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There is a moment in every Australian personal trainer's first year that goes like this. The work is going well. Clients are paying. The bank balance looks healthy. Then October arrives, your accountant calls, and you find out you owe the ATO thousands of dollars you already spent.
It gets worse. The ATO puts you on quarterly instalments. So in your second year, you are paying last year's tax bill plus this year's quarterly estimates at the same time. I watched this pattern repeat for years during my time in public practice as a CPA. I then spent the next 25 years building accounting and financial software for thousands of Australian businesses. The trainers who got into trouble were not bad with money. They just started their business before anyone explained how sole trader accounting actually works.
This guide covers the five traps that catch PTs in their first year: mixed bank accounts, wrong accounting software, GST surprises, missing records, and missed deductions. It is not a substitute for professional advice from a registered tax agent. But if you are running your PT business on gut feel and a notes app, this will save you real money.
Every PT I have spoken to who got into financial trouble in their first year made the same mistake: they ran business income through their personal bank account.
Client session payments. Gym rent. Equipment from Rebel Sport. Saturday night dinner. Morning coffee. All in one transaction feed. By March, nobody can tell what the business earned and what you spent on yourself. Not you. Not your accountant. Not the ATO.
Here is what that costs you:
Your accountant bills by the hour. Sorting 12 months of mixed personal and business transactions takes hours. At $150 to $300 per hour, you are paying your accountant hundreds of dollars to do work that a separate bank account would have eliminated.
You miss deductions. That $200 pair of training shoes with your business logo on them? Buried between a grocery run and a Netflix charge. Your accountant does not know it is a business expense. You never claim it.
You cannot see your numbers. "Am I actually making money?" is a question you should be able to answer in 10 seconds by checking your business account balance. If everything runs through one account, you genuinely do not know.
The fix takes 15 minutes. Open a separate business bank account. Most Australian banks offer fee-free or low-fee business accounts for sole traders. Some accounting apps (like MYOB Solo) now include integrated bank accounts as part of their product. These can be convenient for getting started quickly, but keep in mind that an integrated bank account ties your banking to your accounting software. If you switch tools later, you may need to move banks too. A standard business account from your existing bank keeps your options open.
From that point: every client payment goes into the business account. Every business expense comes out of the business account. Your personal account stays personal. Your accounting software connects to the business account via bank feed and every transaction is already separated.
This one step makes everything else in this guide work.
You do not need enterprise software. You need a bookkeeping app that connects to your bank account and pulls in transactions automatically (this is called a "bank feed," and it means payments show up in the app without you typing them in), categorises those transactions (labels each one as income, gym rent, equipment, etc.), and helps you submit your BAS when the time comes.
What is a BAS? A Business Activity Statement is a form you submit to the ATO, usually every quarter, that reports how much GST you collected from clients and how much GST you paid on business expenses. Your accounting software fills in most of it automatically. You (or your accountant) review the numbers and submit it online.
Here are the options worth considering. Pricing shown is as of March 2026. Check each provider's website for current pricing, as these change.
Pricing: From $35/month (Ignite plan). Xero rebranded its plans in 2024: the old "Starter" plan is now called "Ignite."
Bank feeds, invoicing, GST tracking, BAS preparation, and a receipt scanning app called Hubdoc (included on all plans). Integrates with most Australian banks. Xero also has a native Stripe integration, which is relevant if your PT software processes client payments through Stripe. Every payment, fee, and payout syncs automatically. If your accountant uses Xero (many do), they can access your file directly at tax time, which saves you both time and money. Xero is the default recommendation for a reason: it is well supported, widely understood by accountants, and handles everything a sole trader needs. Xero often runs promotional pricing for new customers (at the time of writing, up to 95% off for the first 6 months), so check the pricing page for current offers.
Worth knowing: $35/month is the highest starting price on this list, but you get a lot for it. The Ignite plan includes payroll for one person and auto super payments, which is useful if you pay yourself through the business. It does cap invoices at 20 per month and bills at 5, so check those limits fit your client load. The Grow plan ($75/month) lifts those caps to unlimited and adds advanced reporting. Xero is also rolling out JAX, an AI assistant (currently in beta) that can answer questions about your financial data, create invoices through conversation, and provide business insights. For most solo PTs, the Ignite plan covers the essentials.
Pricing: From $13/month (Lite plan).
Bank feeds, invoicing, GST, BAS. MYOB has been in the Australian market for decades and some accountants prefer it. The Lite plan covers a sole trader with no employees. If your accountant uses MYOB, use MYOB. Matching your accountant's preferred software saves time and money at tax time.
Worth knowing: MYOB has multiple product lines (Business, AccountRight, Solo) and the differences between them are not always obvious. Make sure you are looking at the right product for your situation. Unlike Xero, MYOB does not have a native Stripe integration. If your PT software uses Stripe for client payments, those transactions will show up in MYOB via your bank feed but without the detailed per-payment breakdown that Xero's Stripe integration provides. Some users have reported that support wait times can be long during peak periods like BAS and tax time.
Pricing: $11/month after an introductory offer. At the time of writing, MYOB is running a promotion at $5.50/month for the first 3 months. 14-day free trial available.
MYOB's newer app built specifically for sole traders. Invoicing, receipt scanning, Tap to Pay for accepting card payments on your phone, GST calculations, and a view of where your money is going. It also offers a free integrated business bank account (Solo Money), which is useful if you are setting up a separate business account from scratch.
Worth knowing: Solo is still in its early days. At the time of writing it is mobile-only with no desktop version and you cannot import existing invoices or transaction history. If you outgrow Solo and need to move to MYOB Business, there is no native migration tool yet (MYOB has indicated this is on their roadmap but with no confirmed timeline). Third-party migration services exist, but check what data carries across before relying on them. If you need desktop access or have an existing business with historical records, MYOB Business Lite or Xero may be a safer starting point.
Pricing: $14.99/month (free tier available).
Built specifically for Australian sole traders in the fitness industry. Bank feeds, GST tracking, BAS preparation, receipt capture, and recurring invoices. Sole is an AUSactive supplier partner and a FitRec registered supplier, so it understands PT-specific expenses and workflows. The app adjusts its experience based on your industry, including fitness-specific expense categories and invoice templates.
Worth knowing: Sole is a smaller company (Brisbane-based, founded 2018) and does not have the same range of third-party integrations that Xero or MYOB offer. At the time of writing, Sole does not have a direct Stripe integration (it uses Worldpay for its own payment processing), so if your PT software uses Stripe, those transactions will appear via your bank feed rather than a direct sync. If your accountant needs direct login access to your accounting file, check whether Sole supports that before switching. For a PT who wants simple, fitness-focused bookkeeping and is comfortable sharing reports with their accountant manually, it is worth a look.
Pricing: $23.95/month (Starter) or $29.95/month (Pro, which adds bank feeds and automatic GST).
Built in Melbourne for Australian sole traders and freelancers. Clean interface, BAS preparation, and Australian bank support. Rounded also supports direct Stripe and PayPal connections for tracking payment income. The Pro plan includes AI expense categorisation which saves time if you have a lot of transactions.
Worth knowing: Bank feeds and automatic GST require the Pro plan at $29.95/month, which puts it at the same price as Xero. If you are going to spend $30/month, compare what Rounded Pro gives you versus Xero Starter. Rounded's strength is its simplicity, but if your accountant prefers Xero or MYOB, the simplicity may not outweigh the convenience of using what your accountant already knows.
Spreadsheets work technically but fail practically. They do not connect to your bank. They do not calculate GST automatically. They do not generate BAS reports. And they rely entirely on you entering every transaction manually, which means the moment you get busy with clients, the bookkeeping stops.
Most accounting software providers run aggressive introductory offers. At the time of writing, Xero is offering 95% off for the first 6 months (offer ends 31 March 2026). MYOB Solo has a $5.50/month introductory rate. These deals are designed to get you in the door, and they work.
Here is what nobody tells you upfront: accounting software has serious lock-in. Once you connect your bank feeds, set up your invoice templates, categorise six months of transactions, and train yourself (or your accountant) on the workflow, switching to a different tool is painful. You are not just changing an app. You are rebuilding your entire bookkeeping setup from scratch.
That does not mean you should avoid promotional pricing. It means you should choose the right tool first, then take the discount. Not the other way around.
Before you commit:
If you already have an accountant, ask them which software they prefer. Matching your accountant's tool saves time and money at tax time. Their preference matters more than any promotional discount.
If you do not have an accountant yet, Xero is the safest default in Australia. More accountants use it than any other tool, so when you eventually hire one, there is a good chance they will already know it.
If budget is the priority, MYOB Business Lite at $13/month gets you bank feeds, invoicing, and BAS without the invoice caps of the Ignite plan. MYOB Solo at $11/month is the cheapest option with bank feeds, but check the current limitations before committing.
The feature that saves the most admin time is automatic bank feeds (transactions appear without you typing anything). If your PT software handles client payments through Stripe, Stripe sends receipts to your clients automatically. You do not need to separately create invoices in your accounting software for those payments. Your accounting software's job is to categorise the income when it arrives via bank feed, not to duplicate the invoicing. If you do invoice clients manually (outside of PT software), then recurring invoices in your accounting app will save time.
The bottom line: Pick one tool. Set up the bank feed. Spend 15 minutes each week matching transactions. That is the entire system.
Here are the moments where trainers typically get into trouble. Not because they did something wrong, but because nobody told them these were coming.
The threshold (at the time of writing, March 2026): $75,000 in total business income (before expenses) over a rolling 12-month period. That is total payments received from clients, not profit. If you charge $70 per session and average 25 sessions a week, you are at roughly $91,000 a year and already past the threshold.
The deadline: You have 21 days to register once you cross it.
What changes once you register: You add 10% GST to your session prices, submit a BAS to the ATO each quarter, and can claim back the GST included in your business expenses. For example, if you buy $550 worth of equipment (GST inclusive), $50 of that is GST. Once registered, you can claim that $50 back on your BAS.
The common mistake: Not tracking your income closely enough and crossing the threshold without realising. Your accounting software calculates this automatically if your income is entered correctly.
Should you register before you hit the threshold? You can register voluntarily at any turnover level. Some accountants recommend it, some do not. It depends on your situation. Here is the trade-off:
Registering early means you can claim back GST on business expenses (equipment, software, insurance, CPD courses) from day one. If you are spending more than a few thousand dollars a year on GST-inclusive business expenses, those credits add up. It also means your invoices look more professional to clients who are themselves GST-registered (like gym owners or corporate clients), because they can claim back the GST they pay you.
The downside: once registered, you must add 10% GST to your session prices (personal training is not classified as a GST-free health service under ATO rules, so there is no exemption here), lodge BAS every quarter, keep tighter records, and if you register voluntarily, you generally need to stay registered for at least 12 months. If most of your clients are individuals (not businesses), adding 10% to your session price can make you look more expensive than a non-registered PT charging the same base rate.
For most new PTs just starting out with a handful of individual clients and low business expenses, the admin burden of early registration outweighs the benefit. The tipping point is usually when you are spending enough on business expenses that the GST credits you could claim back are worth the extra quarterly paperwork. Talk to your accountant about when that point is for your situation.
What your PT software can do to help: Once you register for GST, your client invoices need to show your ABN and be labelled "Tax Invoice." Some PT software handles this automatically. For example, BuildStability lets you enter your ABN once, and every Stripe invoice generated for client payments is automatically labelled as a Tax Invoice with your ABN included. It also generates GST reports with BAS-aligned CSV exports you can hand directly to your accountant. The less manual GST admin you have to do, the less likely something gets missed.
Thresholds can change. Check the ATO's GST registration page for the latest and speak with a registered tax agent before you approach this point.
