Skin, nails & body art
Books and taxes for waxing studios.
Brazilian and full body waxing, an unlimited wax club that bills every month, waxers paid a commission split, and hard wax that gets bought by the case. 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
June came in at $8,700. Wax club sign-ups jumped ahead of summer, so I flagged the extra deferred balance building on the books.
- Fresha payoutWaxing appointments
- Wax club billingMemberships
- Amera Wax supply orderWax supplies
- Waxer commission payoutWaxer commissions
- Studio lease paymentStudio rent
Why your books are different
Waxing studio books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees a booking deposit and a commission payout. Your business is an unlimited wax club that gets paid every month whether a client comes in or not, hard wax bought by the case, and several waxers each paid a cut of what they bring in. When the books do not know that, real per-waxer profit stays invisible.
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1
The unlimited wax club gets treated as pure profit
A client pays $79 a month for unlimited Brazilian waxing and books three appointments that month. If that $79 is treated the same whether she comes once or five times, you cannot tell which members are costing more in waxer time than they pay in.
What we doTracks membership revenue against appointments used, so you can see whether the club's pricing actually holds up. -
2
Waxer commissions hide what each waxer really earns you
A waxer paid 50 percent of every service looks like a simple payroll line, but lumped together with everyone else's split, an owner cannot tell which waxer's chair is actually profitable.
What we doKeeps commission payouts tracked against the appointments each waxer books, so pay and performance both show up. -
3
A bulk wax order distorts a month
Hard wax, soft wax, strips, and pre-wax oil bought by the case from one supplier order makes a slow booking month look expensive and a light-restock month look great.
What we doKeeps wax supply spend in one steady line and flags when a bulk order is the reason a month's costs look high. -
4
Post-wax product sales disappear into the wax price
A post-wax serum or ingrown hair treatment sold at checkout gets rung into the same total as the wax itself, so retail sales never show up as their own number.
What we doSplits retail product sales from service income, so you can see what retail actually contributes.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a waxing studio.
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
- Waxing appointmentsStandard bikini, full body, and facial waxing booked through Fresha.
- Unlimited wax clubMonthly membership billing, tracked against appointments used.
- Retail salesPost-wax serum, ingrown hair treatment, and aftercare oil.
- Add-on servicesBrow shaping and facial waxing add-ons kept apart from body waxing.
Money out
- Wax suppliesHard wax, soft wax, strips, and pre-wax oil.
- Waxer commissionsCommission splits paid to each waxer, kept apart from base wages.
- Retail inventoryProduct bought to resell at checkout.
- Studio rentStudio or suite lease.
- Booking softwareFresha subscription and card processing fees.
- Licensing and insuranceEsthetician license renewal and liability insurance.
What we watch for you
- Club utilization
Appointments used against wax club members, so pricing can be judged fair or not.
- Cost per appointment
Wax supply spend against appointments booked, tracked from your own numbers.
- Waxer share
Commissions paid against what each waxer brings in, so a split can be judged as fair or not.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things waxing studio 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.
It means more is committed for future months. I flagged the growing balance so you can see it separately from what members actually used this month.
That case order shows up this month, but it gets used over several months of appointments. I noted it as a stock-up, not a real jump in your regular costs.
Whether that makes her more independent depends on how much control you keep over her schedule and clients. That one is above my pay grade, so a real accountant is looking at it.
The tax side
The tax side of a waxing studio.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Membership revenue counted wrong, commissions blurred together, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Worker classification for commission waxersA waxer who works your schedule, uses your room, and follows your rules is usually an employee, even if paid a commission split instead of a wage.
- Contractor 1099sAny true independent waxer or contractor paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
- Quarterly estimated taxesNothing withholds tax from waxing income automatically, so most owners pay estimated taxes April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
Deductions waxing studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Hard wax and soft wax
- Wax warmers and pots
- Strips and pre-wax oil
- Table paper and linens
- License renewal and liability insurance
- Continuing education courses
- Fresha subscription
- Retail display fixtures
- Sanitizing supplies
- Studio lighting
- Uniforms with your logo
- Card processing fees
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 waxing studio year, kept every month.
Bookings pick up before summer and stay busy with wax club renewals all year. Your team keeps you ahead of both booking swings and tax deadlines. 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 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, what you will owe, and whether summer wax club sign-ups changed the number.
- October
Before the holidays
Gus looks at any equipment worth buying and moves worth making 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 waxing studios. 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 waxing studio owners ask first.
Can Gus handle an unlimited wax membership?
Yes. He tracks membership revenue against appointments each member actually uses, so you can see whether the club's pricing covers your waxer time and product cost.
I have three waxers on commission. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus keeps each waxer's commission payouts visible against their booked appointments, so you can see who is bringing in business, not just one lump payroll number.
Does a big wax supply order hurt my monthly numbers?
It shows up as a cost this month, but Gus flags a bulk buy so it does not read as a spike in your regular spending. That product gets used across many future appointments.
My waxers want to move from commission to booth rent. Is that simple?
The rent itself is simple income. Whether it makes them independent contractors instead of employees depends on how much control you keep over their schedule, and that call goes to the accountant.
My books have never been separated by waxer. Can that get fixed?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts commission payouts and appointment income by waxer where the data allows it, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
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