When you have a business it’s important to keep accurate records. Here are some ways to help:

Why did you become a doula? What are your intentions for doing this work? Doulas enter this profession for many reasons. If you became a doula and your main intent is to do this as ministry work or to help friends and family, you may not necessarily have to classify your work as a business. If you became a doula as a way to earn income and eventually make a profit and you live in the U.S., you do have an obligation to make sure you are in compliance with state and IRS requirements.

For the first five years, my doula business finances were a mess! I was getting plenty of births, but I had no idea if I was making a profit, how much, and when it came to the end of the year, figuring out my expenses for tax time was just awful!

And then I stumbled on a product that has solved all most of my accounting problems. It’s called the “File-it!” calendar, and I’ve used it for the last five years with great success.

If you have difficulty remembering to write down your odometer reading to keep track of miles you’ve driven for business purposes, here’s a way you can figure out how far you’ve driven and keep a record of where you go.

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Dear Savvy Doula,
 
Are you just getting started and want some guidance about business tax requirements, record keeping requirements, and more? The Internal Revenue Service offers online video classes for small business owners.