Funeral, memorial & aftercare
Books and taxes for death doulas and end-of-life planners.
Package fees paid in installments, hourly sessions through Venmo or Zelle, sliding-scale rates, and mileage for home visits. Your own bookkeeper stays on the books all year, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May made $6,600. The eight-hour intensive package for the Alvarez family is booked in installments, since two sessions are still ahead.
- End-of-life package depositPackage fees
- Hourly session, VenmoHourly sessions
- End-of-life doula certification renewalCertification and dues
- Gas station, home visitsMileage and travel
- Website hosting feeMarketing and website
Why your books are different
A death doula's books go wrong in a few particular spots.
A generalist sees a fee and a date. Your work is paid across apps like Venmo and Zelle, priced on a sliding scale some months, and billed in installments for a package that spans weeks of visits. When the books miss that, your real rate and your real mileage both disappear.
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1
Sliding-scale sessions blend into full-price ones
You charge one family your full rate and another a reduced fee because that is what they can pay. Booked as one undifferentiated income line, you cannot tell what your actual average rate is or how sliding-scale work affects your income.
What we doKeeps sliding-scale and full-fee sessions visible in the notes on each deposit, so your real average rate stays clear. -
2
Home visit mileage never makes it into the books
Driving to a family's home for a two-hour visit, then to another family across town, adds up to real miles that are easy to forget by tax time.
What we doAsks about regular home-visit routes and keeps a running note so mileage is not left out of your deductions. -
3
Package fees get counted as income before the work is done
A family pays for an eight-session end-of-life package upfront, but you may only have delivered two sessions this month. Booked as a full sale at signing, the month looks stronger than the work actually completed.
What we doKeeps package payments in their own category and flags what is still owed in sessions, so income tracks with work delivered. -
4
Venmo and Zelle payments get missed or double-counted
Payments split across several apps and a bank transfer are easy to lose track of, especially when a family pays part in cash and the rest online.
What we doReconciles every app and account against your bank statement so every session gets counted once, and only once.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a death doula 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
- Package feesMulti-session end-of-life packages, paid upfront or in installments.
- Hourly sessionsSingle visits billed by the hour, often paid through Venmo or Zelle.
- Workshop and class feesTeaching or leading sessions for groups rather than individual families.
- Facility partnership feesContracted work with a hospice or care facility.
Money out
- Mileage and travelFuel and travel costs for home visits, tracked against the miles driven.
- Certification and duesNational end-of-life doula certification renewal and membership dues.
- Continuing educationTrainings and workshops that keep your certification current.
- Liability insuranceProfessional liability coverage for your practice.
- Marketing and websiteYour website, hosting, and any paid promotion.
- Printed materialsAdvance directive guides and legacy planning worksheets you provide families.
What we watch for you
- Package backlog
Sessions already paid for but not yet delivered, so you know what work is still owed.
- Average session rate
What you actually collect per session once sliding-scale work is counted in.
- Mileage logged
Miles driven for home visits, tracked so the deduction is not left on the table.
- The set-aside
What self-employment and income tax will cost, set aside from every session so April never catches you short.
Ask Gus
Things death doulas 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.
Yes. Money is money no matter which app it came through. I match it to your bank and book it the same way as a check or a card payment.
I keep it as a package payment and track how many sessions are still owed, so it lines up with the work you have actually done. The accountant confirms the timing on your return.
Usually, yes. The rate is 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after that. Tell me your regular routes and I will keep a running note.
The tax side
The tax side of a death doula practice.
Most of what matters here is self-employment tax, mileage, and keeping package income lined up with the sessions you actually deliver.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Self-employment tax applies to your net profitAs a sole proprietor, you pay 15.3 percent self-employment tax on your net profit, on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- Mileage adds up to a real deductionThe standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile after that. Driving to home visits regularly can be one of your biggest deductions.
- A subcontracted doula needs a 1099If you bring in another doula to help and pay her $2,000 or more in 2026, she gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost sole proprietors can take up to 20 percent of business profit off taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions death doulas and end-of-life planners miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Mileage for home visits
- Doula certification renewal
- Continuing education courses
- Liability insurance
- Advance directive printing
- Website and hosting fees
- Phone service for calls
- Payment processing fees
- Workshop venue rental
- Business cards and materials
- Mentorship or supervision fees
- Bereavement training courses
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 death doula's year, kept every month.
Families call whenever they need you, on no set schedule. Your team keeps the books current all year, so tax time is never a scramble. 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, any subcontractor 1099s are ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Return signed
Your return is filed and signed by the accountant. The set-aside from your sessions all year already covers what you owe.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether your mix of packages and hourly sessions changed the number.
- October
Before year end
A look at any certification renewals or equipment worth buying 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 death doulas and end-of-life planners. 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 death doulas ask first.
I charge some families a sliding scale. Does that mess up my books?
No. Every session gets booked as what it actually collected. Gus can note when a rate is reduced so you can see your true average rate alongside your full one.
How do I track cash payments I get for a home visit?
Tell Gus about it when you send your statement, and he adds it to the month so your income reflects what you actually earned, not just what ran through your bank.
I'm not sure I'm tracking my mileage right. Can Gus help?
He can keep a running note based on your regular routes and flag it for the accountant, who confirms the deduction on your return.
Do I need to register as an LLC before signing up?
No. Gus works with sole proprietors and LLCs alike. Whatever you already have set up, he books your income and expenses against it.
My income is different every month. Is that a problem for the bookkeeping?
No. The monthly number just reflects whatever came in and went out that month, so an uneven schedule shows up honestly instead of getting smoothed over.
I've never really tracked my business expenses. Can you start from scratch?
Yes. Hand over whatever bank statements and payment app records you have. Gus works through them and the accountant reviews it, usually within a week.
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.
More in funeral, memorial & aftercare
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Casket & urn retailers
- Celebration-of-life planners
- Crematories
- Estate cleanout companies
- Funeral removal & transport services
- Green & natural burial grounds
- Independent funeral homes
- Memorial jewelry & keepsake makers
- Monument & headstone dealers
- Preneed insurance agents
- Private cemeteries
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