Tutor bookkeeping: marketplace payouts against the software, materials and exam fees behind them
A tutor's income lands as payouts from a marketplace such as Wyzant or Outschool plus the odd Venmo from a parent; the costs are video and scheduling software, lesson materials and a few fees. The bank statement holds all of it, so the month's profit starts there.
Worked example: one October
The tool ships a synthetic statement for an independent tutor and online teacher (fixtures/tutor-checking.csv): three deposits and ten costs. Both marketplace payouts and nine of the ten costs get a suggested account; the Venmo cash-out stays in review, because it could be a parent paying you or your own money moving.
| October 2026 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wyzant and Outschool payouts | $1,496.50 |
| Venmo cash-out (left in review; you file it) | $420.00 |
| Money in | $1,916.50 |
| Zoom, Calendly, Prodigy (software) | −$36.98 |
| Teachers Pay Teachers, drawing tablet (supplies and materials) | −$97.95 |
| Praxis fee, NEA dues (education and dues) | −$150.00 |
| Library meeting room (rent) | −$25.00 |
| Fuel (vehicle and fuel) | −$41.30 |
| Vistaprint flyers (advertising) | −$34.20 |
| Profit | $1,531.07 |
The profit counts the Venmo as income; if part of it is not student money, file that part as a transfer and the profit drops by the same amount. Payouts are net of each marketplace's fee, so the deposits understate what students paid.
What the tool does for a tutor
- Imports the bank CSV and suggests Sales for marketplace payouts.
- Files the recurring costs: meeting and scheduling software, lesson materials, exam fees, association dues and room rent.
- Reports a P&L and a Schedule C worksheet, with a mileage log for travel to students and quarterly estimated-tax dates in the tax calendar.
Rules are written from company names; no real tutor's statement has been tried.
Questions
Where do Wyzant and Outschool payouts go?
Payouts from tutoring marketplaces such as Wyzant, Outschool, Varsity Tutors and Preply are filed as sales. They arrive net of the marketplace's cut, so the deposits understate what students paid; the fee is not on your bank statement unless the platform sends a statement you import separately.
How are lesson materials, software and exam fees filed?
Teachers Pay Teachers and drawing-tablet purchases go under supplies and materials, Zoom, Calendly and classroom apps under software and subscriptions, and Praxis fees and teacher-association dues under education and dues. A library meeting room is filed as rent.
What about the Venmo cash-out?
It stays in the review queue. A Venmo cash-out can be a parent paying you for lessons or your own money moving, and the tool cannot tell which, so you file it. Counting all of it as income raises the profit by the same amount.
Is it free?
Yes. It is open source (MIT), runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Not tax advice: a self-employed tutor owes self-employment tax on profit, the Schedule C worksheet in this tool shows the figure, and your accountant decides what applies to you.
Open AI Bookkeeper and import your bank statement.