Wellness & recovery services
Books and taxes for lactation consultants.
Home and clinic visits billed at the time of service while insurance reimbursement is still pending, hospital-grade pump rentals, and mileage from same-day newborn visits. 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
April came in at $4,500. Pump rental income was steady this month, so I kept that apart from consult fees since it is a different kind of income.
- Home visit, self-payConsult fees
- Pump rental, monthly feePump rentals
- Virtual consult, VenmoConsult fees
- Mileage, home visitsTravel
- Scale calibration serviceEquipment maintenance
Why your books are different
A lactation consultant gets paid twice for the same visit, on two different schedules.
A client pays you at the time of the visit, then sometimes gets partly reimbursed by insurance weeks later, and a pump rental is a completely different kind of income than a consult fee. Treated the same, both get lost in the noise of a normal service business.
-
1
A visit fee and an insurance reimbursement are not the same event
A client pays you directly for a home visit and later submits a superbill to their insurance, and if the books wait to count the visit as income until reimbursement clears, income gets delayed for something that was already paid.
What we doBooks the visit fee as income the day the client pays you, since that is when the money actually changed hands, separate from whatever insurance does later. -
2
Pump rentals are recurring income, not a one-time sale
Renting out hospital-grade pumps brings in a steady monthly fee that behaves nothing like a single consult, and mixed into visit income, it hides how much of your revenue is actually coming from equipment rather than your time.
What we doKeeps pump rental income in its own line, apart from consult fees, so each part of the business is visible on its own. -
3
Same-day newborn visits mean mileage that piles up fast
New parents often need help within a day or two of a feeding problem starting, which means driving across town on short notice more often than a scheduled practice would, and that mileage quietly adds up over a year.
What we doKeeps home visit mileage in its own line, ready for the accountant to apply as a deduction. -
4
Weighted feed scales and pump equipment are real assets
A calibrated scale for weighted feeds or a set of rental pumps represents real money tied up in equipment, and filed like ordinary supplies, it disappears instead of being tracked as something the business owns and depends on.
What we doLogs scales and rental pump equipment as assets, so their cost and upkeep are tracked correctly over time.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a lactation consulting 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
- Consult feesHome, clinic, and virtual visits, paid at the time of service.
- Pump rentalsMonthly rental fees for hospital-grade pumps.
- Package visitsPrepaid multi-visit packages, tracked as owed visits until used.
- Classes and workshopsPrenatal or group feeding classes taught separately from consults.
Money out
- TravelMileage for home visits, often on short notice.
- Rental pump equipmentHospital-grade pumps bought or maintained for rental.
- Scales and clinical equipmentWeighted feed scales and calibration.
- Certification and continuing educationBoard recertification and required continuing education hours.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for the visits you perform.
What we watch for you
- Consult versus rental split
How much revenue comes from visits versus pump rentals, so each side of the business is clear.
- Mileage logged
Home visit driving tracked from the books, so a fast-growing deduction does not get missed.
- Average fee per visit
What you actually collect across self-pay and sliding scale visits, not the listed price.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things lactation consultants 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.
The day they paid you. What their insurance does afterward does not change what already happened in your books.
I kept that in its own line, apart from consult fees, so you can see how much of the month came from rentals versus visits.
It does, and it adds up fast in this work. Keep a simple log and I will pull it into its own line for the accountant.
The tax side
The tax side of a lactation consulting practice.
Most of what trips up a lactation consultant is timing income around insurance and not missing the mileage that comes with same-day visits.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Self-employment taxWorking for yourself means paying both halves of Social Security and Medicare, 15.3 percent total, on top of income tax. The set-aside is built to cover it.
- Mileage deductionThe business standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026, then 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026, for home visit driving.
- Equipment write-offsRental pumps and clinical scales can usually be written off the year they are bought, depending on the year you are having.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo practitioners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions lactation consultants miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Mileage for home visits
- Rental pump equipment
- Weighted feed scales
- Certification and continuing education
- Liability insurance
- Nipple shields and clinical supplies
- Phone plan for client calls
- Marketing and website costs
- Professional association dues
- Virtual consult software
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 lactation consultant's year, kept every month.
Newborn visits come whenever babies do, not on a calendar, but taxes still land on one. Your team keeps you ahead of it. 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 you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled, even with visit demand tied to births, not seasons.
- 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 pump rental income has grown steadily.
- October
Before the year closes
Gus looks at whether new rental pumps or scales are worth buying before December while there is still time to use them.
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 lactation consultants. 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 lactation consultants ask first.
How does Gus handle payments while I'm waiting on insurance reimbursement?
He counts the visit fee as income the day the client pays you, since that is when the money actually changed hands. What insurance later reimburses is a separate matter.
Should pump rentals be tracked differently than consult visits?
Yes, and Gus does it automatically. Keeping them apart shows you how much of your income comes from equipment rentals versus your time.
I drive across town for same-day newborn visits a lot. Does that mileage really matter?
It does. Home visit mileage in this work adds up quickly, and Gus keeps it in its own line so the deduction is not missed at tax time.
My income is unpredictable since visits depend on when babies are born. Is that normal?
Yes. Gus tracks income as it happens rather than assuming an even month, so a busy or slow stretch still reads honestly.
Do I need to be in-network with insurance for Gus to help with my books?
No. Whether you bill insurance directly, take self-pay with superbills, or a mix, Gus counts what you actually collect and keeps it sorted either way.
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 wellness & recovery services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Birth doulas
- Breathwork facilitators
- Herbalists & apothecaries
- Hypnotherapists
- Midwives & birth centers
- Postpartum doulas & night nurses
- Reiki & energy healers
- Salt caves & halotherapy
- Sound healing practitioners
- Yoga therapists
- Acupuncturists
- Biohacking & longevity centers
- Cold plunge & contrast therapy studios
- Cryotherapy studios
- Float spas
- Infrared sauna studios
- Lymphatic drainage specialists
- Private practice dietitians & nutritionists
- Recovery lounges
- Red light therapy studios
- Stretch studios
- Health coaches
- Independent massage therapists
- IV hydration & drip bars
- Compounding pharmacies
- Durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers
- Elective 3D/4D ultrasound studios
- Independent pharmacies
- Medical billing companies
- Mobile nursing & concierge nurse services
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