Water recreation & marinas

Books and taxes for surf schools.

Private lessons booked one at a time, multi-day camps for kids on school break, board rentals that ding and need wax every week, and instructors paid per lesson. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
JulyExample month
$13,700
what you made

July made $13,700. I logged the four new soft-top boards from Wavestorm as equipment, not gear, since a board order that size isn't a routine wax and leash purchase.

  • Booking site payout, private lessonsPrivate lesson bookings
  • Summer camp depositsCamp package bookings
  • Wavestorm board orderBoard fleet equipment
  • Instructor pay, weekend crewInstructor wages
  • Beach permit renewalBeach access and permits
Money in$38,900
Money out$25,200
Set aside for taxes$3,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A surf school's books go wrong in the same handful of places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. A surf school is one-on-one lessons booked by the hour, week-long camps for kids paid in one deposit, a board fleet that dings constantly, and instructors paid per lesson rather than a flat wage. When the books do not know that, real profit per lesson stays hidden.

  1. 1

    Camp deposits get counted as income too early

    A parent who pays for a five-day summer camp in May has not paid for lessons that happen until July. Booked all at once, May looks huge and the actual camp weeks look thinner than they were.

    What we doSpreads camp package payments across the days the camp actually runs, so each month's number reflects the lessons really given.
  2. 2

    Private lessons and camp income blur together

    A one-hour private lesson and a week of group camp instruction cost very different amounts to deliver, and lumped into one revenue line, neither shows its real return.

    What we doKeeps private lesson income separate from camp package income, so each side of the school shows its own number.
  3. 3

    Board repairs and wax disappear into general supplies

    Soft-top boards used in lessons ding, crack, and need wax and leash replacement constantly. Small and constant, these costs vanish into a general supplies line instead of showing what it really costs to keep the fleet lesson-ready.

    What we doKeeps board repair and wax costs in a steady line, separate from other gear, so fleet upkeep is visible over the season.
  4. 4

    Instructor pay per lesson looks inconsistent

    Instructors paid a flat rate per lesson can make payroll look erratic week to week if nobody is tracking it against how many lessons and campers were actually booked.

    What we doKeeps instructor pay tied to lessons given, so a heavy payroll week reads against the bookings that caused it, not as a random spike.
  5. 5

    A flat spell of surf looks like a bad month

    A stretch of poor conditions or a run of onshore wind can cancel lessons for days with no notice, and one thin week can spook an owner into cutting the wrong cost.

    What we doTracks the month against the season, so a conditions-driven slow stretch reads as expected, not as a demand problem.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a surf school.

Set up once for how lessons and camps get paid and what the school costs to run. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Private lesson bookingsOne-on-one and small group lessons booked by the hour.
  • Camp package bookingsMulti-day camps for kids and tourists, billed as one package.
  • Board and wetsuit rentalsGear rented separately from a lesson, for experienced surfers.
  • Photo and video packagesGoPro footage and photo add-ons sold alongside a lesson.

Money out

  • Instructor wagesPay for surf instructors, tied to lessons and camp days given.
  • Board fleet equipmentSoft-top boards bought in bulk for the lesson fleet.
  • Board repair and waxDings, fin repair, wax, and leash replacement for the fleet.
  • Beach access and permitsLocal permits and site fees for running lessons on the beach.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for a business that teaches people to surf.
  • Booking site feesWhat the booking site keeps from online lesson and camp sales.

What we watch for you

  • Lesson versus camp mix

    How much of the month is private lessons against camp packages, since they carry different pricing and costs.

  • Board repair rate

    Repair and wax costs against the size of the board fleet. A rising number often means it is time to retire a few boards.

  • Instructor cost per lesson

    Instructor pay against lessons and camp days given, so pricing keeps up with what it costs to staff a session.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things surf 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.

Parents paid deposits for summer camp back in May. Why does May look so much bigger than June?

That was camp money paid ahead of the actual camp weeks. I am spreading it across when the lessons happen, so June should look more like the busy month it was.

We bought four new boards this month for about $1,600. Does that count as an expense right away?

Often it can. I logged it as equipment, not gear, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.

Flat surf killed two weeks this month. Should I be worried?

This month is down, but it is tracking close to past slow-swell stretches. I would not read too much into two weeks of poor conditions.

The tax side

The tax side of running a surf school.

Most of what goes wrong here is camp money booked too early and instructor pay that is hard to classify. Getting the categories right most of the year makes the return simpler.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Board fleet write-offsBoards, wetsuits, and other lesson equipment can usually be written off in the year they are bought, up to current Section 179 and bonus depreciation limits. The accountant decides the best approach for the year.
  • Instructor worker classificationAn instructor who teaches your lessons on your schedule with your boards is usually an employee, even if pay is calculated per lesson rather than hourly.
  • Sales tax on lessons and campsWhether lessons, camps, and rentals owe state or local sales tax varies by state and is worth checking locally. Gus keeps income clearly split for the accountant to apply it correctly.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when lessons, camps, and instructor pay are tracked correctly all season.

Deductions surf schools miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Board wax and leashes
  • Ding repair supplies
  • Wetsuits and rash guards
  • Beach access permits
  • Liability insurance
  • Booking site fees
  • Instructor first aid certification
  • Sunscreen and retail stock
  • GoPro and camera gear
  • Board racks and storage
  • Marketing and social ads
  • Camp snacks and supplies

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 surf school's year, kept every month.

Camps fill up on school breaks and lessons run all season, but conditions can shift week to week. Taxes come on their own 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so tax time is already handled before camp deposits start coming in.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, ahead of the busiest camp booking season.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer camps and lessons are on pace to cover the rest of the year.

  4. October

    Before the season slows

    Before lesson bookings thin out, Gus looks at board fleet purchases and repairs worth making before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 surf 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 surf school owners ask first.

Parents pay camp deposits months before the camp runs. How does Gus handle that?

He spreads it across the days the camp actually happens instead of counting it all the day it clears, so each month shows the lessons that were really given rather than one big spike.

Can Gus tell us if private lessons or camps make more money?

Yes. He keeps the two in separate lines, so you can see which side of the school is really carrying the season instead of guessing from one lump deposit.

Our instructors are paid per lesson, not hourly. Does that change how they're classified?

Not usually. An instructor who teaches your lessons on your boards and your schedule tends to look like an employee no matter how the pay is calculated. The accountant looks at the specifics before anything is decided.

We just bought new boards for the season. Does that write off right away?

Often it can. Board fleet purchases like that can usually be deducted in the year they are bought, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags it and the accountant decides.

Our books are a mess from last summer. Can we still start now?

Yes. Send the bank and booking site statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Do you handle our beach access permit renewal?

No. Permits with the local authority are outside the subscription. Gus tracks the cost once it is paid, but not the renewal itself.

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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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