Culinary & hands-on workshops
Books and taxes for welding classes for hobbyists.
Class tickets, certification test fees, rented gas cylinders, and rod and wire bought a few times a year. Gus sorts it all, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March came in at $9,000. Your gas bill jumped, so I split the cylinder rental fee from the refill cost to show exactly what drove it.
- Eventbrite payout, weekend classesClass ticket sales
- Certification test feesCertification testing
- Gas cylinder refillWelding gas
- Welding rod and wire orderConsumables
- Community college space rentalShop rent
Why your books are different
Welding class books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees gas bills and class tickets. Your business is rented gas cylinders billed in pieces, certification fees that mostly belong to a testing body, rod and wire bought a few times a year, and shop space that sometimes bills by the semester. When the books do not separate those, the numbers confuse you.
-
1
Gas cylinders get billed as a rental, not a purchase
Argon and CO2 tanks are usually rented with a deposit and refilled rather than bought outright, and the rental fee, the deposit, and the gas refill all show up as separate charges from the supplier. Lumped into one supply line, the real cost of running a torch gets lost.
What we doKeeps gas rental fees separate from the refill cost, so you can see what it actually costs to keep torches running. -
2
Certification testing fees look like ordinary class income
A hobbyist who pays for a welding certification test alongside a class is really paying for a pass-through testing fee, not for your instruction. Combined with class tickets, it inflates what a class actually earned you.
What we doKeeps certification test fees in their own line, separate from what the class itself brought in. -
3
Rod and wire get bought in bulk ahead of a busy season
Rod, wire, and shielding gas often get ordered in bulk a few times a year to cover a run of upcoming classes. One large order can make a month look like it lost money, when it is really months of consumables at once.
What we doKeeps consumable purchases in one steady line and tells you when a bulk order, not a bad month, explains a thin number. -
4
A new welder or plasma cutter gets filed as a supply
A quality MIG or TIG welder, or a plasma cutter, can cost several thousand dollars and gets used for years, but bought alongside rod and gas it often gets filed as one more consumable instead of the equipment purchase it is.
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
Shared shop space gets billed unevenly
A welding program that rents bay space from a community college or trade school sometimes pays by the semester and sometimes by the class, and those charges land on the bank statement at different times than the classes they cover.
What we doTies shop rental costs to the sessions they cover, so a semester payment does not make one month look far more expensive than it was.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a welding class business.
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
- Class ticket salesEventbrite and direct bookings for MIG, TIG, and stick welding sessions.
- Certification testing feesTest fees collected from students and paid through to the testing body.
- Private and group bookingsScout troops, car clubs, and team-building groups, booked by deposit.
- Membership or open-shop feesRecurring access fees for hobbyists who use shop equipment outside of class time.
- Retail salesSmall metal projects and welded art sold from the shop.
Money out
- Welding gasArgon and CO2 cylinder rental, deposit, and refills.
- Rod, wire, and consumablesWelding rod, wire, and shielding gas from a welding supplier.
- Steel and scrap stockPractice metal and project stock, often sourced from a scrap yard.
- Safety gearWelding helmets, gloves, and jackets.
- Shop rentBay space rented from a community college or a standalone shop lease.
- Certification testing costsFees paid through to the testing body for welding certification.
- Booking and payment feesEventbrite and card processing fees.
What we watch for you
- Cost per class
Gas and consumable cost against the ticket price, so you know which classes pay.
- Gas rental cost
What cylinder rental and refills run each month, since it adds up fast.
- Certification pass-through
Testing fees collected against what actually gets paid to the testing body.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things welding class 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.
I keep the rental fee and the refill cost in separate lines, so you can see exactly what is driving the increase.
Only the part you keep. I book the testing fee separately from your class revenue, since most of it passes through to the testing body.
Usually yes. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of a welding class business.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. Gas rental costs mixed with refills, and equipment filed the wrong way.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Consumables as cost of goodsRod, wire, and shielding gas used directly in a class are cost of goods, the direct cost tracked against ticket sales, not a general supply expense.
- Equipment write-offsMIG and TIG welders, plasma cutters, and shop equipment can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA guest instructor not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if you pay them $2,000 or more in 2026, due 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.
Deductions welding classes for hobbyists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Welding rod and wire
- Argon and CO2 gas
- Cylinder rental fees
- Welding helmets and gloves
- Scrap and practice steel
- Shop rent
- Eventbrite booking fees
- Liability insurance
- Class photography
- Fire extinguishers and safety gear
- Ventilation and shop utilities
- Cleaning and shop 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 welding class year, kept every month.
Garage and car project season shapes demand. Your 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 guest instructor 1099 list is finalized, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill this spring, because the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Steady summer classes
Bookings run steady through summer as hobbyists tackle garage and car projects on their own time. Gus keeps gas, consumables, and certification fees sorted the whole season.
- October
Stocking up for fall classes
Rod, wire, and gas orders ahead of the busy fall class season land now. Gus keeps them in one steady line so the month does not look alarming.
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 welding classes for hobbyists. 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 welding class owners ask first.
Our gas cylinders are rented, not owned. How does Gus track that?
He keeps the rental fee and the refill cost in separate lines, so you can see exactly what running your torches actually costs each month.
Some students pay us for their certification test. Is that our revenue?
Only the part you keep. Gus books the testing fee separately from your class revenue, since most of it passes through to the testing body.
We buy rod and wire in bulk a few times a year. Won't that make one month look bad?
No. Gus keeps consumable purchases in one steady line and tells you when a bulk order, not a slow season, is why a month looks thin.
Do I need a 1099 for a guest instructor who taught one weekend class?
If you paid him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, yes, by January 31. Gus keeps that list running all year.
We just bought a new plasma cutter. Can we write it off?
Usually yes, often in the year you buy it. Gus flags the purchase as equipment and the accountant decides how to write it off with your whole year in view.
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.
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 culinary & hands-on workshops
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Blacksmithing & forging classes
- Chocolate & truffle making classes
- Cocktail & mixology classes
- Cookie decorating classes
- Cooking schools & recreational cooking classes
- Kids cooking classes
- Pasta & bread making classes
- Wine blending experiences
- Woodturning & woodworking classes
- Candle making studios & candle bars
- Craft party franchises & mobile craft parties
- DIY wood sign & woodworking workshops
- Flower arranging workshops
- Glass fusing studios
- Glassblowing studios
- Kids art studios & art classes
- Knitting & yarn shops
- Leathercraft workshops
- Makerspaces
- Mosaic studios
- Paint-and-sip studios
- Paint-your-own-pottery (PYOP) studios
- Painting & drawing studios for adults
- Perfume & fragrance bars
- Pottery wheel & ceramics studios
- Resin art studios
- Scrapbooking & paper craft stores
- Sewing & quilting studios
- Soap & bath bomb making studios
- Stained glass studios
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