As a sole trader, super is not automatically deducted from your income. Nobody takes it out for you. Many new PTs earn well in their first year and put nothing aside for retirement. You can make voluntary contributions to your super fund and they may be tax-deductible. This is a conversation to have with your accountant early, not at retirement.
This is the one that hits hardest. When you worked at a gym as an employee, tax was taken out of every pay. You never saw that money. It just disappeared before it reached your bank account.
As a sole trader, every dollar hits your account untaxed. A $70 session pays you $70. It feels like you are earning more. You are not. A portion of that $70 belongs to the ATO. You just have not paid it yet.
Here is what catches most first-year PTs off guard: you do a full year of training, earn well, and spend most of it because it feels like yours. Then around October, your accountant tells you the tax bill. It is not a small number.
And then it gets worse.
At the time of writing, if your annual tax bill comes to $1,000 or more and your instalment income (essentially your business income) is $4,000 or more, the ATO automatically puts you on the PAYG instalment system. In plain terms: instead of paying one lump sum at tax time, the ATO makes you pay estimated tax every quarter going forward, based on what you earned. So in your second year, you are paying last year's tax bill plus this year's quarterly instalments at the same time.
Read that again. You owe the full amount for last year, plus the first quarterly instalment for this year, in the same month. For a PT who earned $60,000 to $80,000 in their first year and set nothing aside, that combined bill can be thousands of dollars due at once.
This is the moment where a lot of new sole traders hit a wall. The cash is not there because it was never set aside. I saw this pattern during my years in public practice, and after 25 years building accounting software for accountants and small businesses, I can tell you it has not changed. The work is going well. The money is not there.
The fix: Open a separate savings account (most banks let you create one in minutes) and transfer a percentage of every client payment into it. Do not touch it. That account is for the ATO. Your accountant can help you estimate the right percentage based on your expected income, but the habit matters more than the exact number. If you start this from your first paying client, the tax bill in October is just a transfer from one account to another. No shock. No scramble. Check the ATO's PAYG instalments page for current thresholds and how the system works.
Gym rent contracts and PT insurance are business expenses you expect. Income protection insurance is the one most trainers skip. If you injure yourself and cannot train clients for three months, your income drops to zero. There is no sick pay for sole traders. This is a personal risk decision, but it is worth pricing before you need it.
You do not need a complex system. You need consistency. Here is what to record:
Every invoice you send. Your accounting software handles this. Send invoices through the software, not via text message or bank transfer requests. Each invoice should show your ABN, the service provided, the amount, and whether GST is included.
That said, many PTs in Australia are moving away from manual invoicing entirely. If your clients pay through a subscription or session pack (the way most PT software handles it), payments flow through Stripe into your bank account automatically. No chasing. No "did you get my transfer?"
If you are GST-registered, there is an important detail here: the invoices your clients receive from Stripe need to meet ATO requirements. They need your ABN, the "Tax Invoice" label, and the correct GST breakdown. Some PT software handles this for you. BuildStability, for example, automatically adds your ABN and the "Tax Invoice" label to every Stripe invoice once you enter your tax details in the settings. Every invoice is also stored in the app with a full history you can export as CSV for your accountant at BAS time.
Stripe connects directly to most accounting software. Xero has a native Stripe integration that pulls in every payment, fee, and payout automatically. When a client pays $70 for a session through your PT software, Xero sees the $70 payment, the Stripe processing fee, and the net payout to your bank. At BAS time, everything is already categorised. MYOB picks up Stripe payouts through your bank feed, so the transactions still appear automatically, though you may need to match them manually rather than having individual payments itemised.
This is where using proper PT software saves real time. Instead of creating an invoice in Xero, sending it to a client, waiting for payment, and then matching the bank transaction, the client just books and pays through the app. Stripe processes it with the correct tax labelling. Your accounting software picks it up. You spend zero time on the payment cycle.
Every business expense. Gym rent, insurance, equipment, CPD courses, travel between clients (log the kilometres), phone and internet (business percentage), and software subscriptions.
Paper receipts are the enemy. They fade, they crumple in gym bags, and they vanish between the car seat and the centre console. By tax time, half of them are unreadable.
The technology for handling this has improved dramatically. Every modern accounting app now uses AI to do the heavy lifting. You snap a photo and the app extracts the vendor, amount, date, and GST automatically, then matches it to a transaction in your bank feed.
Xero includes Hubdoc on all plans, which captures receipt data and creates expenses automatically. MYOB recently launched MYOB Assist, a free companion app that uses machine learning to analyse receipts, suggest transaction matches, and even pre-populate invoices if you are on-charging expenses to clients. Sole and Rounded both have built-in receipt capture with similar AI categorisation.
These tools learn from your patterns. After a few weeks of categorising gym rent as "rent", equipment from Rebel Sport as "equipment", and insurance payments as "insurance", the AI starts suggesting the right category before you touch anything.
The workflow takes about five seconds: buy something for the business, pull out your phone, snap the receipt, done. The app stores the image, extracts the data, and links it to the bank transaction. At tax time, your accountant has every receipt attached to every expense with zero effort from you.
If you are the kind of person who already tracks macros or session loads on your phone, this is the same habit applied to money. Build it early and receipts stop being a problem entirely.
Kilometres driven. This is an area where a lot of PTs either overclaim or miss out entirely. The general principle is that travel between two work locations (for example, from one client's home to another client's home) may be deductible, but your regular commute from home to your normal workplace (for example, the gym you work out of every day) is generally not. The ATO draws a clear line between the two and the rules matter.
If you do have deductible travel, keep a simple log: date, destination, purpose, kilometres. The ATO publishes a cents-per-kilometre rate each year for calculating claims. Your accountant will tell you exactly which trips qualify in your situation. The key point is to log all your work-related travel from day one so you have the records if they are deductible. Check the ATO's vehicle and travel expenses page for current rules.
Client session records. Not for accounting directly, but for cross-checking. If your bank shows 15 incoming payments this month and your session log shows 18 sessions delivered, you know three clients have not paid. Most PT software tracks this automatically.
