Doula Invoice and Contract Template
A doula invoice should show a retainer that reserves your on-call window, the package it applies to (birth or postpartum), and a payment plan whose final installment lands before the due date — with travel and on-call fees on their own lines. ShowTheReceipts holds the retainer at booking, schedules the remaining installments so the balance clears before the birth window opens, and rebills postpartum hours on their interval.
Header block
- Doula name, certification, phone
- Client name and contact, estimated due date
- Package (birth support / postpartum), on-call window dates
- Invoice number, retainer reference, payment method
Package and fee lines
- Birth support package — flat fee: prenatals, on-call window, birth, follow-up
- Postpartum support — hourly or prepaid block, billed on interval
- Retainer applied — the booking retainer credited to the balance
- Travel fee — flat within a zone, by distance beyond
- On-call / overnight — for extended windows or overnight postpartum care
Retainer and terms
| Item | Standard |
|---|---|
| Retainer | 25–50%, non-refundable, reserves the on-call window |
| Balance due | In full before the due date (e.g. by 36 weeks) |
| Payment plan | Installments scheduled backward from the due date |
| Cancellation | Retainer forfeited; completed visits billable |
| Postpartum | Hourly or prepaid block, rebilled on interval |
Collect the whole balance before the window opens. You can’t invoice a client during labor, so the payment plan has to finish before the due date.
Records attached to the client
The signed service contract, intake and birth preferences, and the visit log. Keep them with the client record so the contract, the plan, and the schedule live in one place through a months-long relationship.
What not to do
- Don’t leave the balance due date open — anchor it to the due date
- Don’t make the retainer refundable; it reserved weeks of your calendar
- Don’t mix flat birth pricing with hourly postpartum lines on one unclear invoice
- Don’t leave the cancellation terms verbal for an outcome no one controls
Frequently asked questions
How much retainer should a doula take?
Enough to hold the on-call window you're reserving — commonly 25–50% of the package, non-refundable. You go on call around the due date and turn away overlapping clients; a retainer that's a token amount doesn't reflect the weeks you're blocking off for one birth.
When should the balance be paid?
In full before the due date — typically by 36–37 weeks. You can't collect during or right after a birth, so the payment plan should complete before the on-call window opens. Schedule the installments backward from the due date, not forward from the booking.
How do I price birth versus postpartum work?
Birth support is a flat package covering prenatal visits, the on-call window, the birth, and a postpartum follow-up. Postpartum doula work is billed hourly or in prepaid blocks. State which package the invoice is for so a birth flat fee isn't confused with hourly postpartum lines.
What's a fair cancellation and refund policy?
State it in the contract: the retainer is non-refundable because it reserved your window, and completed prenatal visits or on-call weeks are billable even if the birth goes differently than planned. Being explicit protects both sides for an outcome nobody controls.