Childcare & youth programs
Books and taxes for tutoring-plus-childcare hybrids.
Hourly tutoring rates blended with a flat after-school supervision fee, tutors who split time between subjects, and test prep packages sold alongside daily homework help. 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
October made $5,900. Three families upgraded to the SAT prep package this month, so I kept that revenue apart from regular homework-help billing since it runs on its own schedule.
- Acuity Scheduling tutoring chargesHourly tutoring fees
- Homework help program feesAfter-school supervision fees
- Tutor payrollTutor wages
- Really Good Stuff workbook orderCurriculum materials
- Classroom space rentFacility rent
Why your books are different
A tutoring and childcare hybrid's books go wrong because two different businesses share one roof.
A generalist bookkeeper picks one label for your business and stops there. You bill some families for straight academic tutoring and others for after-school supervision with homework help built in, and the tutors themselves sit in different tax categories depending on how independent their work really is. Gus keeps that split honest.
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1
Tutoring fees and supervision fees blend together
An hourly SAT prep session and a flat daily after-school supervision fee are two different services with two different price structures, and folded into one billing category, you cannot see which side of the business is actually carrying the month.
What we doKeeps hourly tutoring fees and flat supervision fees in separate lines, so each side of the business shows its own numbers. -
2
Tutor classification depends on how independent the work really is
A subject tutor who sets her own curriculum and schedule and works with a handful of other families independently might be a real contractor, while a homework helper who follows your schedule and supervises a room of kids looks like an employee, and treating both the same way is a real risk.
What we doFlags the difference between an independent subject tutor and a supervised homework helper, so the accountant can confirm how each should be classified. -
3
Test prep packages get counted as income too early
A family who buys an eight-session SAT prep package in September did not hand you eight sessions of earned income that day, and booking it all up front overstates September and understates the weeks the sessions actually happen.
What we doHolds package sales as money collected in advance and counts them as income as each tutoring session actually happens. -
4
Curriculum materials get mixed between tutoring and homework help
A workbook order might cover both one-on-one tutoring sessions and general homework help, and if it's booked as one general supplies line, you cannot see the real material cost behind each side of the business.
What we doSplits curriculum material costs between tutoring and homework help when you tell him what a purchase was for, so each side's real cost is visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a tutoring and childcare hybrid.
Set up once for a business that bills two different ways for two different services. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Hourly tutoring feesOne-on-one and small-group academic sessions billed through Acuity Scheduling or a similar app.
- After-school supervision feesFlat daily or weekly fees for homework help and general supervision.
- Test prep packagesMulti-session SAT, ACT, or exam prep bundles, held until sessions run.
- Registration feesA one-time fee some families pay to hold a spot for the term.
Money out
- Tutor wagesPay for subject tutors and homework helpers, kept apart when classification differs.
- Payroll taxes and workers compThe cost of keeping supervised staff on payroll rather than contract.
- Curriculum materialsReally Good Stuff orders and other workbooks and practice materials.
- Facility rentClassroom or study space rented for tutoring and homework help.
- Background checks and certificationsFingerprinting for staff supervising children directly.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for both the tutoring and the supervision side of the business.
- Scheduling softwareThe booking system used to manage both tutoring sessions and daily attendance.
What we watch for you
- Revenue split
Tutoring fees against supervision fees, so you know which side of the business is actually growing.
- Tutor pay by classification
Contractor tutor pay against employee homework helper wages, kept visible as two separate costs.
- Package sessions outstanding
Test prep sessions sold but not yet delivered, so they are not mistaken for spendable profit.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things tutoring and childcare hybrid 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.
Yes, I keep hourly tutoring fees and flat supervision fees in separate lines, so you can see which side of the business is actually driving a strong month.
She may genuinely be a contractor if she controls her own schedule and curriculum. I flag her situation separately from our homework helpers so the accountant can confirm it.
Not yet. I hold those as money collected in advance and count the income as each session actually happens, so it doesn't inflate this month and understate the next few.
The tax side
The tax side of a tutoring and childcare hybrid.
Most of what matters here is getting tutor classification right, since this trade genuinely has both real contractors and real employees, and timing package income correctly.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Independent subject tutors versus supervised staffA tutor who sets her own schedule, curriculum, and client list may be a genuine contractor. A homework helper who works your set schedule and supervises a room of kids under your direction is usually an employee.
- Contractor 1099sAn independent tutor genuinely working as a contractor who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Test prep packages and revenue timingMoney collected for a multi-session test prep package is not fully earned until each session actually happens, which matters for an accurate year-end number.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed, which comes out right when tutoring and supervision income are booked correctly all year.
Deductions tutoring-plus-childcare hybrids miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Workbooks and practice materials
- Background check fees
- Liability insurance
- Classroom or study space rent
- Scheduling software
- Marketing to local schools and parent groups
- Test prep licensing or curriculum fees
- Continuing education for tutors
- Mileage for in-home tutoring visits
- Office supplies for homework help sessions
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 tutoring and childcare hybrid's year, kept every month.
Your calendar mixes the school term with test prep season. Gus keeps both the books and the tax side ahead of it. 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 independent tutor 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- 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 for the year, including how summer tutoring and test prep enrollment changed what you will owe.
- October
Before the fall test prep rush
A look at tutor pay and materials worth restocking before fall SAT and ACT registration drives a new wave of package sales.
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 tutoring-plus-childcare hybrids. 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 tutoring and childcare hybrid owners ask first.
We bill tutoring by the hour and after-school help at a flat rate. Can Gus keep those separate?
Yes. He keeps hourly tutoring fees and flat supervision fees in their own lines, so you can see which side of the business is actually carrying a given month.
Some of our tutors are independent and some work our set schedule. How does Gus tell them apart?
He flags tutors who set their own hours and curriculum as possible contractors, separate from staff who follow your schedule and supervise a room of kids, so the accountant can confirm how each should be classified.
We sell SAT and ACT prep packages months before the test date. How does that get booked?
Gus holds package sales as money collected in advance and counts the income as each session is actually delivered, so a big sales month doesn't overstate itself.
We use the same materials for one-on-one tutoring and group homework help. Can costs be split?
Yes. Tell Gus what a material purchase was for and he'll split it between tutoring and homework help, so each side shows its real cost.
Our tutoring demand spikes hard around midterms and finals. Is that a problem for the books?
No. Gus tracks your school-term calendar, so a spike around exam season reads as expected rather than an unusual swing.
Our records mix tutoring invoices with after-school attendance sheets. Can Gus sort that out?
Yes. Send what you have from both. Gus separates tutoring income from supervision fees and the accountant works from what actually happened.
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.
More in childcare & youth programs
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Baby & toddler classes (music, sensory)
- Babysitting agencies
- Before & after school programs
- Drop-in & hourly childcare
- In-home family daycares
- Overnight summer camps
- Parents' night out programs
- Specialty camps (STEM, arts, sports)
- Summer day camps
- Kids birthday party venues
- Kids gyms & play programs
- Nanny agencies
- Childcare & daycare centers
- Preschools
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