Your PT software (whatever you use) handles the client-facing side: scheduling, session tracking, program delivery, and payment collection. Your accounting software handles the ATO-facing side: income categorisation, expense tracking, GST, and BAS lodgement.
The connection between them is your payment processor. Most PT software uses Stripe to process client payments. Those payments flow into your business bank account, and your accounting software picks them up via the bank feed and categorises them as income.
The best setup is when your PT software, Stripe, and accounting software all talk to each other automatically. Some PT platforms are starting to offer direct Xero and QuickBooks integrations that sync payment data without you touching anything. The less manual matching you have to do, the more time you spend coaching instead of categorising transactions.
If you are using BuildStability, client payments process through Stripe directly to your bank account with zero commission. Stripe's native Xero integration can pull in every payment, fee, and payout automatically. MYOB picks up the same data through your bank feed. BuildStability also generates its own GST reports with BAS-aligned CSV exports, so you (or your accountant) can cross-check the numbers against your accounting software. At BAS time, your accounting software has a clean picture of income and expenses without you having to manually match and categorise anything yourself.
This is not an exhaustive list and every situation is different. But these are the deductions that come up most often for PT sole traders. Keep receipts for all of them and confirm with your accountant what applies to you:
Gym rent or licence fees paid to operate as a contractor
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Fitness equipment (dumbbells, bands, mats, TRX, etc.)
CPD courses and certifications (Cert IV renewals, first aid, workshops)
Travel between client locations (not your regular home-to-gym commute)
Phone and internet (business percentage only)
Accounting software subscriptions (Xero, MYOB, Sole, Rounded)
PT software subscriptions (scheduling, billing, program delivery tools)
Accountant and tax agent fees
Marketing costs (website hosting, business cards, paid ads)
Uniforms and clothing with business branding (plain gym wear generally does not qualify)
The ATO maintains a full guide to deductions you can claim. Your accountant will know which ones apply to your specific situation and which ones the ATO pays close attention to.
Mixing personal and business accounts. Covered above. Open a separate account. Today.
Not lodging your BAS on time. If you are registered for GST, your BAS is due every quarter (or monthly, depending on your setup). Late lodgement attracts penalties and interest from the ATO. Your accounting software will remind you. Set a calendar reminder as a backup.
Claiming deductions you cannot support. Every deduction needs a receipt or record. "I think I spent about $200 on equipment" is not a deduction. A receipt showing $200 at Rebel Sport on 15 March is. When in doubt, keep the receipt and let your accountant decide.
Not paying estimated tax throughout the year. Set aside money from each payment into a separate savings account. The exact percentage depends on your total income and situation, so talk to your accountant. The point is to build the habit early so the annual tax bill is covered.
Ignoring super. You are young and fit. Retirement feels abstract. But compound interest is real and starting super contributions in your twenties versus your thirties makes a material difference over a career. Ask your accountant about the tax benefits of voluntary contributions.
Do your own bookkeeping weekly. It takes 15 minutes and keeps you in touch with your numbers. But get a registered tax agent involved for:
Your first BAS lodgement. Let them set up the categories correctly so every subsequent BAS is straightforward.
Your annual tax return. A tax agent familiar with sole traders in the fitness industry will know the deductions you are entitled to and the ones that will attract ATO attention.
When you approach the GST threshold. There are decisions to make about registration timing that depend on your specific circumstances.
When you hire staff or contractors. payroll reporting to the ATO (called Single Touch Payroll), super obligations for staff, and whether someone is a contractor or an employee. These are areas where mistakes are expensive.
A good accountant costs $500 to $1,500 per year for a sole trader. The deductions they find and the penalties they prevent typically cover their fee and then some. And here is something a lot of people do not realise: the fee you pay your accountant is itself generally a tax-deductible business expense. So the actual after-tax cost is lower than the number on the invoice. A $1,000 accountant fee might only cost you $700 to $750 in real terms, depending on your marginal tax rate (the rate you pay on your highest bracket of income). That is because the fee is a business expense, so it reduces the income you pay tax on. Ask your accountant to confirm this applies in your situation.
GUIDES
Accounting Software for Personal Trainers in Australia: GST, BAS & 5 Traps (2026)
By Matt Crofts/24 March 2026/Updated 14 April 2026/10 min read
Key takeaway
Five accounting traps that catch Australian PTs in their first year: mixed bank accounts, wrong accounting software, GST threshold surprises, PAYG instalment shocks, and missed deductions. Covers Xero vs MYOB vs Sole vs Rounded with pricing, BAS basics, and the tax-saving habits that cost 15 minutes a week. Written by a CPA with 25 years in Australian accounting software.
The tax bill nobody warned you about
There is a moment in every Australian personal trainer's first year that goes like this. The work is going well. Clients are paying. The bank balance looks healthy. Then October arrives, your accountant calls, and you find out you owe the ATO thousands of dollars you already spent.
It gets worse. The ATO puts you on quarterly instalments. So in your second year, you are paying last year's tax bill plus this year's quarterly estimates at the same time. I watched this pattern repeat for years during my time in public practice as a CPA. I then spent the next 25 years building accounting and financial software for thousands of Australian businesses. The trainers who got into trouble were not bad with money. They just started their business before anyone explained how sole trader accounting actually works.
This guide covers the five traps that catch PTs in their first year: mixed bank accounts, wrong accounting software, GST surprises, missing records, and missed deductions. It is not a substitute for professional advice from a registered tax agent. But if you are running your PT business on gut feel and a notes app, this will save you real money.
The 5 traps:
#1 Mixed bank accounts · #2 Wrong accounting software · #3 GST and PAYG shocks · #4 No records from day one · #5 Missed deductions
Trap #1: Running business money through your personal account
If you only do one thing from this entire guide, do this.
Every PT I have spoken to who got into financial trouble in their first year made the same mistake: they ran business income through their personal bank account.
Client session payments. Gym rent. Equipment from Rebel Sport. Saturday night dinner. Morning coffee. All in one transaction feed. By March, nobody can tell what the business earned and what you spent on yourself. Not you. Not your accountant. Not the ATO.
Here is what that costs you:
The fix takes 15 minutes. Open a separate business bank account. Most Australian banks offer fee-free or low-fee business accounts for sole traders. Some accounting apps (like MYOB Solo) now include integrated bank accounts as part of their product. These can be convenient for getting started quickly, but keep in mind that an integrated bank account ties your banking to your accounting software. If you switch tools later, you may need to move banks too. A standard business account from your existing bank keeps your options open.
From that point: every client payment goes into the business account. Every business expense comes out of the business account. Your personal account stays personal. Your accounting software connects to the business account via bank feed and every transaction is already separated.
This one step makes everything else in this guide work.
Trap #2: No accounting software, or the wrong one
15 minutes a week now saves 15 hours at tax time.
You do not need enterprise software. You need a bookkeeping app that connects to your bank account and pulls in transactions automatically (this is called a "bank feed," and it means payments show up in the app without you typing them in), categorises those transactions (labels each one as income, gym rent, equipment, etc.), and helps you submit your BAS when the time comes.
What is a BAS? A Business Activity Statement is a form you submit to the ATO, usually every quarter, that reports how much GST you collected from clients and how much GST you paid on business expenses. Your accounting software fills in most of it automatically. You (or your accountant) review the numbers and submit it online.
Here are the options worth considering. Pricing shown is as of March 2026. Check each provider's website for current pricing, as these change.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Starting price | Bank feeds | Stripe sync | BAS prep | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | $35/mo | Yes | Native | Yes | Default choice, accountant-friendly |
| MYOB Business | $13/mo | Yes | Via bank feed | Yes | Budget option, established brand |
| MYOB Solo | $11/mo ($5.50 promo) | Via Solo Money | Via bank feed | Yes | New sole traders, mobile-first |
| Sole | $14.99/mo (free tier) | Yes | Via bank feed | Yes | Fitness-specific, AUSactive partner |
| Rounded | $23.95/mo | Pro plan only | Direct | Yes | Clean UI, AI categorisation on Pro |
Pricing and features shown are based on publicly available information as of March 2026 and may have changed. We have no commercial relationship with any provider listed. Check each provider's website for current pricing and features. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Xero
Pricing: From $35/month (Ignite plan). Xero rebranded its plans in 2024: the old "Starter" plan is now called "Ignite."
Bank feeds, invoicing, GST tracking, BAS preparation, and a receipt scanning app called Hubdoc (included on all plans). Integrates with most Australian banks. Xero also has a native Stripe integration, which is relevant if your PT software processes client payments through Stripe. Every payment, fee, and payout syncs automatically. If your accountant uses Xero (many do), they can access your file directly at tax time, which saves you both time and money. Xero is the default recommendation for a reason: it is well supported, widely understood by accountants, and handles everything a sole trader needs. Xero often runs promotional pricing for new customers (at the time of writing, up to 95% off for the first 6 months), so check the pricing page for current offers.
Worth knowing: $35/month is the highest starting price on this list, but you get a lot for it. The Ignite plan includes payroll for one person and auto super payments, which is useful if you pay yourself through the business. It does cap invoices at 20 per month and bills at 5, so check those limits fit your client load. The Grow plan ($75/month) lifts those caps to unlimited and adds advanced reporting. Xero is also rolling out JAX, an AI assistant (currently in beta) that can answer questions about your financial data, create invoices through conversation, and provide business insights. For most solo PTs, the Ignite plan covers the essentials.
MYOB Business
Pricing: From $13/month (Lite plan).
Bank feeds, invoicing, GST, BAS. MYOB has been in the Australian market for decades and some accountants prefer it. The Lite plan covers a sole trader with no employees. If your accountant uses MYOB, use MYOB. Matching your accountant's preferred software saves time and money at tax time.
Worth knowing: MYOB has multiple product lines (Business, AccountRight, Solo) and the differences between them are not always obvious. Make sure you are looking at the right product for your situation. Unlike Xero, MYOB does not have a native Stripe integration. If your PT software uses Stripe for client payments, those transactions will show up in MYOB via your bank feed but without the detailed per-payment breakdown that Xero's Stripe integration provides. Some users have reported that support wait times can be long during peak periods like BAS and tax time.
MYOB Solo
Pricing: $11/month after an introductory offer. At the time of writing, MYOB is running a promotion at $5.50/month for the first 3 months. 14-day free trial available.
MYOB's newer app built specifically for sole traders. Invoicing, receipt scanning, Tap to Pay for accepting card payments on your phone, GST calculations, and a view of where your money is going. It also offers a free integrated business bank account (Solo Money), which is useful if you are setting up a separate business account from scratch.
Worth knowing: Solo is still in its early days. At the time of writing it is mobile-only with no desktop version and you cannot import existing invoices or transaction history. If you outgrow Solo and need to move to MYOB Business, there is no native migration tool yet (MYOB has indicated this is on their roadmap but with no confirmed timeline). Third-party migration services exist, but check what data carries across before relying on them. If you need desktop access or have an existing business with historical records, MYOB Business Lite or Xero may be a safer starting point.
Sole
Pricing: $14.99/month (free tier available).
Built specifically for Australian sole traders in the fitness industry. Bank feeds, GST tracking, BAS preparation, receipt capture, and recurring invoices. Sole is an AUSactive supplier partner and a FitRec registered supplier, so it understands PT-specific expenses and workflows. The app adjusts its experience based on your industry, including fitness-specific expense categories and invoice templates.
Worth knowing: Sole is a smaller company (Brisbane-based, founded 2018) and does not have the same range of third-party integrations that Xero or MYOB offer. At the time of writing, Sole does not have a direct Stripe integration (it uses Worldpay for its own payment processing), so if your PT software uses Stripe, those transactions will appear via your bank feed rather than a direct sync. If your accountant needs direct login access to your accounting file, check whether Sole supports that before switching. For a PT who wants simple, fitness-focused bookkeeping and is comfortable sharing reports with their accountant manually, it is worth a look.
