For Australian PTs

Guides

The business side of personal training, explained properly. Written for Australian sole traders by a trainer who spent twelve years doing this the hard way. No jargon, no filler, and no pretending the answer is simple when it isn't.

Updated 24 July 2026 General information, not tax advice

Tax & GST

What you can claim, when you have to register, and how to survive a BAS. Start with the deductions checklist - everything else hangs off it.

Tax deductions: the full checklist Everything a PT can and can't claim - and the four claims that cause trouble every year. Can PTs claim coffee? Four different scenarios, four different answers. The one everybody asks about. GST: when you have to register The $75,000 threshold is rolling, not yearly - and that catches people out. How to do your BAS Which labels a sole-trader PT actually fills in - and the credits you can't claim. Car and travel claims Cents per km, the 5,000 km cap, and why the drive to your first client isn't deductible. Phone, internet & home office Apportioning honestly - and the home-office claim that can cost you at sale time.

Setting up & getting paid

The paperwork nobody teaches you in a Cert IV.

Do I need an ABN? Sole trader vs company, business names, and the contractor question gyms get wrong. What goes on an invoice Tax invoice requirements - and the one line that prevents most session disputes.

Running the business

Pricing, packs, and knowing what you actually earn.

How much should you charge? Work out your real hourly rate - the number most trainers have never calculated. Packs vs casual sessions Which model protects your week - and the liability a pack quietly creates. Why clients quit They go quiet before they leave. The three-week signal - and what to say. Going full-time The four numbers that say you're ready - and the costs people forget. What to track in year one Five things worth recording from week one, so year two isn't guesswork. Tracking prepaid packs A pack is money you owe in sessions. Here's how to stop spending it twice.

Or stop doing it by hand

Momentum Tracking is the app these guides keep pointing at: sessions, prepaid packs, invoices with your ABN on them, expenses categorised for GST, and a BAS-ready summary at the end of the quarter. Built by an Australian PT of twelve years, for Australian PTs.

See how it works → Free 30-day trial · from $29/month · cancel any time