Gyms & fitness studios
Books and taxes for swim schools.
Lesson blocks sold in sessions, a pool that runs on chemicals and heating no matter the season, and instructors paid per lesson taught. 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
August came in at $8,700. Back-to-school families rebooked lesson blocks this month, and I'm only counting the lessons actually taught so far, not the whole session paid up front.
- Jackrabbit lesson block paymentLesson blocks
- Makeup lesson feeLesson blocks
- Pool chemical deliveryPool operations
- Swim instructor payrollInstructor pay
- Lifeguard staffingLifeguard pay
Why your books are different
A swim school's books go wrong around the pool itself.
A generalist sees lesson payments and a rent bill. Your school runs lessons in sessions paid up front, keeps a pool heated and chemically balanced every single day whether it's booked or not, staffs lifeguards separately from instructors, and deals with makeup lessons that complicate what was actually delivered. When the books miss that, real teaching hours get lost.
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1
A lesson block counted the day it's paid
A family who prepays for an eight-week lesson block hands you money for lessons that haven't happened yet. Counted all at once, the week they enroll looks strong and the weeks the lessons happen look thin.
What we doCounts lesson block income as lessons are actually taught, not the day the block is paid for, so each month reflects real lessons delivered. -
2
Pool operating costs run every day, booked or not
Heating, chemicals, and filtration run whether the pool is fully booked or half empty, and that steady daily cost can get missed or mixed into general utilities instead of tracked as its own real expense.
What we doKeeps pool operations in its own category so that daily cost of keeping water safe and warm stays visible. -
3
Lifeguards and instructors get paid the same way but do different jobs
A lifeguard watching the pool and an instructor teaching a lesson are both hourly staff, but lumped together in one wage line, you can't tell what teaching costs against what safety staffing costs.
What we doKeeps instructor pay and lifeguard pay in their own lines so each role's cost stays visible against what it supports. -
4
Makeup lessons blur what was actually delivered
A missed lesson rescheduled for later means a family already paid for it once, and tracking that correctly matters so a makeup doesn't look like a new sale or a missed one looks like lost revenue.
What we doTracks makeup lessons against the block they belong to, so rescheduled sessions don't get counted twice or missed.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a swim school.
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
- Lesson blocksSessions of lessons sold up front through Jackrabbit or a similar system.
- Drop-in lessonsSingle lessons for visiting or trial students.
- Private lessonsOne-on-one instruction billed separately from group sessions.
- Pool rentalsPrivate party or open swim time rented outside lesson hours.
Money out
- Instructor payPer-lesson pay for swim instructors, kept apart from lifeguards.
- Lifeguard payHourly safety staffing, tracked separately from teaching.
- Pool operationsHeating, chemicals, and filtration, run every day regardless of bookings.
- Rent and utilitiesThe building itself, apart from pool-specific operating costs.
- SoftwareJackrabbit or a similar family-billing and scheduling system.
- InsuranceGeneral liability, higher here given the water and supervision involved.
- MarketingLocal ads and referral incentives for new families.
What we watch for you
- Lessons taught vs sold
How much of what families paid for has actually been delivered, so income tracks real lessons.
- Pool cost per session
What running the pool actually costs against how many lessons it supports.
- Instructor vs lifeguard cost
What teaching costs against what safety staffing costs, since they're different roles.
- The set-aside
What you'll owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things swim 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.
Because I only count lessons as they're taught, not the day the block is paid for. As the weeks go by, you'll see it show up lesson by lesson, which is closer to the truth.
Yes. I keep pool operations in its own category, so you can see that steady daily cost clearly against how many lessons it's actually supporting.
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 swim school.
Most of what trips up a swim school is timing and roles. Lesson blocks counted too early, and instructor pay tangled with lifeguard pay.
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 lesson schedule at your pool 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 or specialist not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if paid $2,000 or more in 2026. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Pool equipment and heating systemsPool heaters, filtration upgrades, and lifts can usually be written off in the year they're bought. 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 lesson blocks, pool costs, and staffing are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions swim schools miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Pool chemicals and filtration
- Pool heating costs
- Jackrabbit or scheduling software
- Liability insurance
- Instructor and lifeguard certifications
- Kickboards and lesson equipment
- Business phone and booking line
- Cleaning and pool maintenance service
- Marketing and referral incentives
- Website and booking widget
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 swim school's year, kept every month.
Enrollment swings with the school calendar and the weather. 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 the winter indoor lesson rush 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 summer enrollment is keeping pace with pool costs.
- October
Before year-end
Before the calendar closes, Gus looks at pool equipment 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 swim 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 swim school owners ask first.
Can Gus track lesson blocks as they're actually taught?
Yes. Instead of counting a block as income the day it's paid for, he tracks it as lessons are taught, so your monthly number reflects real lessons delivered, not just money collected.
I run scheduling through Jackrabbit. Do I have to change anything?
Nothing on your end. Gus reads directly from your bank statement and Jackrabbit's billing drafts, and on the rare unclear deposit, he'll check with you once instead of guessing.
Are pool operating costs really worth tracking separately from rent?
Yes. Heating, chemicals, and filtration run every day regardless of how full your schedule is, and keeping them separate shows you the true daily cost of running the pool.
How does Gus handle makeup lessons?
He tracks them against the block they belong to, so a rescheduled lesson doesn't get counted as new income or make it look like the original lesson was never taught.
My books are behind from opening the school. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Send the statements you have since opening the school. Gus catches things up, the accountant checks the result, and you'll know where things stand 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