Rounded
Pricing: $23.95/month (Starter) or $29.95/month (Pro, which adds bank feeds and automatic GST).
Built in Melbourne for Australian sole traders and freelancers. Clean interface, BAS preparation, and Australian bank support. Rounded also supports direct Stripe and PayPal connections for tracking payment income. The Pro plan includes AI expense categorisation which saves time if you have a lot of transactions.
Worth knowing: Bank feeds and automatic GST require the Pro plan at $29.95/month, which puts it at the same price as Xero. If you are going to spend $30/month, compare what Rounded Pro gives you versus Xero Starter. Rounded's strength is its simplicity, but if your accountant prefers Xero or MYOB, the simplicity may not outweigh the convenience of using what your accountant already knows.
What about spreadsheets?
Spreadsheets work technically but fail practically. They do not connect to your bank. They do not calculate GST automatically. They do not generate BAS reports. And they rely entirely on you entering every transaction manually, which means the moment you get busy with clients, the bookkeeping stops.
We have no commercial relationship with any of the accounting software providers mentioned above. These recommendations are based on the author's experience in the accounting software industry and publicly available information as of March 2026. Features and pricing change. Always check the provider's website for the latest before making a decision.
Before you sign up: choose carefully
Most accounting software providers run aggressive introductory offers. At the time of writing, Xero is offering 95% off for the first 6 months (offer ends 31 March 2026). MYOB Solo has a $5.50/month introductory rate. These deals are designed to get you in the door, and they work.
Here is what nobody tells you upfront: accounting software has serious lock-in. Once you connect your bank feeds, set up your invoice templates, categorise six months of transactions, and train yourself (or your accountant) on the workflow, switching to a different tool is painful. You are not just changing an app. You are rebuilding your entire bookkeeping setup from scratch.
That does not mean you should avoid promotional pricing. It means you should choose the right tool first, then take the discount. Not the other way around.
Before you commit:
The bottom line: Pick one tool. Set up the bank feed. Spend 15 minutes each week matching transactions. That is the entire system.
Trap #3: The GST threshold and PAYG instalment shock
GST, super, PAYG instalments. Nobody warns you. This section does.
Here are the moments where trainers typically get into trouble. Not because they did something wrong, but because nobody told them these were coming.
The GST threshold
The threshold (at the time of writing, March 2026): $75,000 in total business income (before expenses) over a rolling 12-month period. That is total payments received from clients, not profit. If you charge $70 per session and average 25 sessions a week, you are at roughly $91,000 a year and already past the threshold.
The deadline: You have 21 days to register once you cross it.
What changes once you register: You add 10% GST to your session prices, submit a BAS to the ATO each quarter, and can claim back the GST included in your business expenses. For example, if you buy $550 worth of equipment (GST inclusive), $50 of that is GST. Once registered, you can claim that $50 back on your BAS.
The common mistake: Not tracking your income closely enough and crossing the threshold without realising. Your accounting software calculates this automatically if your income is entered correctly.
Should you register before you hit the threshold? You can register voluntarily at any turnover level. Some accountants recommend it, some do not. It depends on your situation. Here is the trade-off:
Registering early means you can claim back GST on business expenses (equipment, software, insurance, CPD courses) from day one. If you are spending more than a few thousand dollars a year on GST-inclusive business expenses, those credits add up. It also means your invoices look more professional to clients who are themselves GST-registered (like gym owners or corporate clients), because they can claim back the GST they pay you.
The downside: once registered, you must add 10% GST to your session prices (personal training is not classified as a GST-free health service under ATO rules, so there is no exemption here), lodge BAS every quarter, keep tighter records, and if you register voluntarily, you generally need to stay registered for at least 12 months. If most of your clients are individuals (not businesses), adding 10% to your session price can make you look more expensive than a non-registered PT charging the same base rate.
For most new PTs just starting out with a handful of individual clients and low business expenses, the admin burden of early registration outweighs the benefit. The tipping point is usually when you are spending enough on business expenses that the GST credits you could claim back are worth the extra quarterly paperwork. Talk to your accountant about when that point is for your situation.
What your PT software can do to help: Once you register for GST, your client invoices need to show your ABN and be labelled "Tax Invoice." Some PT software handles this automatically. For example, BuildStability lets you enter your ABN once, and every Stripe invoice generated for client payments is automatically labelled as a Tax Invoice with your ABN included. It also generates GST reports with BAS-aligned CSV exports you can hand directly to your accountant. The less manual GST admin you have to do, the less likely something gets missed.
Thresholds can change. Check the ATO's GST registration page for the latest and speak with a registered tax agent before you approach this point.
Superannuation
As a sole trader, super is not automatically deducted from your income. Nobody takes it out for you. Many new PTs earn well in their first year and put nothing aside for retirement. You can make voluntary contributions to your super fund and they may be tax-deductible. This is a conversation to have with your accountant early, not at retirement.
The first tax bill (and the quarterly instalments that follow)
This is the one that hits hardest. When you worked at a gym as an employee, tax was taken out of every pay. You never saw that money. It just disappeared before it reached your bank account.
As a sole trader, every dollar hits your account untaxed. A $70 session pays you $70. It feels like you are earning more. You are not. A portion of that $70 belongs to the ATO. You just have not paid it yet.
Here is what catches most first-year PTs off guard: you do a full year of training, earn well, and spend most of it because it feels like yours. Then around October, your accountant tells you the tax bill. It is not a small number.
And then it gets worse.
At the time of writing, if your annual tax bill comes to $1,000 or more and your instalment income (essentially your business income) is $4,000 or more, the ATO automatically puts you on the PAYG instalment system. In plain terms: instead of paying one lump sum at tax time, the ATO makes you pay estimated tax every quarter going forward, based on what you earned. So in your second year, you are paying last year's tax bill plus this year's quarterly instalments at the same time.
