How it runs for gyms, fitness and wellness studios
Every payout is tied to the charges it settled net of fees, deferred revenue for packs and prepaid plans is rebuilt at each month-end from attendance, and instructor pay is tied to classes taught. At handover you get a clean opening balance plus a list of unresolved items.
What is catch-up bookkeeping?
Catch-up bookkeeping is a one-time project that records and reconciles months or years of transactions that were never entered. The goal is a set of books where every bank, card and loan balance agrees with the statement and every period can be reported on. It ends when the backlog is current and reconciled, usually followed by ongoing monthly bookkeeping.
What we handle for gyms, fitness and wellness studios
- Rebuild sales by product and location from booking-platform history month by month
- Tie every historical payout to the charges it settled net of fees, refunds and disputes
- Rebuild deferred revenue for packs and prepaid plans from attendance at each month-end
- Reconstruct instructor and trainer cost from payroll registers and class schedules
- Provide clean opening balances and a year-end package your CPA can file from
The KPI that matters here
Every back month reconciled and reviewed, with deferred revenue and processor balances quantified at handover.
Fitness compliance notes
Auto-renewal and health club statutes
State automatic-renewal laws require clear disclosure of recurring terms, affirmative consent and an easy cancellation path, and many states also have health club statutes that limit contract length, set cancellation rights and may require a bond for prepaid memberships. We keep the signed agreement and consent with each member's billing record and report prepaid balances so your counsel can confirm bonding needs; the legal review is theirs.
Deferred revenue for prepaid plans and packs
Annual memberships, class packs and training packages are liabilities until the service is delivered. We hold them in deferred revenue, release them from attendance and session logs, track expired and unused balances under your published policy, and report the liability monthly so lenders, buyers and your tax preparer see the obligation behind the cash.
Card-on-file and stored-credential rules
Card networks require a member's consent before a card is stored, disclosure of the recurring amount and schedule, and notice before a trial converts to a paid plan. Our agents never take or store card numbers; members enter cards through your booking platform or Stripe, and we reconcile the consent date to the first charge when a dispute is raised.
Sales tax on memberships and retail
Some states tax gym memberships and class fees, most tax retail and supplements, and a few treat personal training differently from group classes. We map each product in your booking platform to its tax treatment, reconcile tax collected to the ledger by state each month, and prepare the workings for your filing.
Fitness software we work in
- Stripe
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- Square
- Gusto
- Mindbody
- Zen Planner
- Mariana Tek
- ABC Fitness
- All 50 platforms
More for gyms, fitness and wellness studios
Other services for fitness
Catch-up bookkeeping in other industries
Frequently asked questions
What records do you need for a studio catch-up?
Bank, card and loan statements; the booking platform's monthly sales, attendance, membership and failed-payment reports; processor payout reports; aggregator statements; payroll registers and instructor agreements; vendor statements; sales-tax filings already made; and lease and equipment agreements. After the first pass we tell you what is missing and rebuild what we can from the records that survive.
Will a catch-up change my reported revenue?
It usually does, because booking Stripe deposits as revenue treats processing fees as revenue, ignores refunds and disputes, and counts prepaid packs and annual plans as earned when sold. Rebuilding from sales and attendance history produces revenue that ties to services delivered and a deferred revenue liability that was missing. We deliver the reconciled figures, and your CPA determines what they mean for prior-year filings.
How long does a fitness catch-up take?
It depends on the number of months, locations, products and processors, and on whether the booking platform still holds attendance history for the period. A single studio on one platform with payout reports available moves quickly; a group that migrated platforms midway takes longer. We set the scope once we have reviewed your records and run the rebuild as a fixed project with weekly check-ins.
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