Mental & behavioral health
Books and taxes for couples and marriage counselors.
A private-pay session at your full fee, a two-day intensive paid in two installments, a superbill you handed a client for their own insurance claim, and a canceled session fee. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $12,900. The weekend intensive deposit and its balance landed in the same month this time, so it looks bigger than a typical month, and I noted why.
- Private pay sessionsSession fees
- Intensive depositWeekend intensives
- Intensive balanceWeekend intensives
- SimplePracticePractice software
- Marketing referral feeMarketing
Why your books are different
A couples counseling practice's books go wrong around packages and superbills.
A generalist sees a deposit and a subscription bill. Your practice runs mostly private pay because many insurers do not cover relationship counseling on its own, sells weekend intensives in installments, and hands out superbills for clients to file themselves. When the books flatten all of that, the monthly number is misleading.
-
1
Weekend intensives distort the month they land in
A two-day intensive priced at several thousand dollars, paid as a deposit one month and a balance the next, makes one month look unusually strong and the next look unusually thin, even though the work is steady.
What we doKeeps intensive deposits and balances in their own line and notes when a big number is really one package split across two months. -
2
Superbills get confused with actual insurance income
Handing a client a superbill so they can seek their own out-of-network reimbursement is not the same as the practice getting paid by insurance, but the two get mixed up when nobody tracks which sessions are private pay with a superbill attached.
What we doBooks every session as private-pay revenue when the practice is paid directly, regardless of whether a superbill was issued, so income never gets double-counted or miscategorized. -
3
Cancellation and no-show fees go unrecorded
A late-cancellation fee charged to a couple in crisis is real income, but many practitioners feel awkward about it and never enter it consistently, which makes revenue look choppier than the practice actually is.
What we doBooks cancellation and no-show fees the same as any session fee, so the month reflects what actually happened. -
4
The tax bill runs bigger without insurance withholding
A private-pay-heavy practice with no payroll withholding often has a bigger tax bill than an insurance-heavy one at the same revenue, and it catches owners off guard every spring.
What we doSets aside a running percentage of what you make every month, tuned to a mostly private-pay practice, so April is never a surprise.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a couples counseling practice.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Session feesStandard private-pay couples sessions, paid by card, ACH, or check.
- Weekend intensivesMulti-day packages, tracked by deposit and balance so one month is not mistaken for a trend.
- Cancellation and no-show feesCharged per your policy, booked the same as any session.
- Group or workshop feesCouples workshops or premarital groups, if the practice runs them.
Money out
- Practice softwareSimplePractice, TherapyNotes, or similar scheduling and notes software.
- MarketingA Psychology Today profile, a website, or referral fees to other clinicians.
- Continuing educationCouples-specific training such as Gottman or EFT certification courses.
- Office rentA private office, often furnished for longer intensive sessions.
- Malpractice insuranceYour professional liability premium.
- Superbill or receipt softwareTools used to generate superbills for clients seeking their own reimbursement.
What we watch for you
- Intensive share
How much of the month's revenue is a multi-day package versus standard sessions, so a big month reads correctly.
- Cancellation income
How much comes from late-cancellation fees, so it is not mistaken for a change in your session volume.
- Session rate trend
Your average collected fee per session over time, so a rate increase actually shows up.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things couples counselors ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No. I booked the deposit and balance as one package, not two separate wins, and I am keeping your set-aside tuned to your full-year average, not just this month.
Yes, whenever you do charge one. It is real income either way, and leaving it out just makes your books look choppier than your practice actually is.
That is a real business decision about your rates and your time, not a bookkeeping one. I can show you what a fully private-pay year looks like against a mixed one if that helps you decide.
The tax side
The tax side of a couples counseling practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing: a set-aside sized for the wrong kind of practice, and a big intensive month mistaken for the new normal.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Self-employment taxA mostly private-pay solo practitioner taking profit directly owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- The pass-through deductionYou can often deduct up to 20 percent of your practice's profit before it is taxed, though this can shrink at higher income for a personal-service business like counseling.
- Quarterly estimated taxesWith no payroll withholding, estimated tax is generally due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15. An intensive-heavy quarter can change what is owed.
- S corp election timingOnce profit is steady, electing S corp status can reduce self-employment tax, but the election for the current year is due March 15.
Deductions couples and marriage counselors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Malpractice insurance premium
- Gottman or EFT training courses
- SimplePractice subscription
- Website and marketing costs
- Referral or directory listing fees
- Office rent for a private suite
- Furnishings for longer intensive sessions
- Continuing education and conferences
- License renewal fees
- Superbill or receipt software
- Business phone line
- Professional association dues
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A couples counseling year, kept every month.
Intensives and standard sessions land unevenly through the year. Your taxes stay on a schedule the whole way through. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and your monthly set-aside is planned around your mix of standard sessions and intensives.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a spring intensive changed the number more than expected.
- October
Before year-end
Gus looks at whether an S corp election makes sense and any moves worth making before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for couples and marriage counselors. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions couples counselors ask first.
I ran a big weekend intensive this month. Will it throw off my set-aside?
No. Gus tunes your set-aside to your average across the year, not one strong month, so an intensive does not leave you short later.
Do I need to track superbills separately from regular payments?
No. A superbill is just a receipt you give a client for their own insurance claim. The session itself is booked as private-pay income the same way regardless.
I charge different rates for standard sessions and intensives. Is that hard to track?
No. Gus keeps them in separate categories from the start, so you can see how much of your income comes from each.
Should I take insurance to get more clients?
Gus can show you what your current private-pay year looks like so you can compare it against a mixed model, but the decision itself is yours and your accountant's to talk through.
I forgot to record a few cancellation fees earlier this year. Is that a problem?
No. Send Gus what you have and he will add them in. It just makes past months read a little more accurately once they are in.
If I start accepting insurance, will Gus submit the claims?
No. Gus would book whatever insurance pays into your account once it lands, but submitting claims, coding, and payer paperwork would stay with a biller or clearinghouse you bring on.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever