Gyms & fitness studios
Books and taxes for pole fitness studios.
Level-based class packs, poles that need regrease and torque checks, apparel and grip aids at the front desk, and a showcase night twice a year. Gus sorts all of it, and an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $5,800. Your spring showcase sold out, and I kept ticket sales and the venue rental in their own lines so you can see the event covered itself with room to spare.
- Momence pack purchaseClass packs
- Showcase ticket salesShowcase income
- X-Pole equipment orderEquipment
- Instructor pay batchInstructor pay
- Showcase venue rentalShowcase costs
Why your books are different
A pole studio's books go wrong around levels and upkeep.
A generalist sees class payments and a rent bill. Your studio sells packs tied to skill levels, keeps poles safety-checked and re-greased on a schedule, sells grip aids and apparel most gyms never touch, and runs a showcase students perform in. When the books miss that, safety costs and event income get lost.
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1
Level-based packs get counted the day they're bought
A student who buys a six-week intermediate-level pack hands you money for classes she hasn't taken yet. Counted all at once, the week she signs up looks strong and the weeks she actually attends look thin.
What we doCounts level-pack income as classes are actually taken, not the day the pack is bought, so each month reflects real classes attended. -
2
Pole maintenance looks like a random repair bill
Poles need periodic regreasing, torque checks, and occasional replacement for safety, and that upkeep can look like an unplanned expense instead of the routine, required cost it actually is.
What we doKeeps pole maintenance in its own steady category so an upkeep bill reads as the expected safety cost it is. -
3
Grip aids and apparel blend into class income
Chalk, grip enhancers, and shorts sold at the desk ring up alongside class payments, so you never see whether that retail case is actually earning after what it cost to stock.
What we doKeeps retail in its own category, separate from class income, so its real margin shows up on its own. -
4
Showcase costs and ticket income get buried in regular expenses
A student showcase charges admission and costs venue rental and staging, and when that money mixes with everyday studio income and expenses, you can't tell whether the event actually paid for itself.
What we doKeeps showcase ticket income and venue costs in their own lines so you can see whether the event covers itself.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pole fitness 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
- Class packsLevel-based blocks of classes sold through Momence or Mindbody.
- Drop-insSingle classes for students trying a level or visiting town.
- Showcase ticket salesAdmission sold for student showcase nights.
- RetailGrip aids, chalk, and apparel sold at the front desk.
Money out
- Instructor payPer-class pay for instructors teaching each level.
- EquipmentPoles, crash mats, and periodic safety maintenance.
- Rent and utilitiesThe studio space and the flooring and ceiling mounts it needs.
- SoftwareMomence or Mindbody scheduling and payment fees.
- Showcase costsVenue rental and staging for showcase nights, kept apart.
- InsuranceGeneral liability and professional liability for instructors.
- MarketingLocal ads and referral incentives for new students.
What we watch for you
- Classes used vs sold
How much of what students paid for has actually been taken, so income tracks real classes taught.
- Retail margin
What grip aids and apparel earn after what they cost to stock.
- Showcase margin
Whether ticket sales cover the venue and staging costs for the event.
- The set-aside
What you'll owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things pole 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.
Because I only count classes as they're taken, not the day the pack is bought. As she comes in, you'll see it show up class by class, which is closer to the truth.
Completely. I keep pole maintenance in its own category, so a safety check reads as the routine cost it is, not a surprise repair bill.
Yes, with room to spare. Tickets brought in more than the venue and staging cost, and I keep both sides tracked so you always know.
The tax side
The tax side of running a pole fitness studio.
Most of what trips up a pole studio is timing and labels. Packs counted too early, retail blended with class income, and pole maintenance treated as a mystery expense.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Poles and studio equipmentPoles, crash mats, and other studio equipment can usually be written off the year they're bought. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Instructor or employeeAn instructor who teaches your class schedule with your poles usually counts as an employee, not a contractor, no matter what the pay arrangement is called. Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Sales tax on retail and ticketsGrip aids, apparel, and showcase tickets are usually taxed even when class fees aren't, and the rule varies by state. Gus keeps both separate so those numbers are easy to find.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when class packs, retail, and showcase income are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions pole fitness studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Pole maintenance and regreasing
- Crash mats and safety gear
- Momence or Mindbody fees
- Liability insurance
- Instructor certifications
- Showcase venue rental
- Grip aids for retail
- Business phone and booking line
- Cleaning service
- Marketing and referral incentives
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 pole studio's year, kept every month.
Showcase nights come around twice a 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.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so New Year's class-pack sign-ups don't turn into an April surprise.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you'll owe, and whether spring showcase income came in ahead or behind.
- October
Before year-end
Before the calendar closes, Gus looks at poles or safety equipment worth replacing 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 pole fitness 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 pole studio owners ask first.
Can Gus track class packs as students actually use them?
Yes. Rather than booking the full pack price the day it's purchased, he counts it in as each class is attended, so your monthly total shows real classes taught, not just money that happened to land that week.
Is pole maintenance really worth its own category?
Yes. Regreasing, torque checks, and safety upkeep are required, recurring costs, and keeping them in their own line means a maintenance bill reads as expected, not an unplanned expense.
Does our showcase night need its own set of books?
Not separate books, just its own categories. Gus tracks ticket income and venue costs apart from regular class income, so you can see whether the event covers itself.
We pay instructors a flat rate per class. Does that complicate things?
Only where it's tracked, not how you run things. Per-class pay gets its own line, so you can weigh what teaching costs against how full each level's classes are actually running.
Nobody's touched the books since we opened. Is that a problem?
No. Whatever statements you have since opening are enough to get started. Gus catches the books up, the accountant checks the work, and most owners know 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