Vocational & certification training
Books and taxes for phlebotomy and CNA training schools.
Tuition, WIOA healthcare workforce funding, employer-sponsored seats, and clinical site fees all move differently through the bank. 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
February came in at $12,000. The new venipuncture practice arms went in as equipment, not lab supplies.
- WIOA voucher, completionWorkforce funding
- Nursing home tuition partnerEmployer-sponsored seats
- Clinical site placement feeClinical site fees
- Background check batchStudent screening
- Scrub and supply orderStudent supplies
Why your books are different
Phlebotomy and CNA school books go wrong around clinicals.
A ledger built for a normal classroom cannot follow a student out to a hospital floor. Your school runs classroom hours, clinical externships at hospitals or nursing homes, and workforce funding that pays in stages. When the books do not track that, you cannot tell if a cohort actually covered its own cost.
-
1
Clinical site fees get lost in with rent
A hospital or nursing home that charges a placement fee for each student clinical rotation is a real cost per student, but it often gets buried in general facility costs instead of tracked against the cohort it belongs to.
What we doKeeps clinical site fees in their own line, tagged by cohort, so you know the true cost of placing each class. -
2
WIOA funding pays out in stages, not all at once
A workforce board voucher for a CNA or phlebotomy student often pays at enrollment, at midpoint, and again after the student passes certification, sometimes months apart. Waiting for cash to book it hides what has actually been earned.
What we doKeeps a running list of what has been billed to the workforce board and what is still outstanding. -
3
Background checks and drug screening get treated as overhead
Required screening for clinical placement is a real per-student cost, but lumped into general supplies it hides how much each cohort actually costs to place in a facility.
What we doKeeps screening costs in their own line against the students they belong to. -
4
Lab equipment gets filed like consumable supplies
Venipuncture practice arms, mannequins, and vital signs equipment can cost thousands, and filed as ordinary lab supplies they wreck the month they were bought and get written off the wrong way.
What we doFlags big equipment buys the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
5
Scrubs and kits get bundled into tuition
A set of scrubs, a blood draw kit, or a stethoscope handed to each student is often quietly rolled into the tuition price, so the school cannot tell if the kit is a break-even or a real cost.
What we doKeeps kit and supply sales apart from tuition, so you can see what each side is actually worth.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a phlebotomy and CNA school.
Set up once for how the school gets paid and what clinical placements cost. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Tuition, paid upfrontCourse fees paid directly by students.
- WIOA and workforce fundingVouchers from the local workforce board, tracked by what stage they pay at.
- Employer-sponsored seatsNursing homes or clinics paying tuition for a group of workers to attend.
- Kit and supply salesScrubs, kits, and equipment sold to enrolled students, kept apart from tuition.
Money out
- Instructor payPayroll wages and per-class pay for clinical instructors, kept in its own line.
- Clinical site feesWhat hospitals or nursing homes charge for student placements, by cohort.
- Lab equipmentPractice arms, mannequins, and vital signs equipment, logged so they get written off right.
- Student screeningBackground checks and drug screening required for clinical placement.
- Student suppliesScrubs, blood draw kits, and consumable lab materials.
- State approval and bondingThe state school license, renewal fees, and the surety bond that goes with it.
- Facility rent and utilitiesClassroom and lab space.
What we watch for you
- Funding receivable
What is billed to WIOA or an employer sponsor but not yet paid.
- Cost per clinical placement
Site fees and screening costs against tuition, by cohort.
- Pass rate to income
Certification pass rate against completion-based funding still owed.
- The set-aside
What the school will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things phlebotomy and CNA 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.
I book it against the cohort those six students belong to, so you can see the real cost of placing that class, not just a lump facility bill.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not lab supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
I keep a running list of what is billed and still owed, separate from what has already landed, so nothing gets lost waiting on the check.
The tax side
The tax side of a phlebotomy and CNA school.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing around clinical placements and funding stages. Equipment filed as supplies, screening costs buried in overhead, 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.
- Lab equipment depreciationPractice arms, mannequins, and vital signs 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 classificationA clinical instructor who teaches your curriculum, on your schedule, is usually an employee, even paid per cohort. 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 phlebotomy and CNA training schools miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Clinical site placement fees
- Practice arms and mannequins
- Background check batches
- Drug screening costs
- Scrubs and supply kits
- State approval renewal fees
- Surety bond premiums
- Instructor certifications
- Lab equipment maintenance
- Liability insurance
- Student information software
- Certificate printing
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 phlebotomy and CNA school year, kept every month.
Healthcare hiring runs steady most of the year. Taxes come on a 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 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 workforce funding is coming in on schedule.
- October
Before winter enrollment
Gus looks at lab equipment worth buying 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 phlebotomy and CNA 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 phlebotomy and CNA school owners ask first.
Can Gus track what the workforce board still owes us by student?
Yes. He keeps a running list of what has been billed at each funding stage and what is still outstanding, so nothing gets lost waiting on a check.
We place students at several different hospitals and nursing homes. Does that complicate the books?
No. Gus keeps clinical site fees tagged by cohort no matter how many facilities you use, so you can see the true cost of placing each class.
Do we write off new lab equipment all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the lab 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 clinical instructors are paid per cohort. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps instructor pay in its own line and flags anyone paid like a contractor who works like staff, so the accountant can weigh in.
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 background checks or clinical site paperwork for students?
No. Gus keeps the books ready and tracks the cost of screening and placements, but the paperwork itself stays with the school and the clinical site.
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 vocational & certification training
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Bartending schools
- CPR & first aid training companies
- Dog grooming academies
- Drone pilot training schools
- Firearms instructors & concealed carry classes
- Insurance licensing schools
- Massage therapy schools
- Medical coding & billing schools
- Notary & loan signing training
- Barber schools
- CDL training schools
- Flight schools
- Real estate licensing schools
- Skilled trades schools (HVAC, welding, electrical)
- Chess instructors & chess clubs
- Educational therapists
- ESL schools for adults
- Executive function coaches
- Homeschool co-ops & hybrid schools
- Kids coding schools
- Microschools
- Reading & dyslexia specialists
- Special education advocates
- STEM & robotics centers
- Acting classes & studios
- Art academies & portfolio prep
- DJ & music production schools
- Film & theater camps
- Independent private music teachers
- Recording & audio engineering schools
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