Tutoring, test prep & alternative schools
Books and taxes for private K-12 schools.
Annual tuition drafted monthly through a tuition management service, financial aid awards that reduce what families actually pay, a full teaching and administrative staff on payroll, and a facility that runs year round. 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
September brought in $27,000. Tuition drafts for the full school year started posting this month, so I'm spreading each family's annual tuition across the ten months of instruction it covers.
- Tuition management draftsTuition
- Enrollment deposit batchRegistration and deposits
- Faculty and staff payrollStaff wages
- Facility lease paymentFacility and grounds
- Financial aid award adjustmentsFinancial aid
Why your books are different
Private K-12 school books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees monthly tuition and a payroll run. Your school manages a year of tuition drafted over ten or twelve months, financial aid that reduces what families actually owe, and a staff far larger than most small businesses. When the books do not know that, the board cannot trust the monthly number.
-
1
Annual tuition drafted monthly gets counted the day it drafts, not the month it covers
A family's full-year tuition often drafts across ten monthly payments starting in August or September, and if each draft is booked as that month's income without regard to the school year it funds, summer months and the school year both look wrong.
What we doRecognizes tuition revenue across the months of the school year it actually funds, so the number matches the calendar families are paying for. -
2
Financial aid awards get treated as a straight expense
A financial aid award reduces what a family actually pays, and if the school books the full sticker-price tuition as revenue and the aid as a cost, both sides of the number are inflated compared to what really came in.
What we doNets financial aid against the tuition it applies to, so revenue reflects what families actually owe and pay. -
3
Multiple funding sources land in one undivided tuition line
Regular family tuition, a state voucher or ESA payment for some families, and endowment or fundraising support can all fund tuition, and if they all land in one category, the school cannot see how much depends on tuition alone.
What we doKeeps ESA, voucher, and fundraising-supported tuition in separate categories from directly family-paid tuition. -
4
Facility costs that run all year get compared against a ten-month school year
Rent, utilities, and maintenance continue through the summer even when the school is not in session, and comparing those months against tuition revenue that mostly lands during the school year can make summer look like a crisis every year.
What we doTracks facility costs against the full calendar year, so a normal summer gap between expenses and tuition revenue reads as what it is.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a private K-12 school.
Set up once around the school year and how families fund tuition. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- TuitionFamily-paid tuition, drafted monthly through a tuition management service.
- Registration and depositsEnrollment deposits and registration fees collected before the school year.
- ESA and voucher fundingState education savings account or voucher payments applied to tuition.
- Fundraising and donationsAnnual fund donations and event proceeds kept apart from tuition.
Money out
- Staff wagesPayroll for teachers, administrators, and support staff.
- Financial aidAid awards netted against the tuition they reduce.
- Facility and groundsRent or mortgage, utilities, and maintenance, tracked across the full calendar year.
- Curriculum and instructional materialsTextbooks, classroom supplies, and instructional software licenses.
- Student information softwareThe system tracking enrollment, grades, and tuition billing.
- Liability and property insuranceCoverage for the facility, staff, and student activities.
What we watch for you
- Enrolled students
The base your tuition revenue rests on. A steady count matters more than any single strong month.
- Financial aid as a share of tuition
How much sticker-price tuition is actually being collected after aid awards.
- Staff cost against tuition revenue
Payroll is usually the largest cost in a school; tracking it against tuition shows whether the budget holds.
- The set-aside
What the school will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things private K-12 school leaders 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.
Not the way I book it. I spread each family's annual tuition across the ten months of school it covers, so no single month looks better or worse than it really was.
I net the aid against the tuition it reduces, so revenue reflects what families actually pay rather than the full sticker price plus a separate expense.
No, I keep ESA-funded tuition in its own category, separate from direct family payments, so each source reconciles cleanly on its own.
The tax side
The tax side of a private K-12 school.
Most of what goes wrong here is tuition counted too early and aid awards mixed with revenue. Fix the timing and the netting, and the rest follows.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Deferred tuition revenueTuition drafted over the school year is not fully earned the day each payment lands, and good books recognize it across the months of instruction it actually covers.
- Nonprofit status and exempt filingsMany private K-12 schools organize as nonprofits. Whether Form 990 applies and what audited or reviewed financial statements a lender or accreditor requires are questions for the accountant, and sit outside what monthly bookkeeping covers on its own.
- Staff classificationTeachers and administrative staff working a set schedule under the school's direction are employees, and misclassifying any of them as contractors is one of the more expensive mistakes a school can make.
- Contractor 1099s for outside vendorsAny outside vendor or contractor not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
Deductions private K-12 schools miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Curriculum and textbooks
- Instructional software licenses
- Facility maintenance and repairs
- Liability and property insurance
- Student information software
- Background check fees for staff
- Professional development for teachers
- Marketing and admissions events
- Classroom furniture and supplies
- Card and tuition processing fees
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 private K-12 school year, kept every month.
The school calendar and the tax calendar rarely line up. Gus keeps both organized together. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Spring semester underway
Financial aid renewal applications for next year often open. Last year's return gets started and the monthly set-aside gets planned.
- April
Filed. Done.
The school's return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Between school years
Facility costs continue through the summer while tuition revenue is lighter. Gus gives a halfway check on where the year stands.
- October
After the fall enrollment push
The new school year's tuition drafts are underway. Gus looks at any facility or staffing decisions worth making 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 private K-12 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 private K-12 school leaders ask first.
Are we required to be a nonprofit for Gus to help with our books?
No. Gus keeps the books the same way either way. If nonprofit status or Form 990 questions come up, those sit with the accountant, since they are outside what monthly bookkeeping covers on its own.
How does Gus handle tuition drafted monthly across a full school year?
He recognizes it across the months of instruction it actually covers, rather than the day each draft clears, so the school year's revenue always matches the work being done.
Some families get financial aid. Does that show up as a loss in our books?
No. Gus nets aid awards against the tuition they reduce, so revenue reflects what families actually pay rather than an inflated sticker price plus a separate expense line.
We have both a business office manager and outside contractors for things like grounds work. Does that matter for the books?
Yes. Staff on payroll and outside contractors are tracked separately from the start, and any contractor paid $2,000 or more this year gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Our books have been managed by three different bookkeepers over the years with different systems. Can Gus start fresh?
Yes. Send what you have and he sorts it into one consistent set of categories going forward. Most schools know exactly 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