Heard

Bookkeeping, taxes, and payroll built for therapy private practices

Payroll Tax Software Accounting Software www.joinheard.com

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Founded

2019

Starting Price

$129

About Heard

Heard is a financial back-office platform for therapists and wellness practitioners in private practice, combining done-for-you bookkeeping, quarterly tax estimates, annual tax filing, and S corp payroll in one subscription. Transactions from connected bank accounts or the built-in Heard Banking account are auto-categorized into therapy-specific expense categories, and a dedicated bookkeeping team closes the books each month. Higher tiers add personal and business income tax prep and filing, S corp compliance guidance, and Gusto-powered payroll as an add-on.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Purpose-built for therapy and wellness private practice, so expense categories, deductions, and support answers assume that context instead of generic small-business advice
Bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, annual filing, and payroll come in one subscription, replacing a separate bookkeeper, CPA, and payroll provider
Real humans do the books and answer questions by message or phone with no per-question or hourly billing
S corp election guidance and ongoing compliance support, including reasonable-salary and accountable-plan help, which most DIY accounting tools do not offer
Optional Heard Banking account auto-feeds every transaction into the books with no monthly fee or minimum balance
Subscription cost is itself tax deductible, and Heard reports tracking $198M in deductible expenses for members in 2025

Cons

Only serves therapists and wellness practitioners; any other business type is out of scope
Costs more than DIY accounting software like QuickBooks or Wave, where the same bookkeeping is self-service
Advertised prices require paying a year upfront, and month-to-month billing costs roughly 15% more
A one-time catch-up bookkeeping fee is mandatory at signup and scales with how long you have been in business that year
Annual tax filing is not included on the entry-level Lite plan and costs an extra $750
Payroll is a Premium-only add-on at $39/mo plus $6 per person rather than part of any base plan

Key Features

Done-for-you bookkeeping

A dedicated bookkeeping team closes your books monthly, with income and expenses auto-sorted into categories built for therapy practices and year-end tax-ready statements.

Quarterly tax estimates

Estimates are calculated from your actual books rather than a flat percentage rule, with federal and state payment instructions, multi-state support, and filing reminders.

Annual tax prep and filing

Essential and Premium plans include personal income tax prep and filing; Premium adds business returns. Lite users can add annual filing for a $750 one-time fee.

S corp election and compliance

Guidance on whether an S corp election makes sense, help electing, plus salary and distribution guidance and accountable plan creation on Premium.

Payroll powered by Gusto

Optional Premium add-on that runs payroll for the owner and employees, files payroll tax returns, and helps set a reasonable-compensation salary.

Heard Banking

Business checking, savings, and a debit card that live inside Heard, so deposits and charges flow straight into the books with no export or reconciliation, at no monthly fee or minimum balance.

Reports and profit allocation

Monthly income, expense, and profit reports, profit and loss statements, real-time income tracking against annual goals, and a guide for what to set aside for taxes, savings, and owner draws.

Unlimited expert support

Unlimited messaging and live phone support from tax and accounting staff who work only with therapy practices, with responses targeted within one business day.

Catch-up bookkeeping

One-time onboarding service that brings year-to-date books current, typically within 14 to 30 days, priced per month you have been in business that year.

Pricing

Lite

$129/month

For solo sole-proprietor practices just starting out
Monthly done-for-you bookkeeping with a dedicated team
Quarterly tax estimates and payment guidance
S corp election guidance
Monthly P&L, profit allocation guide, deduction tracking
Heard Banking checking, savings, and debit card
Unlimited messaging and phone support
Annual tax prep and filing available as a $750 one-time add-on
Billed upfront at $1,548 per year

Essential

$169/month

For established solo sole-proprietor practices
Everything in Lite
Personal income tax prep and filing included
Document management and automated filing reminders
Free tax extension filing support
Billed upfront at $2,028 per year

Premium

$255/month

For S corps and group practices
Everything in Essential
Business income tax prep and filing
S corp compliance with salary and distribution guidance
Accountable plan creation and compliance
Payroll setup and management as an add-on
Billed upfront at $3,060 per year

Payroll add-on

$39/month

Available on Premium only
Powered by Gusto, set up inside Heard
Plus $6 per person per month
Payroll tax return filing
Reasonable-compensation salary guidance

Catch-up bookkeeping

$99/one-time

Required when you join
Charged per month you have been in business that year
Brings year-to-date books current, typically in 14 to 30 days
Includes bank account reconciliation
Promotional rate; list price is higher

Best For

Solo therapist going full-time in private practice

A newly independent clinician on the Lite plan gets books set up, deductions tracked, and quarterly estimates calculated without hiring a bookkeeper.

Established sole proprietor who wants taxes handled end to end

An Essential subscriber hands off both quarterly estimates and the annual personal return, avoiding the April scramble and surprise bills.

Therapist evaluating an S corp election

A practice owner nearing the income threshold uses Heard's guidance to decide whether electing S corp status saves on self-employment tax, then gets help filing the election.