Accounting for personal trainers and coaches.
Package billing, 1099 income, gym lease/booth rental, online coaching revenue, and the S-corp election that saves successful trainers $5K+ a year.
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Personal training has the simplest top line of any small business — services billed in packages, sometimes by session, sometimes by month. The accounting wrinkle is on the deduction side: gym rent, equipment, certifications, online platforms, and travel for events all matter, and most trainers we onboard miss real money on year-end deductions.
We work with solo trainers (1099 from gyms), independent trainers with their own client book, and small studio operators.
What we handle
- Package billing as deferred revenue — recognized as sessions are delivered.
- 1099 income tracking when training out of a gym.
- Gym rent / booth rental deductions.
- Online coaching revenue separated from in-person.
- S-corp election analysis for trainers above $80K net.
A trainer netting $135K from a mix of in-person packages and online coaching was paying full SE tax. We elected S-corp, set salary at $62K, and ran the rest as distribution. Year-one savings after carry: $7,400.
If you net under $60K, stay on Schedule C.
If you net $80K+, run S-corp math.
If you sell packages, deferred revenue is required.
Real revenue per session, real deductions captured.
From $250/month for solo trainers.
Frequently asked questions
Should I be an LLC?
Yes — single-member LLC at minimum for liability protection. S-corp election layers on top once income justifies.
Online coaching tax?
Service revenue, generally not subject to sales tax in CO.
Gym rent deduction?
Yes — fully deductible business expense.
Software?
Trainerize, TrueCoach, Mindbody. Sync to QuickBooks.