Gyms & fitness studios
Books and taxes for running coaches and run clubs.
Monthly coaching plan subscriptions, a club membership fee, race entries you front for a group, and free shoes from a sponsor. Gus sorts all of 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 came in at $6,500. You fronted race entries for six club members this month, and I kept that reimbursement separate from your coaching income since it isn't money you actually earned.
- TrainingPeaks payoutCoaching plans
- Club membership duesClub dues
- Race entry reimbursementRace coordination
- Race registration fees paidRace coordination
- Coaching software subscriptionSoftware
Why your books are different
A running coach's books go wrong around fronted money and sponsor gear.
A generalist sees deposits and a few small bills. Your business runs coaching plans through an app, collects club dues, sometimes fronts race entry fees for a group and gets reimbursed, and occasionally receives free gear from a shoe brand. When the books miss that, fronted money looks like income you never actually earned.
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1
Fronted race entries look like income
When you pay for a group registration and collect reimbursement from each runner, that reimbursement isn't money you earned, it's just getting your own money back, but counted as regular income it inflates what you actually made coaching.
What we doBooks race entry reimbursements as returning your own money, not coaching income, so your real earnings stay accurate. -
2
Club dues and coaching plan fees get counted the same way
Club dues that cover group runs are different from a coaching plan subscription for structured, individual training, and mixed together, you can't tell which part of the business is actually growing.
What we doKeeps club dues and coaching plan income in separate lines so you can see how each part of the business is performing. -
3
Sponsor gear and product doesn't show up as anything
Free shoes or apparel from a sponsor in exchange for wearing the brand at races has real value, and depending on the arrangement, it may need to be reported as income even though no cash changed hands.
What we doFlags sponsor product arrangements so the accountant can determine what, if anything, needs to be reported. -
4
Nobody withholds anything from a coaching payout
A payout from a coaching app or a club due drops into your account with nothing already taken out for taxes, and it's easy to treat all of it as spendable until a bill shows up that nothing was saved for.
What we doBuilds a running set-aside from your actual monthly earnings, so the tax bill is never a surprise you're seeing for the first time in April.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a running coach or run club.
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
- Coaching plansMonthly subscriptions through TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, or a similar app.
- Club duesRecurring fees for group run membership, kept apart from coaching plans.
- Race coordinationReimbursements for fronted race entries, tracked as returning your own money.
- One-on-one consultationsStandalone gait analysis or race planning calls.
Money out
- Coaching softwareTrainingPeaks, Final Surge, or a similar app's subscription fee.
- Race registration fees paidGroup entries fronted before reimbursement comes in.
- MarketingLocal ads and social content tools.
- InsuranceGeneral liability, if you organize group runs on public roads or trails.
- Continuing educationCoaching certifications and clinics.
What we watch for you
- Coaching plan growth
How your recurring subscription income is trending, separate from one-time club dues.
- Race entry reimbursement lag
How much of your fronted money is still owed back to you at any time.
- The set-aside
What you'll owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things running 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.
It shouldn't, and it doesn't in your books. I track that as reimbursement for your own money, not coaching income, so it doesn't inflate what you actually earned.
Possibly, depending on the arrangement. I flagged it so the accountant can look at whether it needs to be reported, since no cash changed hands but it may still have value.
I track that every month based on what you're actually earning, so it's not a guess. You'll see the number update as the year goes.
The tax side
The tax side of coaching runners.
Most of what trips up a solo running coach is fronted money that isn't really income, and nobody withholding anything on your behalf.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Self-employment taxAs a solo coach taking profit directly, you owe self-employment tax of 15.3 percent on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- Quarterly estimated taxesWithout an employer withholding anything, taxes are generally due four times a year: April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
- Bartered goods and sponsor gearFree product from a sponsor in exchange for promotion can sometimes count as taxable income at its fair value. Gus flags these arrangements so the accountant can weigh in.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo coaches can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when your real coaching income and club dues are tracked all year.
Deductions running coaches and run clubs miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- TrainingPeaks or Final Surge fees
- Coaching certifications
- Running shoes used for coaching sessions
- GPS watch or coaching tech
- Business phone plan
- Website hosting
- Liability insurance for group runs
- Marketing and social content tools
- Mileage to group run locations
- Race entry for demo or scouting purposes
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 running coach's year, kept every month.
Race season builds toward fall marathons. Your taxes come on a fixed 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 spring race season 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 summer training blocks are keeping coaching plan income steady.
- October
Before year-end
Before the year closes, Gus looks at any equipment or software worth buying 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 running coaches and run 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 running coaches ask first.
I coach out of a park, not a studio. Does that make the books simpler?
It does. There's no rent or equipment to sort through, just coaching income, club dues, and a short list of business costs, all pulled from your bank and app statements.
How does Gus handle race entries I front for the group?
He tracks reimbursements from runners as getting your own money back, not as coaching income, so fronting a group registration doesn't inflate what you actually earned that month.
I never know how much to set aside for taxes. Can Gus figure that out?
Yes. Each month he updates a set-aside built from your actual coaching and club income, so instead of guessing, you'll have a running number well before April asks for it.
Does free gear from a sponsor need to be reported?
It depends on the arrangement. Gus flags sponsor product deals so the accountant can determine whether the value needs to show up on your return.
My income swings a lot with race season. Is that a problem for Gus?
No. He works from whatever comes in, whenever it comes in, and the monthly number and set-aside adjust with it, so a slow off-season month doesn't throw anything off.
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