Wellness & recovery services
Books and taxes for postpartum doulas and night nurses.
Overnight hours worked first and invoiced a week later, a placement agency taking its cut off the top, and holiday and overtime rates that change what a single night is worth. 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
March came in at $4,250. Two of the invoices you sent in February were paid this month, so I matched that income back to the weeks you actually worked.
- Direct client payment, week of shiftsDirect client billing
- Agency payout, after commissionAgency-placed shifts
- Holiday rate premiumDirect client billing
- Mileage to client homeTravel
- Continuing education courseContinuing education
Why your books are different
A postpartum doula gets paid for last week's work, not this week's.
Overnight shifts get worked first and invoiced afterward, sometimes through a placement agency that takes its own cut before you ever see it, and a holiday or overtime night pays more than a regular one. None of that fits a business paid at the time of service.
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1
Payment lags behind the work by design
A week of overnight shifts gets invoiced afterward, and payment can land a week or two after that, so income in any given month reflects work done weeks earlier, not what happened that month.
What we doMatches payments back to the weeks of shifts they cover, so a month's income reflects the work behind it, not just when the check cleared. -
2
An agency placement is not the same as a direct client
A placement agency booking your shifts takes a commission before paying you out, and if the pre-commission rate gets confused with what you actually received, your real earnings look higher than what landed in your account.
What we doBooks agency income at what you actually received after commission, kept in its own line separate from direct clients. -
3
Holiday and overtime rates change what a shift is actually worth
A holiday night or a shift that runs long can pay a premium rate, and if every shift is averaged into one flat number, it is hard to tell whether premium nights are being priced and tracked correctly.
What we doKeeps premium-rate shifts visible in the books so pricing stays consistent across regular and premium nights. -
4
A multi-week engagement is several invoices, not one
A family booking two or three weeks of overnight care generates several invoices over that stretch, and if they are not tracked against the full engagement, it is easy to lose sight of whether the whole booking has actually been paid.
What we doTracks invoices by engagement, so a multi-week booking's full payment status is visible at a glance.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a postpartum doula or night nurse.
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
- Direct client billingInvoices sent and paid directly by families.
- Agency-placed shiftsPayouts from a placement agency, after their commission.
- Daytime support visitsShorter daytime visits, kept apart from overnight shifts.
- Sleep coaching add-onsExtra services offered beyond overnight care.
Money out
- TravelMileage to and from client homes for shifts.
- Continuing educationCertification renewal and specialty training.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for the care you provide.
- Background check and licensingRequired renewals for agency and direct client work.
- Scheduling and invoicing softwareTools for tracking shifts and billing.
What we watch for you
- Payment lag
How long it takes from a shift being worked to being paid, so cash flow gaps do not come as a surprise.
- Direct versus agency mix
How much revenue comes from each, so you know where your best-paying work is coming from.
- Average rate per shift
What you actually earn per hour once agency commission and premiums are counted, not the listed rate.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things postpartum doulas and night nurses 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.
I matched it back to the weeks you actually worked, so it reads as the real timing of your work, not just when the payment landed.
I book what you actually received after their cut, kept separate from direct clients, so your agency income is not overstated.
Yes, I keep premium-rate shifts visible so you can see whether they are being priced consistently against your regular rate.
The tax side
The tax side of a postpartum doula or night nurse practice.
Most of what trips up this work is timing income around invoices and knowing what counts as your real earnings after an agency's cut.
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.
- Agency income counts at what you receivedOnly the amount actually paid to you after an agency's commission counts as your income, not the full rate the family paid the agency.
- 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 driving to client homes.
- Quarterly estimated paymentsWith no employer withholding anything, most independent doulas and night nurses pay estimated tax four times a year, on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
Deductions postpartum doulas and night nurses miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Mileage to client homes
- Continuing education and certification
- Liability insurance
- Background check fees
- Scheduling and invoicing software
- Phone plan for client communication
- Professional association dues
- Uniforms or scrubs
- Marketing and referral costs
- Home office costs for scheduling and invoicing
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 postpartum doula's year, kept every month.
New babies arrive on no schedule at all, but invoices and taxes still follow one. 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 you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled, even with payments landing weeks behind the work.
- 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 agency or direct client work has shifted the mix.
- October
Before the year closes
Gus looks at whether certification renewal or new equipment is worth handling before December while there is still time to use it.
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 postpartum doulas and night nurses. 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 postpartum doulas and night nurses ask first.
How does Gus handle payments that arrive weeks after I actually worked?
He matches each payment back to the weeks of shifts it covers, so your monthly numbers reflect the real timing of your work, not just when the check cleared.
My placement agency takes a commission. Does that complicate my books?
No. Gus counts only what you actually received after the agency's cut, kept in its own line separate from direct clients, so nothing is overstated.
Should I track holiday and overtime shifts differently?
It helps. Gus keeps premium-rate shifts visible so you can check that your pricing across regular and premium nights actually makes sense.
A family booked me for three weeks straight. How does Gus track that?
By engagement. Gus tracks the invoices tied to that whole booking, so you can see at a glance whether the full multi-week stay has been paid.
My income is uneven since it depends on when babies are born and how long families book me. Is that normal?
Yes. Gus tracks income as it is actually earned and paid, so an uneven month reads honestly instead of looking like a bookkeeping problem.
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
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- Hypnotherapists
- Lactation consultants
- Midwives & birth centers
- 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