Accounting for Gyms
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You Picked Great Software. You Might Not Need It Anymore.

Xero is one of the best accounting tools out there. But if you're spending hours on your gym's books every month, the problem isn't the software.

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You Made a Smart Choice

Let's start here: Xero is good. Genuinely good. Clean interface, unlimited users on every plan, solid bank feeds, a modern design that doesn't feel like it was built in 2005. You probably picked it over QuickBooks for a reason, and that reason was probably right.

We're not here to trash Xero. We're PushPress, a gym management platform used by thousands of boutique fitness businesses. We built Accounting for Gyms for the gym owners who'd rather hand off their books than manage them. Full disclosure: we built the alternative, so we're biased.

Signs You've Outgrown DIY Bookkeeping

You don't need us to tell you if this is you. But if any of these sound familiar, the issue isn't Xero.

Your books are months behind

You opened Xero with good intentions. But between coaching, sales, and keeping the gym running, those January transactions are still uncategorized in April.

Tax season is a scramble

Every year you swear you'll keep up with it. Every April you're pulling bank statements at midnight trying to figure out what happened in July.

You're not sure your numbers are right

Is that membership revenue or a class pack? Is your coach a W-2 or a 1099? You've been guessing, and you know it.

You can't answer "Am I making money?"

You have the software. You have the bank feeds. But you still can't pull up a P&L that actually tells you how the gym is doing this month.

None of these are Xero's fault. Xero gives you the tools. It just can't make you use them at 9pm after a full day of coaching.

What Xero Is Actually Costing You

Xero's pricing page says $25/mo. But you already know that's not the real number. Here's the honest math:

What You're Paying Now

  • Xero subscription: $55/mo (Growing plan, where most gym owners land)
  • Your time: 5 to 10 hours/mo categorizing transactions, reconciling accounts, and trying to build reports
  • Stress: The nagging feeling your books aren't right
  • Tax prep: Extra hours (or extra CPA fees) cleaning things up at year-end

Real cost: $55/mo + your time. Or $250-590/mo if you hire a bookkeeper on top.

What It Looks Like with Us

  • Everything: $150/mo flat
  • Your time: Zero hours on books
  • Accuracy: Gym-specific chart of accounts, correct categorization from day one
  • Tax season: Year-end financials delivered to your CPA, ready to file

Real cost: $150/mo, everything included. Cancel your Xero subscription.

The difference between Xero's Growing plan and our full service is $95/mo. That buys back 5 to 10 hours of your month, plus the confidence that your books are actually right.

What Switching from Xero Actually Looks Like

Switching is the part that keeps people on Xero longer than they should be. You've got months (maybe years) of data in there. The thought of migrating is enough to close the tab and deal with it later.

Here's what actually happens:

  1. You sign up and book a 30-minute onboarding call with our team.
  2. We review your Xero data. We look at your current chart of accounts, transaction history, and financial statements. We migrate what matters.
  3. We set up your gym-specific books. Membership revenue, class packs, coach payroll, equipment depreciation, retail income. All categorized correctly from the start.
  4. You cancel Xero when you're ready. No rush. Some people keep it running for a month during the transition.

The whole process takes about a week. Your first monthly P&L comes at the end of month one.

Our head of bookkeeping, Brian Aung, built the onboarding process. He's worked with gym finances for years and has seen every flavor of messy Xero setup. He wrote about why we built this service if you want the backstory.

What About Hiring a Xero Bookkeeper Instead?

You've probably thought about this. Keep Xero, hire someone from their advisor network to do the work. Your data stays put. Reasonable plan.

Here's what that looks like in practice:

Cost: An independent Xero-certified bookkeeper typically charges $200 to $500/mo on top of your Xero subscription. Combined: $250 to $590/mo. Our service is $150/mo.

Gym knowledge: "Xero-certified" means they know the software. It doesn't mean they know gyms. You'll spend the first few months explaining what a class pack is, why your January revenue spikes, and how to categorize a coach who's part W-2 and part 1099.

Quality control: You're responsible for finding, vetting, and managing the bookkeeper yourself. If they're bad, you start over.

The real advantage: Your data stays in Xero. If portability matters to you, that's worth considering. But if the goal is getting your books done right by someone who understands gyms, a generic Xero bookkeeper probably won't get you there.

When Staying on Xero Makes Sense

If any of these describe you, keep Xero. Seriously.

  • Your books are actually current. You're on top of it. Transactions are categorized monthly, reconciliation is done, and you can pull a clean P&L anytime. If that's you, don't change a thing.
  • You already have a great bookkeeper using Xero. If you've found someone who knows your business and the system is working, there's no reason to switch.
  • You need advanced features. Multi-currency, project tracking, or custom reporting that goes beyond what a done-for-you service provides. Xero's depth is real.
  • You genuinely enjoy the process. Some gym owners like the hands-on financial work. If bookkeeping is something you look forward to, Xero is a great tool for it.

The question isn't whether Xero is good software. It is. The question is whether you're actually using it, or if it's a $55/mo subscription to guilt.

Ready to hand off your books?

$150/mo. Gym-specific. No software to manage. We handle the transition from Xero.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Accounting for Gyms a replacement for Xero?
Yes. When you sign up for Accounting for Gyms, we handle your books using our own systems. You can cancel your Xero subscription. We deliver monthly P&L statements, balance sheets, and tax-ready year-end financials, so you get the same outputs without doing the work yourself.
What happens to my Xero data if I switch?
We review your existing financial history during onboarding. We migrate the relevant data and make sure nothing gets lost in the transition. You can also export your Xero data before canceling if you want a backup. The onboarding call covers all of this.
How much does Xero really cost for a gym?
Xero software runs $25 to $90 per month depending on the plan. Most gym owners land on the Growing plan at $55/mo. But the software cost is only part of the picture. Factor in 5 to 10 hours of your time each month (or $200 to $500/mo for a bookkeeper on top), and the real cost of Xero is $250 to $590/mo.
How does Xero compare to QuickBooks for gyms?
They solve the same problem: both are DIY accounting software. Xero has a cleaner interface and includes unlimited users on every plan. QuickBooks has a larger US ecosystem and more CPA support. Neither understands gym-specific finances out of the box, and both require you (or a bookkeeper you hire) to do the actual work. We wrote a separate Accounting for Gyms vs. QuickBooks comparison if you want the full breakdown.
What does Accounting for Gyms do that Xero cannot?
Xero is general-purpose software. Accounting for Gyms comes with a gym-specific chart of accounts, understands membership revenue recognition, handles coach payroll classification (W-2 vs. 1099), tracks equipment depreciation correctly, and separates retail from service income. The biggest difference: we do the work. You don't touch a ledger.
Is $150/month really cheaper than Xero?
Xero software alone is cheaper ($25 to $90 per month). But if you factor in the time you spend on your own books, or the cost of hiring a bookkeeper on top of Xero, our service is almost always less expensive. Xero plus a bookkeeper typically runs $250 to $590 per month. We include both the software and the service for $150.
Do I need to be a PushPress customer to use Accounting for Gyms?
No. Accounting for Gyms works with boutique gym owners regardless of what software they use to manage their gym. We integrate with PushPress data when available, which gives us deeper insight into your membership metrics, but it is not a requirement. See our full comparison of bookkeeping services for gyms for more context.

You've Done Enough Bookkeeping

Gym-specific bookkeeping at $150/mo. We handle the Xero migration, the setup, and every month after that.

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