Gyms & fitness studios
Books and taxes for senior fitness programs.
SilverSneakers reimbursements that land weeks after class, private-pay members alongside them, and instructors paid per small class they lead. Gus sorts all of it, and an accountant checks every transaction.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $5,200. The SilverSneakers reimbursement batch covered classes from back in December, so I booked it against the month those classes actually happened, not the month the check arrived.
- SilverSneakers reimbursementInsurance reimbursement
- Private member duesPrivate-pay dues
- Chair and light equipmentEquipment
- Instructor pay batch, programInstructor pay
- Facility rentRent
Why your books are different
A senior fitness program's books go wrong around reimbursements and small classes.
A generalist sees deposits and a rent bill. Your program collects reimbursement checks from SilverSneakers and similar programs weeks after class happens, runs small class sizes that limit how much any one session can bring in, and mixes private-pay members in alongside covered ones. When the books miss that, real monthly performance gets lost in the lag.
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1
Reimbursement checks land weeks after the classes they cover
A SilverSneakers or similar reimbursement batch often pays out a month or more after the classes actually happened, so counting it the day it lands makes a slow month look busy and a busy month look slow.
What we doBooks reimbursement income against the month the classes actually happened, not the month the check arrives, so the real picture stays clear. -
2
Private-pay and covered members blend into one number
A member paying out of pocket and a member covered through an insurance fitness benefit both show up as class attendance, but they're paid completely differently, and mixed together you can't tell how much of your revenue depends on which source.
What we doKeeps private-pay dues and insurance reimbursements in separate lines so you can see how much of the program depends on each. -
3
Small class caps make per-class cost hard to see
A program that intentionally keeps classes small for safety and attention has a lower revenue ceiling per session than a packed group class, and without tracking cost per class, it's easy to misjudge whether a session is actually worth running.
What we doTracks instructor pay against class size so you can see what each session actually costs relative to what it can bring in. -
4
Chair and light equipment gets treated as a one-off buy
Chairs, light weights, and resistance bands sized for senior programming wear out and get replaced periodically, and each order can look like a random expense instead of the routine cost it is.
What we doKeeps program equipment in one steady category so a replacement order reads as the expected cost it is.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a senior fitness program.
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
- Insurance reimbursementsSilverSneakers or similar program payouts, booked to the month classes happened.
- Private-pay duesMembers paying out of pocket, kept apart from reimbursed members.
- Drop-in feesSingle-class visits for members trying the program.
- Community partnership feesFlat payments from a senior center or retirement community contract.
Money out
- Instructor payPer-class pay, tracked against class size and attendance.
- EquipmentChairs, light weights, and bands sized for the program.
- Rent and utilitiesThe facility space and the power it runs on.
- SoftwareScheduling and attendance tracking for reimbursement reporting.
- InsuranceGeneral liability, given the population the program serves.
- MarketingLocal outreach and referral partnerships with community groups.
What we watch for you
- Reimbursement lag
How many weeks pass between a class and its payout, so a slow month isn't mistaken for a bad one.
- Private-pay share
How much of the month comes from private pay versus insurance reimbursement.
- Cost per class
What instructor pay costs against small class sizes, so each session's value stays clear.
- The set-aside
What you'll owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things senior fitness program owners 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 book it against the month those classes actually happened, not the month the check showed up. That way a slow month doesn't look busy just because a late payment landed in it.
It does, so I keep the two separate. That way you can see how much of your income depends on private pay versus reimbursement, instead of it all looking like one thing.
If she's not on payroll and you pay her $2,000 or more this year, yes, by January 31. I keep that list running so it's ready.
The tax side
The tax side of running a senior fitness program.
Most of what trips up this business is timing. Reimbursements counted on arrival instead of when classes happened, and private-pay income blended with insurance-covered attendance.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Instructor or employeeAn instructor who teaches your class schedule with your equipment usually counts as an employee, not a contractor, no matter what the pay arrangement is called. Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Contractor 1099sA substitute instructor not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if paid $2,000 or more in 2026. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Program equipmentChairs, light weights, and bands bought for the program can usually be written off the year they're purchased. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when reimbursements, private pay, and instructor pay are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions senior fitness programs miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Chairs and light equipment
- Resistance bands and mats
- Scheduling software
- Liability insurance
- Instructor certifications
- Facility rent
- Business phone line
- Community outreach materials
- Cleaning service
- Marketing and referral partnerships
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 senior fitness program's year, kept every month.
Reimbursements come on their own delay. 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 reimbursement timing doesn'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 reimbursement timing has evened out through the year.
- October
Before year-end
Before the calendar closes, Gus looks at equipment worth replacing 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 senior fitness programs. 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 senior fitness program owners ask first.
Can Gus track SilverSneakers reimbursements against the classes they actually cover?
Yes. Instead of counting a reimbursement the day it lands, he books it against the month the classes happened, so a delayed payment doesn't make an old slow month look busy today.
Does Gus separate private-pay members from insurance-covered ones?
Yes. The two are tracked in their own categories so you can see how much of your income depends on private pay versus insurance reimbursement, instead of one number hiding the mix.
Our classes are intentionally small. Does that matter for the books?
It matters for understanding cost. Gus tracks instructor pay against class size so you can see what each session actually costs relative to what it brings in, given the smaller class caps.
Do I need special software for reimbursement reporting?
Whatever attendance and reimbursement system you already use is fine. Gus works from your bank statement and reimbursement batches, and asks once when something's unclear.
My books are behind from when the program started. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Send whatever statements you have since the program started. Gus works through the backlog, the accountant checks the result, and you'll have a clear picture before long.
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