Read that again. You owe the full amount for last year, plus the first quarterly instalment for this year, in the same month. For a PT who earned $60,000 to $80,000 in their first year and set nothing aside, that combined bill can be thousands of dollars due at once.
This is the moment where a lot of new sole traders hit a wall. The cash is not there because it was never set aside. I saw this pattern during my years in public practice, and after 25 years building accounting software for accountants and small businesses, I can tell you it has not changed. The work is going well. The money is not there.
The fix: Open a separate savings account (most banks let you create one in minutes) and transfer a percentage of every client payment into it. Do not touch it. That account is for the ATO. Your accountant can help you estimate the right percentage based on your expected income, but the habit matters more than the exact number. If you start this from your first paying client, the tax bill in October is just a transfer from one account to another. No shock. No scramble. Check the ATO's PAYG instalments page for current thresholds and how the system works.
Income protection and insurance
Gym rent contracts and PT insurance are business expenses you expect. Income protection insurance is the one most trainers skip. If you injure yourself and cannot train clients for three months, your income drops to zero. There is no sick pay for sole traders. This is a personal risk decision, but it is worth pricing before you need it.
Trap #4: No records from day one
Invoices. Expenses. Kilometres. Sessions. That is the whole list.
You do not need a complex system. You need consistency. Here is what to record:
Every invoice you send. Your accounting software handles this. Send invoices through the software, not via text message or bank transfer requests. Each invoice should show your ABN, the service provided, the amount, and whether GST is included.
That said, many PTs in Australia are moving away from manual invoicing entirely. If your clients pay through a subscription or session pack (the way most PT software handles it), payments flow through Stripe into your bank account automatically. No chasing. No "did you get my transfer?"
If you are GST-registered, there is an important detail here: the invoices your clients receive from Stripe need to meet ATO requirements. They need your ABN, the "Tax Invoice" label, and the correct GST breakdown. Some PT software handles this for you. BuildStability, for example, automatically adds your ABN and the "Tax Invoice" label to every Stripe invoice once you enter your tax details in the settings. Every invoice is also stored in the app with a full history you can export as CSV for your accountant at BAS time.
Stripe connects directly to most accounting software. Xero has a native Stripe integration that pulls in every payment, fee, and payout automatically. When a client pays $70 for a session through your PT software, Xero sees the $70 payment, the Stripe processing fee, and the net payout to your bank. At BAS time, everything is already categorised. MYOB picks up Stripe payouts through your bank feed, so the transactions still appear automatically, though you may need to match them manually rather than having individual payments itemised.
This is where using proper PT software saves real time. Instead of creating an invoice in Xero, sending it to a client, waiting for payment, and then matching the bank transaction, the client just books and pays through the app. Stripe processes it with the correct tax labelling. Your accounting software picks it up. You spend zero time on the payment cycle.
Every business expense. Gym rent, insurance, equipment, CPD courses, travel between clients (log the kilometres), phone and internet (business percentage), and software subscriptions.
Receipt capture (save yourself pain at tax time)
Paper receipts are the enemy. They fade, they crumple in gym bags, and they vanish between the car seat and the centre console. By tax time, half of them are unreadable.
The technology for handling this has improved dramatically. Every modern accounting app now uses AI to do the heavy lifting. You snap a photo and the app extracts the vendor, amount, date, and GST automatically, then matches it to a transaction in your bank feed.
Xero includes Hubdoc on all plans, which captures receipt data and creates expenses automatically. MYOB recently launched MYOB Assist, a free companion app that uses machine learning to analyse receipts, suggest transaction matches, and even pre-populate invoices if you are on-charging expenses to clients. Sole and Rounded both have built-in receipt capture with similar AI categorisation.
These tools learn from your patterns. After a few weeks of categorising gym rent as "rent", equipment from Rebel Sport as "equipment", and insurance payments as "insurance", the AI starts suggesting the right category before you touch anything.
The workflow takes about five seconds: buy something for the business, pull out your phone, snap the receipt, done. The app stores the image, extracts the data, and links it to the bank transaction. At tax time, your accountant has every receipt attached to every expense with zero effort from you.
If you are the kind of person who already tracks macros or session loads on your phone, this is the same habit applied to money. Build it early and receipts stop being a problem entirely.
Kilometres driven. This is an area where a lot of PTs either overclaim or miss out entirely. The general principle is that travel between two work locations (for example, from one client's home to another client's home) may be deductible, but your regular commute from home to your normal workplace (for example, the gym you work out of every day) is generally not. The ATO draws a clear line between the two and the rules matter.
If you do have deductible travel, keep a simple log: date, destination, purpose, kilometres. The ATO publishes a cents-per-kilometre rate each year for calculating claims. Your accountant will tell you exactly which trips qualify in your situation. The key point is to log all your work-related travel from day one so you have the records if they are deductible. Check the ATO's vehicle and travel expenses page for current rules.
Client session records. Not for accounting directly, but for cross-checking. If your bank shows 15 incoming payments this month and your session log shows 18 sessions delivered, you know three clients have not paid. Most PT software tracks this automatically.
How does PT software connect to accounting software?
Your PT software (whatever you use) handles the client-facing side: scheduling, session tracking, program delivery, and payment collection. Your accounting software handles the ATO-facing side: income categorisation, expense tracking, GST, and BAS lodgement.
The connection between them is your payment processor. Most PT software uses Stripe to process client payments. Those payments flow into your business bank account, and your accounting software picks them up via the bank feed and categorises them as income.
The best setup is when your PT software, Stripe, and accounting software all talk to each other automatically. Some PT platforms are starting to offer direct Xero and QuickBooks integrations that sync payment data without you touching anything. The less manual matching you have to do, the more time you spend coaching instead of categorising transactions.
