Personal trainer client and payment tracking: packages, sessions left, debts and month end

Personal trainer client and payment tracking means keeping, on one record per member, which package they bought, how many sessions are left, what they've paid and what they still owe. Keep that record straight and at the end of the month you don't calculate who owes you what, you read it off a list.

This post covers only the records and money side. For the calendar, session booking and programs, see personal trainer software.

What belongs on the member record

Tracking a trainer's members really comes down to one record: the person, their package and their money. In GamGym the member record holds:

• contact details and signed documents,
• packages bought, sessions left and end date for each,
• payments, outstanding debt and the overdue amount,
• an account statement listing sales and payments by date,
• measurements.

You add a member by phone number, and one phone number is one person. If your member also belongs to a gym, the records don't mix: you see yours and the gym sees its own.

Package types

You define your own packages. Three kinds suit trainers best:

• session packages: 8, 12 or 16 sessions, with a validity period if you want one,
• time-based packages: for example monthly online coaching,
• combined packages: monthly coaching plus a set number of in-person sessions.

On a session package the remaining credit drops with every completed session. The member sees the same number in the portal, so the "how many sessions do I have left?" question stops coming to you.

Payment at the point of sale: in full, partial, instalments

When you sell a package one of three things happens. The member pays in full; the package opens right away and the payment is recorded. The member pays part of it; the rest shows as debt on their record. Or you sell it in instalments.

With instalments the amount is split into equal parts, the first due today and the rest monthly. The default maximum is 12 instalments, which you can change in your rules. The member gets an in-app reminder 3 days before each due date and on days 1, 3 and 7 after it. The reminder lead time is also in your rules.

If you don't want to allow partial payment, you can turn off selling on account in your rules; then a sale without instalments has to be paid in full.

Bank transfer payments

Online card payment isn't live yet, so payments come in by bank transfer or in cash. A member who pays by transfer sends an "I paid by transfer" notice from the portal and attaches the receipt. The notice lands on the Bank transfer notices screen in the panel; you open the receipt and approve or reject it. An approved transfer is recorded as a payment on the member's record and comes off their debt.

This saves you scrolling through your banking app asking "who sent this 3,000 TL?". The money arrives already matched to a person.

Receipts and refunds

You can print a receipt for every payment. A payment taken by mistake, or one that has to be given back, is recorded as a refund; the original record stays and a reversing entry corrects it. That's why the collections total at month end shows the real figure.

The month-end picture

The Overview tab of the Packages and payments screen is a trainer's monthly picture. It shows:

• packages sold this month and net collections (after refunds),
• open receivables and how much of that is overdue,
• bank transfers waiting for approval,
• the five most overdue members, each with "Collect",
• packages to renew: 2 or fewer sessions left or ending within 7 days, each with "Renew",
• your packages on sale and how many active members each has.

For more detail, the Payments list filters by date and payment method and shows totals per method. The Receivables list shows who owes how much.

Moving your current members in

The hardest part of switching systems is half-used packages and old debts. If a member has 5 sessions left on a 12-session package, you don't need to enter it as a new sale. "Carry over a membership" on the member record opens the package with the sessions that remain; a carry-over records no sale and no debt. If the member owes you money from before, you enter it separately as an opening balance and it shows as debt due today.

That split keeps your month-end numbers clean: carried-over packages don't look like this month's sales, and old debt isn't counted as revenue. With a handful of members, entering each record by hand takes half an hour. For a long list there's a bulk CSV import too; details in moving from Excel.

Example: a month for a trainer with 18 members

The numbers are an example. Picture a trainer with 18 members. Twelve buy an 8-session package at 6,000 TL. Six get monthly online coaching at 3,000 TL a month. Sales this month total 72,000 + 18,000 = 90,000 TL.

Three of the session-package members pay in two instalments, each with a second instalment of 3,000 TL due next month. One online member forgot to pay and is past due. The Overview shows: sales 90,000 TL, net collections 78,000 TL, open receivables 12,000 TL, of which 3,000 TL is overdue.

The trainer taps "Collect" on the one overdue member's row and the payment dialog opens on that member's record. The member makes the transfer the next day and uploads the receipt; after approval the overdue amount is cleared. The renewals list shows 4 members. The trainer talks to them before the month ends, because winning back a member whose package has lapsed is harder than asking about renewal on time. Most member churn happens in these quiet endings.

Common mistakes in client and payment tracking

Starting sessions before recording the sale. A package where you said "sessions now, we'll sort payment later" turns into a debt nobody remembers. Enter the sale before the first session; if payment comes later, let it show as debt.

Writing partial payments in a notebook. The remaining amount only reaches the list, and only triggers reminders, if it sits in the system as debt.

Checking a transfer in your bank account but never recording it. If the money arrived but isn't on the record, the member still looks like they owe you and you end up chasing the wrong person.

Deleting members with history to stay under the free plan's 20-member limit. A deleted record frees a slot, but it also takes that person, and the history on their record, off your member list. If the limit feels tight, moving to Pro is the better choice; details in free app for personal trainers.

Mixing personal spending with business money. GamGym shows your collections; track expenses and tax separately with your accountant.

Getting started

Member records, packages, instalments, transfer notices and the Overview screen are all in the free Trainer plan, up to 20 members. Sign up with the become a trainer form, set up the package you sell most, then enter your current members with their remaining sessions and debts. Prices are on the for trainers page.