Tutoring, test prep & alternative schools
Books and taxes for reading and dyslexia specialists.
Structured literacy sessions billed by the hour, a screening battery for every new student, a certification renewal every couple of years, and parents who pay privately since insurance rarely covers it. 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
November came in at $5,800. I logged the new screening kit as materials, not office supplies, since it will show up on next year's return as a real asset.
- Session invoices, StripeSession fees
- Screening battery feeDiagnostic screening
- Literacy cert renewal feeCertification and training
- Decodable reader setCurriculum materials
- Practice space rentOffice rent
Why your books are different
Reading and dyslexia specialist books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees invoices and a home office. Your practice is structured literacy sessions, a screening battery that is its own product, and certification renewals that are not a routine expense. When the books do not know that, deductions get missed and the monthly number blurs together.
-
1
Screening fees get lumped into session income
A formal reading or dyslexia screening is often a longer, higher-cost session than a regular lesson, and when it is booked the same as ordinary tutoring, you cannot see what assessment work actually earns.
What we doKeeps screening and diagnostic fees in their own category, separate from ongoing session revenue. -
2
Certification renewals look like a routine training expense
An Orton-Gillingham or structured literacy certification renewal can run into real money every couple of years, and if it is filed the same as a one-off webinar, the deduction and the timing both get muddled.
What we doFlags certification and training costs as they happen so the accountant can place them correctly on the return. -
3
Sliding-scale fees make the books look inconsistent
Many specialists offer a reduced rate for families who cannot pay full price, and if every invoice looks different with no note on why, the books cannot tell a discount from a missed payment.
What we doReconciles what actually landed against what was billed, so a sliding-scale rate shows up as itself instead of an unexplained gap. -
4
Materials bought once get filed as monthly supplies
A full set of decodable readers or a diagnostic kit is a real investment that lasts years, but it often lands in the books as an ordinary monthly supply cost, which understates what the practice is worth and confuses year-over-year comparisons.
What we doFlags larger materials purchases as they show up and logs them so the accountant can treat them as the asset they are.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a reading and dyslexia practice.
Set up once for how sessions and assessments get billed. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Session feesOne-on-one structured literacy sessions billed by the hour.
- Diagnostic screeningThe initial reading or dyslexia screening battery, billed apart from ongoing sessions.
- Package prepaymentsBlocks of sessions paid up front and drawn down as they are used.
- Consultation feesParent conferences and school meetings billed separately from direct instruction.
Money out
- Certification and trainingOrton-Gillingham or similar structured literacy certification and renewal costs.
- Curriculum materialsDecodable readers, phonics cards, and screening kits.
- Office rentA practice space rented by the hour, day, or month.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for working one-on-one with children.
- Continuing educationConferences and coursework to keep credentials current.
- Marketing and referralsA website, local directory listing, and referral thank-you gifts for other providers.
What we watch for you
- Active caseload
The base your session income rests on. A full caseload matters more than one strong week.
- Screening revenue
What assessments bring in against ongoing sessions, since new students cluster after report cards.
- Sliding-scale share
How much of billed revenue actually gets collected at a reduced rate.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things reading and dyslexia specialists 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.
Usually, yes. I logged it as a certification cost and flagged it so the accountant places it right, since the amount and timing can matter.
No. I match what actually deposits against what was billed, so a sliding-scale rate shows up as exactly that, not a mystery gap.
If you pay her $2,000 or more this year, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep a running list so it is ready when the time comes.
The tax side
The tax side of a reading and dyslexia practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing on big purchases and blending assessment income with session income. Fix the labels and the rest follows.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Certification and training costsStructured literacy certification and renewal fees are generally deductible business costs, tracked as they happen so the accountant can place them on the right year's return.
- Screening and materials as assetsA full diagnostic kit or a large set of decodable readers is often worth treating as equipment rather than a routine supply, which can affect how and when it is written off.
- Self-employment taxA solo specialist taking profit directly, without running payroll, owes self-employment tax of 15.3 percent on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo practitioners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books separate sessions, screenings, and materials cleanly all year.
Deductions reading and dyslexia specialists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Certification renewal fees
- Decodable readers and phonics kits
- Screening and assessment materials
- Continuing education courses
- Liability insurance
- Practice space rent
- Professional association dues
- Marketing and referral gifts
- Home office for planning
- Card 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 reading and dyslexia practice year, kept every month.
Report card season brings the phone calls. Gus keeps the year's swings organized alongside it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
New term, full caseload
Winter report cards drive a wave of new screenings. Last year's return gets started and the monthly set-aside gets planned.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Summer check-in
Where you stand while summer sessions run lighter, and whether the year's screenings changed what you will owe.
- October
Before the fall wave
Fall report cards bring the year's next wave of new screenings. Gus looks at any materials or certification renewals 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 reading and dyslexia specialists. 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 reading and dyslexia specialists ask first.
Insurance rarely covers what I do. Does that change how Gus books it?
No. Whether a family pays out of pocket or through a reimbursement arrangement, Gus books what actually lands in your account and sorts it into the right category.
Can Gus tell the difference between screening income and session income?
Yes. Screenings and diagnostic batteries get their own category from the start, so you can always see what assessment work brings in against ongoing sessions.
I just bought a full diagnostic kit that cost more than a month of sessions. How does that get handled?
Gus flags a purchase that size the day it shows up and logs it so the accountant can decide the right way to write it off, rather than letting it blend into routine supplies.
I offer a reduced rate to some families. Will the books show that as a loss?
No. Gus matches what actually deposits against what was billed, so a sliding-scale rate reads as itself, not as a missed payment or an unexplained shortfall.
My records from the last year are scattered across three different invoicing tools. Can Gus still take this on?
Yes. Send what you have from each and he sorts it into one clean set of books. Most people 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