Faith-based, nonprofit & membership orgs
Books and taxes for private social clubs.
Monthly dues, a member's quarterly food and beverage minimum, guest fees for a member's weekend visitors, and a capital assessment for the pool renovation. Your own bookkeeper keeps it sorted, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $10,700 after expenses. Pool season pushed guest fees up sharply, and I kept them in their own line since guest income is taxed differently than member dues.
- Monthly dues batchMember dues
- Pool renovation assessmentCapital assessments
- Guest fee deposits, weekendNonmember guest fees
- Grounds crew payrollCourse and grounds maintenance
- Sysco clubhouse food orderFood and beverage costs
Why your books are different
A private club's books go wrong in the same recurring places.
A generalist sees dues and a restaurant tab and calls it simple. Your club charges a food and beverage minimum members have to spend or forfeit, collects guest fees that are taxed differently than member activity, and levies capital assessments separate from regular dues for big projects. Miss that mix and the club cannot show which income is which.
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1
Guest fees get taxed the same as member dues
Income the club earns from nonmembers, including guest fees and outside events, is often taxed differently than dues and activities among members, and mixed together, the club cannot tell the accountant which income might be taxable.
What we doKeeps nonmember guest fees and outside event income in their own category, separate from member dues, so the accountant has what is needed to sort out any taxable portion. -
2
The food and beverage minimum gets confused with actual spending
A member who has to spend a set amount at the clubhouse each quarter or forfeit the difference creates two different numbers, what they actually spent and what they owe if they came up short, and mixed together, billing gets confusing fast.
What we doTracks each member's actual food and beverage spending against their required minimum, so forfeited minimums are billed correctly and clearly. -
3
A capital assessment gets spent on operating costs
A one-time assessment members pay for a specific project, like a pool or course renovation, can quietly get spent on regular clubhouse operations if it is not kept apart from dues, leaving the project short when it is time to pay contractors.
What we doTags capital assessment payments the day they arrive and tracks project spending against them, so the money stays earmarked for what it was collected for. -
4
Pro shop and grounds costs get lumped into one general bucket
Merchandise for the pro shop and course maintenance supplies are different kinds of costs with different margins, and lumped together, the club cannot tell whether the pro shop is pulling its own weight.
What we doKeeps pro shop merchandise and course or grounds maintenance in separate categories, so each is visible on its own. -
5
Initiation fee installment plans get counted as paid in full
A new member paying an initiation fee over several years in installments can get counted as fully paid the day they join, overstating what the club has actually collected.
What we doTracks initiation fees against their actual payment schedule, so the club sees what has really been collected versus what is still owed.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a private social club.
Set up once for how dues, assessments, and guest activity flow through the club. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Member duesMonthly or annual dues from club members.
- Initiation feesNew member fees, tracked against installment schedules where they apply.
- Capital assessmentsOne-time member charges for specific facility projects.
- Nonmember guest feesFees paid for guests and any outside events held at the club.
Money out
- Food and beverage costsClubhouse kitchen and bar inventory.
- Course and grounds maintenanceGreens crew, landscaping, and equipment for the course or grounds.
- Pro shop merchandiseInventory for the pro shop, tracked apart from food and beverage.
- Capital project costsSpending on the specific project a capital assessment was collected for.
- Staff payrollClubhouse, grounds, and pro shop staff wages.
- Facility insurance and utilitiesCoverage and utility costs for the clubhouse and grounds.
What we watch for you
- Member minimum shortfall
How much in food and beverage minimums will be billed as forfeited this quarter.
- Nonmember income share
How much of total revenue comes from guests and outside events versus members.
- Capital assessment balance
What has been collected against a project versus what the project will cost.
- Pro shop margin
What the pro shop brings in against what it costs to stock, tracked apart from the clubhouse.
Ask Gus
Things club managers 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 am tracking each member's spending against their minimum as the quarter goes, so you will have that list ready before billing instead of scrambling at the deadline.
Not without the board redesignating it. I keep assessment money tagged to the project it was collected for, so you always know what is actually available for the renovation.
Often not. I keep guest fees and outside event income in their own category, and the accountant looks at whether any of it is taxable to the club separately from member activity.
The tax side
The tax side of running a private social club.
Most of what matters here is separating member and nonmember income and keeping capital assessments tied to their project.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Nonmember income is often taxableIncome the club earns from guests, outside events, and the general public is usually taxable to the club, even though dues and activities among members generally are not.
- Investment incomeA club's investment income, such as interest on reserves, is also often taxable, separate from how member dues are treated.
- Worker classification for clubhouse and course staffA server, caddie, or groundskeeper who works your schedule and uses your equipment is an employee, not a contractor, even seasonally.
- Contractor 1099sA golf pro, band, or contractor not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions private social clubs miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Course and grounds maintenance
- Clubhouse food and beverage inventory
- Pro shop merchandise
- Golf cart and equipment maintenance
- Pool chemicals and maintenance
- Liability and property insurance
- Uniforms for staff
- Landscaping and irrigation costs
- Locker room and facility supplies
- Bank and card processing fees
- Member communications and newsletter
- Security and access control systems
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 club's year, kept every month.
Dues, minimums, and assessments run on their own calendars, and the books track every one of them. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Reconcile dues and minimums
Last year's records are wrapped up, member dues and forfeited food and beverage minimums are reconciled, and the contractor 1099 list is finalized.
- April
Assessment records finalized
Whatever filing applies to the club's structure is ready to hand off, with member and nonmember income already sorted for the year.
- July
Peak season check
Peak season for many clubs. Gus checks where guest fee income and food and beverage minimums stand against the year's plan.
- October
Before the winter slowdown
Many clubs see activity drop heading into winter. Gus looks at capital project spending and reserve balances before the slower months begin.
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 social clubs. 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 club managers ask first.
Can Gus track which members will forfeit their food and beverage minimum?
Yes. Each member's actual spending is tracked against their required minimum through the quarter, so the shortfall list is ready ahead of billing.
Does a capital assessment for a specific project stay separate from regular dues?
Yes. Assessment payments are tagged to the project they were collected for and tracked against project spending, so the money stays earmarked.
Do you prepare our club's annual filing with the IRS?
No, that filing sits outside this subscription. Member and nonmember income stay separated all year, along with capital assessments and food and beverage minimums, so the club's own preparer starts from real numbers.
Does income from guests and outside events get taxed differently than member dues?
Often yes. Guest fees and outside event income are kept in their own category, and the accountant looks at whether any of it counts as taxable to the club.
New members pay their initiation fee over three years. How does that get tracked?
Against the actual installment schedule, so the club sees what has really been collected rather than counting the full fee as paid the day someone joins.
Our books have not been reconciled since our last manager left. Can you catch us up?
Yes. Send the bank and membership records you have. Gus works through the backlog and the accountant checks it, and most clubs know where they stand within a couple of weeks.
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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We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Church plants
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- Private family foundations
- Trade & industry associations
- Veterans organizations
- Youth sports nonprofits
- Charter schools
- Christian schools
- Small & mid-size churches
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