Youth & adult sports training

Books and taxes for private pitching and hitting coaches.

Prepaid five-lesson packages, cage time rented by the hour at three different facilities, a Rapsodo unit you carry from site to site, and no employer withholding anything for you. 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
FebruaryExample month
$5,500
what you made

February came in at $5,500. Travel ball tryout season pushed lesson demand up, and I kept your Rapsodo purchase logged as equipment instead of a supply run.

  • Venmo, lesson packagesLesson package sales
  • Cage rental, Facility ACage and facility rental
  • Cage rental, Facility BCage and facility rental
  • Rapsodo unit purchaseTraining equipment
  • Zelle, drop-in lessonsSingle lesson fees
Money in$14,000
Money out$8,500
Set aside for taxes$1,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A private coach's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. You sell prepaid lesson packages, rent cage time at more than one facility depending on the week, and cover your own taxes with nobody withholding anything for you. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell what a lesson package is really worth.

  1. 1

    A five-lesson package gets counted as income the day it's sold

    A family pays $400 upfront for five lessons that get used over six or eight weeks. Booked as income the day it's sold, that week looks great and the following weeks of actual coaching show nothing.

    What we doTracks what's sold against what's actually delivered, so income lands closer to the lessons you're giving, not just when a package was purchased.
  2. 2

    Cage rentals at different facilities get lumped into one number with no pattern

    Renting time at one facility on Tuesdays and another on Thursdays means two different bills at two different rates, and mixed together it's hard to see whether one location is actually a better deal than the other.

    What we doKeeps each facility's rental cost visible on its own, so you can see which location is really worth the rate you're paying.
  3. 3

    A sensor or launch monitor gets filed as a training supply

    A Rapsodo or Blast Motion unit can cost a few thousand dollars, closer to a piece of equipment than a bucket of balls or a bag of tees.

    What we doFlags sensor and monitor purchases as equipment, not supplies, and gets the accountant's call on how it should be written off.
  4. 4

    No one withholds anything, so taxes sneak up in April

    Every dollar that comes in through Venmo or cash is fully yours to set aside for taxes yourself, with no employer doing it for you, and it is easy to spend a good month's income without saving enough.

    What we doSets aside a percentage of what you earn every month, so quarterly payments and April are numbers you already know are coming.
  5. 5

    Mileage between facilities and to home lessons gets forgotten

    Driving to three different cages and a couple of home lessons a week adds up, but without a habit of logging it, that mileage deduction quietly disappears every year.

    What we doReminds you to log mileage between sites, so a real deduction doesn't go to waste.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a private pitching and hitting coach.

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

  • Lesson package salesPrepaid multi-lesson bundles, tracked against lessons delivered.
  • Single lesson feesOne-off drop-in lessons paid per visit.
  • Group session feesSmall group lessons, priced apart from one-on-one time.
  • Showcase prep packagesHigher-priced sessions built around tryout or showcase timing.

Money out

  • Cage and facility rentalHourly time rented at each location you coach from.
  • Training equipmentSensors, launch monitors, machines, and radar guns.
  • Balls, tees, and suppliesEveryday consumables that get replaced often.
  • Vehicle and mileageDriving between facilities and to home lessons.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability coverage for your coaching business.
  • MarketingYour website, social media, and word-of-mouth promotion.

What we watch for you

  • Package fill rate

    How many prepaid lessons are actually being used against what's been sold.

  • Cost per facility

    What each cage location is really costing you against the lessons booked there.

  • Showcase season lift

    How much prep season pricing adds on top of your regular lesson income.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so quarterly payments are never a surprise.

Ask Gus

Things private coaches 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 family bought a five-lesson pack in January but we're only three lessons in by March. Is that a problem?

Not for your books. I'm tracking what's been used against what was sold, so the income shows up as you actually deliver the lessons, not all at once back in January.

I coach at two different cages depending on the day. Does that make the books harder to keep straight?

No, I just keep each facility's cost on its own line, so you can see clearly which one is actually worth what you're paying for it.

Do I need to pay taxes four times a year instead of just in April?

Usually yes, since nobody withholds anything from what you're paid. I track your set-aside monthly so the quarterly payments in April, June, September, and January are numbers you already expect.

The tax side

The tax side of a private pitching and hitting coach.

Most of what trips up a solo coach is self-employment tax nobody is withholding, and equipment that gets mistaken for everyday supplies.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Self-employment taxAs a self-employed coach, you owe 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, since there is no employer covering half of it for you.
  • Quarterly estimated paymentsEstimated taxes are generally due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15. Missing these can mean a penalty even if the full amount is paid by April.
  • Sensors and training equipmentA launch monitor or swing sensor can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent, permanent, for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • The pass-through deductionMost self-employed coaches can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when lesson packages and expenses are tracked all year.

Deductions private pitching and hitting coaches miss

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

  • Cage and facility rental
  • Baseballs, softballs, and tees
  • Sensor and launch monitor subscriptions
  • Vehicle mileage between sites
  • Radar guns and stopwatches
  • Liability insurance
  • Website and booking tools
  • Coaching certification fees
  • Phone used for scheduling clients
  • Storage for equipment
  • Showcase and clinic listing fees
  • 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 private coach's year, kept every month.

Travel ball tryout season brings a rush, and quarterly tax dates come whether you're ready or not. 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 a monthly set-aside is already running so quarterly payments never sneak up on you.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, right as spring travel ball season picks up lesson demand.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer lesson volume changed the number.

  4. October

    Before winter prep season

    Before winter showcase prep season fills your calendar, Gus looks at equipment worth buying 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 private pitching and hitting coaches. 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 coaches ask first.

Can Gus handle prepaid lesson packages that take weeks to use up?

Yes. He tracks what's been used against what was sold, so income reflects the lessons you're actually giving, not just when the package was paid for.

I get paid through Venmo, Zelle, and sometimes cash. Does that complicate things?

No. Gus works from your bank statement and whatever you tell him about cash payments, and sorts all of it the same way regardless of how a family paid.

Do I really need to pay taxes four times a year?

Usually yes, since nothing is withheld from what you earn as a self-employed coach. Gus tracks a monthly set-aside so the quarterly amounts are never a surprise.

Do I write off a new launch monitor all at once?

Often you can. Equipment bought for coaching can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out works better. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.

I've never really kept books, just tracked lessons in a notes app. Can Gus start from there?

Yes. Send over your bank statements and whatever records you've kept, and Gus builds a real system from what actually came in and went out.

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 youth & adult sports training

We keep books for the business next door too.

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