a contractor, no matter what the pay arrangement is called. Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
  • Studio equipmentDumbbells, machines, and turf can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Contractor 1099sAny contract trainer 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 package income, commissions, and equipment are tracked correctly all year.

Deductions personal training studios miss

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

  • Equipment repair and maintenance
  • Trainerize or Mindbody fees
  • Liability insurance
  • Certifications and continuing education
  • Flooring and turf
  • Business phone and booking line
  • Cleaning service
  • Marketing and referral incentives
  • Website and booking widget
  • Uniforms with your logo

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 personal training studio's year, kept every month.

Clients come and go on their own schedule. Your taxes come on theirs. 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 client 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 package sales are keeping pace with the sessions being used.

  4. October

    Before year-end

    Before the calendar closes, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and any moves worth making 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 personal training 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 personal training studio owners ask first.

Can Gus track packages as clients actually use them?

Yes. Instead of counting a package as income the day it's sold, he tracks it as sessions are used, so your monthly number reflects real training delivered, not just money collected.

I run everything through Trainerize. Do I have to change anything?

No. Keep running the studio the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement and app payouts, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.

My trainers are on commission splits. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps commissions apart from wages so you can see what the studio actually keeps after paying trainers.

Do no-show fees count as real income?

Yes, and Gus keeps them in their own line so you can see how much your cancellation policy is actually recovering versus how much is going uncollected.

My books are behind from when I opened. Is that a problem?

Not a problem. Send the statements you have, and Gus will work backward through them. The accountant checks the result, and you'll have a real number sooner than you'd think.

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