Vocational & certification training
Books and taxes for skilled trades schools.
Tuition plans, WIOA vouchers, employer-sponsored seats, and tool kit sales all land in the bank differently. Gus sorts every dollar, 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 $17,000. The new plasma cutter went in as equipment, not shop supplies.
- WIOA voucher, midpointWorkforce funding
- Tuition payment planTuition
- Airgas welding gasShop supplies
- Student tool kit orderTool kits
- Google adsMarketing and leads
Why your books are different
Skilled trades school books go wrong before the first cohort finishes.
A generalist sees tuition and rent. Your school runs shop bays, journeyman instructors, and government funding that pays out in pieces. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies about what the school is actually earning.
-
1
Tuition gets counted before the class is taught
A student pays $6,200 upfront for a twelve-week electrical program. Booked as income the day it lands, one month looks flush from a class that has not started, and the months of actual teaching look thin.
What we doTracks tuition against the weeks the cohort actually runs, so income lines up with the teaching that earned it. -
2
WIOA funding pays out in three pieces
A workforce board voucher for a welding student often pays at enrollment, at the midpoint, and again at completion, sometimes two months apart. Waiting for cash to hide the amount owed makes it hard to know who still has to pay.
What we doKeeps a running list of what has been billed to the workforce board and what is still outstanding. -
3
A retired journeyman looks like a contractor, works like staff
A retired electrician who teaches your curriculum, on your schedule, in your shop, usually counts as an employee even when paid per class. Called a contractor anyway, it gets expensive if it is ever questioned.
What we doKeeps instructor pay in its own line and flags anyone who looks more like staff than a contractor. -
4
The plasma cutter is not a shop supply
A plasma cutter, an HVAC training rig, or a panel trainer can cost as much as a truck. Filed as shop supplies, it wrecks the month it was bought and can get written off the wrong way.
What we doFlags big equipment buys the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
5
Tool kits hide inside the tuition price
A $500 kit of Milwaukee or Klein tools handed to each welding or electrical student is often quietly folded into the tuition charge, so the school cannot tell if the kit is a break-even or a real cost.
What we doKeeps kit sales apart from tuition, so you can see what each side is actually worth.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a skilled trades school.
Set up once for how the school gets paid and what it spends on the shop floor. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Tuition, paid in fullEnrollment payments for welding, HVAC, or electrical cohorts paid upfront.
- Tuition payment plansInstallments collected through the school's own schedule.
- WIOA and workforce fundingVouchers from the local workforce board, tracked by what stage they pay at.
- Employer-sponsored seatsUtility companies or contractors paying for a group of workers to attend.
- Tool kit salesKits of shop tools sold to enrolled students, kept apart from tuition.
Money out
- Instructor payPayroll wages and per-class pay for journeyman instructors, kept in its own line.
- Shop suppliesWelding gas, electrode, wire, and consumables used up in class.
- EquipmentPlasma cutters, HVAC rigs, and panel trainers, logged so they get written off right.
- Tool kit costsWhat the school actually pays for the kits it sells to students.
- Facility rent and utilitiesShop bay rent, power for equipment, and classroom space.
- State approval and bondingThe state school license, renewal fees, and the surety bond that goes with it.
- Marketing and leadsGoogle ads, directory listings, and any lead-generation spend.
What we watch for you
- Tuition earned vs. collected
How much has been taught against how much cash has landed, so enrollment does not look bigger than it is.
- Funding receivable
What is billed to the workforce board or an employer but not yet paid.
- Instructor cost share
Instructor pay against tuition revenue, the clearest sign a cohort is priced right.
- The set-aside
What the school will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things skilled trades school 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.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not shop supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
I keep it as funding still owed, separate from tuition already in the bank, so you can see it without digging through statements.
That is worth a real look. Teaching your curriculum on your schedule usually reads as an employee even with outside work elsewhere, so I flagged it for the accountant.
The tax side
The tax side of a skilled trades school.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Equipment filed as supplies, an instructor paid like a contractor who works like staff, and funding nobody tracked until it showed up.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Shop equipment and training rigsPlasma cutters, HVAC training rigs, and electrical panel trainers can usually be written off the year they are bought. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Instructor classificationA journeyman who teaches your curriculum, on your schedule, with your equipment is usually an employee, even paid per class. Getting it wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Contractor 1099sA guest instructor or outside help paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated schools can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions skilled trades schools miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Welding gas and electrode
- HVAC refrigerant for training
- Electrical panel trainer parts
- Tool kit inventory
- Shop safety gear
- State approval renewal fees
- Surety bond premiums
- Instructor certifications
- Google ads and leads
- Student background checks
- Shop equipment maintenance
- Liability insurance
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 skilled trades school year, kept every month.
Cohorts can start almost any month. Taxes come on a 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, the 1099 list is ready, and the school gets a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
The return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where the school stands, what it will owe, and whether spring enrollment changed the number.
- October
Before the next cohort
Gus looks at shop equipment worth buying before year end and anything else 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 skilled trades schools. 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 skilled trades school owners ask first.
Can Gus track what the workforce board still owes us?
Yes. He keeps a running list of what has been billed to WIOA or an employer sponsor and what is still outstanding, separate from tuition already in the bank.
We use a student information system to run enrollment. Do we have to change anything?
No. Keep running the school the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do we write off a new welding rig all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the shop can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
Our instructors are paid per class. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps instructor pay in its own line and flags anyone paid like a contractor who works like staff, so the accountant can weigh in.
Our books are a year behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Does Gus handle WIOA paperwork or state school license renewals?
No. Gus keeps the books ready and flags when a renewal or a funding milestone is coming, but he does not file the paperwork itself. That stays with the school and the workforce board.
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