Youth & adult sports training

Books and taxes for wrestling clubs.

Monthly club dues, tournament entry fees paid out most weekends all winter, a fundraiser that covers half the mat budget, and a singlet order sized to a roster that keeps changing. 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
DecemberExample month
$5,000
what you made

December came in at $5,000. Three tournament weekends this month meant three separate entry fee payments, so I kept them apart from your regular mat time cost.

  • Club dues, DecemberMembership dues
  • Holiday fundraiser proceedsFundraiser income
  • Tournament entries, three eventsTournament entry fees
  • Mat time, middle school gymFacility rental
  • Singlet order, mid-seasonUniforms and gear
Money in$19,000
Money out$14,000
Set aside for taxes$1,100
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A wrestling club's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your season packs in a tournament almost every weekend, each with its own entry fee due to a different host club, plus a fundraiser that covers real costs. When the books do not know that, a heavy tournament month looks like a crisis instead of a normal week in season.

  1. 1

    Weekly tournament entry fees get treated as one random cost

    A club might pay entry fees to three or four different host clubs in a single month during peak season, each a separate small payment. Logged with no pattern, it is hard to see whether tournament travel is actually within budget for the season.

    What we doTracks tournament entry fees as their own running category, so the season's true travel cost is visible instead of a string of confusing charges.
  2. 2

    Fundraiser proceeds get mixed with regular club dues

    A holiday fundraiser or a car wash that brings in real money to cover mat time or a coach's stipend often gets deposited alongside monthly dues, hiding how much the club actually depends on fundraising to make the season work.

    What we doKeeps fundraiser income in its own line, so you can see how much of the season is funded by dues versus fundraising.
  3. 3

    A singlet and headgear order gets locked in before the roster is final

    Ordering singlets and headgear sized to a roster that's still adding wrestlers mid-season means the order often lands as one cost disconnected from which wrestlers' dues are supposed to cover it.

    What we doTies uniform and gear orders to the season they support, so a mid-season order doesn't distort that month's number.
  4. 4

    Adult practice partners paid a small stipend look like informal cash

    An adult who wrestles with the kids during practice for a small stipend or a per-session fee often gets paid informally, with no record connecting the payment to actual coaching support.

    What we doTracks practice partner stipends as a real cost, so the club knows what it's actually paying for that help.
  5. 5

    Weigh-in and facility fees at away tournaments get lost in travel costs

    Some host tournaments charge a facility or weigh-in fee on top of the entry fee, and that extra charge often gets bundled into travel expenses with no way to see it separately.

    What we doKeeps tournament-related fees together but visible, so the season's real tournament cost is easy to check against the budget.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a wrestling club.

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

  • Membership duesMonthly or seasonal club fees.
  • Fundraiser incomeCar washes, sponsorships, and holiday fundraisers.
  • Tournament and camp feesFees for tournaments or camps the club hosts.
  • Gear salesSinglets, headgear, and shoes sold to families.

Money out

  • Coach payHead coach and practice partner stipends, kept apart from your own draw.
  • Tournament entry feesWeekly entry fees paid to host clubs during season.
  • Facility rentalMat time rented from a gym or school.
  • Uniforms and gearSinglets and headgear, tied to the season they cover.
  • InsuranceParticipant accident and general liability coverage.
  • Registration softwareSign-up and payment processing fees.

What we watch for you

  • Tournament cost per month

    What entry fees actually total during heavy tournament stretches.

  • Fundraiser share

    How much of the season is funded by fundraising versus dues.

  • Practice partner cost

    What stipends to adult practice help actually add up to.

  • The set-aside

    What dues, fundraisers, and tournament income actually owe, tracked monthly through the busy season.

Ask Gus

Things wrestling club directors 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.

We hit three tournaments this month and it feels like the account is bleeding. Is that actually a problem?

Not necessarily. I track entry fees as their own category, so you can see this was a heavy tournament month, not a sign something's off with the club's spending.

Our holiday fundraiser brought in $2,800. Should that just go in with dues?

I keep it separate, so you can see how much the club actually leans on fundraising versus regular dues to cover the season.

We pay an adult practice partner $30 a session in cash. Does that need to be tracked?

Yes, even a small stipend should be tracked. Keep a simple note of when you pay him and I'll log it as a real coaching cost.

The tax side

The tax side of a wrestling club.

Most of what trips up a club is tracking small, frequent payments across a busy tournament season and paying practice help correctly.

What your return has to get right

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

  • Practice partners and assistant payAn adult paid a stipend to work with wrestlers on the club's schedule is usually treated as an employee, and if paid $2,000 or more in 2026 as a contractor instead, a 1099-NEC is due by January 31.
  • Cash payments are still taxableDues, fundraiser proceeds, and stipends paid in cash are just as taxable as anything paid by card, and belong in the books the same way.
  • Fundraiser income and expensesMoney raised through a car wash or sponsorship drive is usually taxable income to the club, with related costs deductible against it.
  • The pass-through deductionMost club operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when dues, fundraisers, and tournament costs are tracked correctly.

Deductions wrestling clubs miss

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

  • Singlets and headgear
  • Wrestling mats and mat cleaner
  • Tournament entry fees
  • Practice partner stipends
  • Facility or mat time rental
  • Liability insurance
  • Registration software fees
  • First aid supplies
  • Website and scheduling tools
  • Coaching certification fees
  • Storage for mats and gear
  • Van or trailer rental for travel

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 wrestling club's year, kept every month.

The season packs tournaments into a few winter months, but your taxes come on a fixed schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of it. 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, the practice partner list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, right as the folkstyle season wraps and freestyle and Greco season begins.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer camps changed the number.

  4. October

    Before season starts

    Before the winter tournament calendar fills up, Gus looks at gear orders and mat time worth locking in 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 wrestling clubs. 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 wrestling club directors ask first.

Can Gus keep tournament entry fees separate from regular club expenses?

Yes. He tracks them as their own category, so a heavy tournament month reads as a heavy tournament month, not a sign of a spending problem.

Our fundraiser money and club dues both go into the same account. Can they be told apart?

Yes. Gus keeps fundraiser income in its own line, so you can see how much of the season is funded by dues versus fundraising.

We pay an adult practice partner in cash each week. Does that count as real payroll?

It should be tracked as a real cost either way. Keep a simple record of what you pay him, and Gus logs it so it's not missing from the club's true expenses.

Our singlet order gets placed mid-season once the roster is set. Does that timing cause problems?

It shouldn't, once Gus ties the order to the season it supports. That way a mid-season order doesn't make one month look like it lost money.

Our club has never really kept formal books, just a checking account and a notebook. Is that fixable?

Yes. Send over your bank statements and whatever the notebook has been tracking, and Gus builds a real system from what actually moved through the account.

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 youth & adult sports training

We keep books for the business next door too.

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