Last updated: May 2026
What Is Heard?
Heard is the financial back office service designed specifically for therapists and mental health practitioners. The product combines monthly bookkeeping, quarterly tax estimates, year-end tax filing, and financial advisory tailored for solo and small group practices.
The pitch is therapy-specific finance expertise. Generic bookkeepers and CPAs do not understand therapy practice nuances: how insurance reimbursement timing affects cash flow, supervision pay structures, sliding-scale revenue recognition, therapy-specific deductions, S-corp election strategy for clinicians. Heard's accountants have served therapy practices specifically, which means less explaining required.
The product targets solo therapists in private practice and small group practices (2-10 clinicians). Larger practices typically have in-house bookkeeping; very small side-hustle therapists may not need monthly bookkeeping yet.
Try HeardHow Heard Works
Onboard by connecting bank accounts, payment processors (Stripe, Square), and practice management software (SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, TheraNest). Heard pulls transaction data automatically.
Monthly bookkeeping happens behind the scenes. Heard's accountants categorize transactions, reconcile accounts, and produce monthly financial statements. You see profit, expenses by category, and cash flow without doing data entry.
Quarterly tax estimates show what to save for federal and state taxes. Most solo therapists structure as LLCs taxed as sole proprietorships or S-corps; Heard calculates estimated tax payments to avoid year-end surprises.
Year-end tax preparation includes federal and state returns. Heard accountants understand therapy-specific deductions: home office, continuing education, professional licensure, supervision costs, malpractice insurance. The tax return ties together your practice income and personal taxes.
Financial advisory helps with practice growth decisions: hiring associates, setting fee structures, S-corp election timing, retirement plan setup. The advisor checks in quarterly to discuss strategic moves.
Heard Pricing in 2026
Essential: $149/month annually. Monthly bookkeeping, quarterly tax estimates, basic support.
Standard: $209/month annually. Adds year-end federal and state tax return preparation.
Premium: $299/month annually. Adds dedicated CFO-level advisor and advanced planning.
Compared to hiring a local CPA ($150-$300/hour for ad-hoc work, $2,000-$5,000+ for year-end returns), Heard's monthly pricing covers everything bundled. For most solo therapists, the math works.
See Heard PlansWhere Heard Wins
- Therapy-specific expertise: accountants who already understand the practice model.
- Bundled tax filing: bookkeeping plus year-end return in one fee.
- Connects to practice tools: SimplePractice, TherapyNotes sync natively.
- Monthly visibility: financial dashboards updated regularly, not just at tax time.
- S-corp guidance: when and how to elect S-corp for tax savings.
Where It Falls Short
- Therapy-only: other professions need general accountants.
- More expensive than DIY accounting: $149-$299/month vs QuickBooks Self-Employed at $15.
- Limited customization: workflow assumes typical therapy practice structure.
- Group practice complexity: works for small group practices but larger practices may outgrow.
Heard vs Bench vs Pilot vs CPA + QuickBooks
Bench targets general SMB bookkeeping. Less therapy-specific knowledge.
Pilot targets venture-backed startups. Higher cost, different audience.
CPA + QuickBooks is cheaper but requires more therapist time to manage. Solo therapists often spend 5-10 hours/month on bookkeeping themselves.
Local accountant works but quality and therapy expertise vary widely.
Who Should Use Heard
Solo therapists in private practice: built exactly for this.
Small group practices (2-10 clinicians): shared bookkeeping with supervision pay structures.
Therapists who hate bookkeeping: outsource to specialists rather than struggling with QuickBooks.
Therapists considering S-corp election: get expert guidance on timing and structure.
Skip it if: you have under $40K/year in practice revenue (the monthly cost is high vs DIY), you run a large practice (in-house bookkeeper makes sense), or you operate outside the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Heard handle group practice payroll?
Yes on Standard and Premium with integrations to payroll providers like Gusto.
Is the tax return included?
Yes on Standard and Premium tiers. Essential covers bookkeeping; tax filing as add-on.
What if I have a side business too?
Heard handles your therapy practice. Side businesses with separate income require separate handling.
Can Heard help with S-corp election?
Yes. Premium tier includes advisor guidance on when and how to elect S-corp status.
Does it integrate with SimplePractice?
Yes natively.