If you are using BuildStability, client payments process through Stripe directly to your bank account with zero commission. Stripe's native Xero integration can pull in every payment, fee, and payout automatically. MYOB picks up the same data through your bank feed. BuildStability also generates its own GST reports with BAS-aligned CSV exports, so you (or your accountant) can cross-check the numbers against your accounting software. At BAS time, your accounting software has a clean picture of income and expenses without you having to manually match and categorise anything yourself.
BuildStability handles scheduling, billing, and programs with zero commission, so your accounting software gets clean data. Start a free 14-day trial, no credit card required.
Trap #5: Missed deductions you were entitled to
Most new PTs miss deductions because they do not know what counts.
This is not an exhaustive list and every situation is different. But these are the deductions that come up most often for PT sole traders. Keep receipts for all of them and confirm with your accountant what applies to you:
The ATO maintains a full guide to deductions you can claim. Your accountant will know which ones apply to your specific situation and which ones the ATO pays close attention to.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Mixing personal and business accounts. Covered above. Open a separate account. Today.
Not lodging your BAS on time. If you are registered for GST, your BAS is due every quarter (or monthly, depending on your setup). Late lodgement attracts penalties and interest from the ATO. Your accounting software will remind you. Set a calendar reminder as a backup.
Claiming deductions you cannot support. Every deduction needs a receipt or record. "I think I spent about $200 on equipment" is not a deduction. A receipt showing $200 at Rebel Sport on 15 March is. When in doubt, keep the receipt and let your accountant decide.
Not paying estimated tax throughout the year. Set aside money from each payment into a separate savings account. The exact percentage depends on your total income and situation, so talk to your accountant. The point is to build the habit early so the annual tax bill is covered.
Ignoring super. You are young and fit. Retirement feels abstract. But compound interest is real and starting super contributions in your twenties versus your thirties makes a material difference over a career. Ask your accountant about the tax benefits of voluntary contributions.
When should a personal trainer hire an accountant?
Do your own bookkeeping weekly. It takes 15 minutes and keeps you in touch with your numbers. But get a registered tax agent involved for:
A good accountant costs $500 to $1,500 per year for a sole trader. The deductions they find and the penalties they prevent typically cover their fee and then some. And here is something a lot of people do not realise: the fee you pay your accountant is itself generally a tax-deductible business expense. So the actual after-tax cost is lower than the number on the invoice. A $1,000 accountant fee might only cost you $700 to $750 in real terms, depending on your marginal tax rate (the rate you pay on your highest bracket of income). That is because the fee is a business expense, so it reduces the income you pay tax on. Ask your accountant to confirm this applies in your situation.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute financial, tax, or accounting advice. The information is current as of March 2026 but laws and thresholds change. Every business situation is different. For advice specific to your circumstances, consult a registered tax agent or qualified accountant. The author is a CPA (CPA Australia) but this article is published as educational content, not as a professional engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do personal trainers need an ABN in Australia?
If you are operating as a sole trader (which most PTs renting gym space are), you need an ABN. It is free to register through the Australian Business Register. Your ABN goes on every invoice you issue. Without one, clients and gyms may be required to withhold from your payments under the ATO no-ABN withholding rules. Check the ATO website for current withholding rates. This is general information only. Speak to a registered tax agent for advice specific to your situation.
When does a personal trainer need to register for GST?
At the time of writing (March 2026), the ATO requires GST registration when your total business income (before expenses) reaches $75,000 in a 12-month period. You can register voluntarily before that threshold. Once registered, you charge 10% GST on your sessions, submit a BAS to the ATO each quarter, and can claim back the GST on your business expenses. Thresholds can change, so check the ATO GST registration page for the latest or speak with a registered tax agent.
What is the best accounting software for a personal trainer in Australia?
For most solo PTs, Xero (from $35/month for the Ignite plan) or MYOB Business (from $13/month for the Lite plan) covers invoicing, bank feeds, BAS preparation, and basic reporting. Both integrate with Australian banks. MYOB Solo ($11/month, promotional pricing often available) is a budget mobile-only option for sole traders just starting out. Sole ($14.99/month, free tier available) is built specifically for fitness industry sole traders, with AUSactive partnership and fitness-specific expense categories. Rounded ($23.95/month) is another Australian-built option with AI expense categorisation on the Pro plan. The right choice depends on your business complexity and whether your accountant has a preference.
Can personal trainers claim gym rent as a tax deduction?
Gym rent or licence fees paid to operate as a contractor within a gym are generally a deductible business expense for sole traders. Keep every receipt and record the payments in your accounting software. Other common PT deductions include insurance, equipment, CPD courses, and travel between client locations. Speak with a registered tax agent about what you can claim in your specific situation.
How often should a personal trainer do their bookkeeping?
Weekly is ideal. It takes 10 to 15 minutes if you keep up with it. The trainers who wait until tax time spend hours reconstructing 12 months of bank statements and typically miss deductions they are entitled to. A weekly habit of matching transactions in your accounting software prevents this entirely.
Do personal trainers need an accountant?
You can handle weekly bookkeeping yourself using accounting software like Xero or MYOB. But get a registered tax agent involved for your first BAS lodgement, your annual tax return, when you approach the GST threshold, and when you hire staff or contractors. A good accountant for a sole trader costs $500 to $1,500 per year, and the fee itself is generally tax-deductible.
What business expenses can a personal trainer claim in Australia?
Common deductible expenses for PT sole traders include gym rent or licence fees, professional indemnity and public liability insurance, fitness equipment, CPD courses and certifications, travel between client locations (not your regular home-to-gym commute), phone and internet (business percentage), accounting software subscriptions, accountant fees, and marketing costs. Keep receipts for everything and speak with a registered tax agent about what applies to your situation.
#accounting software personal trainer#personal trainer tax australia#sole trader#ABN#GST registration#Xero#MYOB#bookkeeping app#BAS#personal trainer business expenses#personal trainer tax deductions australia#PAYG instalments
Matt Crofts
Founder of BuildStability. CPA with 25 years building financial software for Australian businesses.
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