No one likes surprise bills, rising rent, or a tangle of subscriptions that quietly drain your profits.
The good news is that many costs in a private therapy practice are fixable. Some changes are quick wins you can do today. Others take a little planning, but pay for themselves within months.
Here are some ways you can start saving this year, one easy step at a time.
Stop Paying For Tools You Hardly Use
Create a list of every subscription you’re paying for, from your scheduling platform to stock photo services to continuing education sites. See if any overlap or go unused. Cancel what you don’t actually need anymore or consolidate services to reduce costs.
Even saving on one $20 per month subscription can fund a fun coffee outing each month.
Ask Your Card Processor For A Friendlier Rate
If you accept credit or debit card payments, give your processor a quick call. It never hurts to ask, say something like “I love your service. Can we talk about rates?”
You’ll never know, even a small reduction of say 0.5% on your monthly card volume might add up to real savings over the year.
Use The 2025 IRS Mileage Rate When Driving For Work
When you drive to training or meetings, track your miles and take the 70 cents per mile standard deduction. It’s an easy win on your taxes instead of guessing gas expenses.
Try One Practice Tool That Does It All
Having one reliable system that handles scheduling, telehealth, billing, and notes can cut down on paperwork, reduce billing errors, and save you time.
Before switching, think about what matters most to you. Is it cost, ease of use, support, or exporting data? A system that’s a good fit will pay for itself.
Make Your Office Space Work Smarter
If your room sits empty midday, why not sublease a few hours to another therapist? Or try telehealth for times your office goes unused. Even trimming $250 from rent a month adds up to real relief over a year.
Make Sure You’re Capturing Everyday Business Deductions
You can deduct many things, a home office, supplies, insurance, and professional development. It’s worth having a list or chat with your CPA to make sure nothing gets missed.
To ensure you capture all expenses, using an app to snap photos of receipts and sort them into tax categories can make tax season easier and might even save on bookkeeping costs.
Set Up A Retirement Account That Saves You Taxes Now
Putting pretax income into a solo 401(K) or SEP-IRA lowers your income taxes now and grows for your future. Talk through your numbers with your accountant to see what fits best.
Other Ways To Optimize Your Practice
Apart from cutting costs, you can also look at optimizing billable hours and your hourly rate.
By taking some tasks off your plate, you can focus your time on your clients and building your practice. Here are back-office tasks that are usually the first to get outsourced:
- Bookkeeping: Consider bringing one on if you’re spending more than 4–6 hours per month on it, or if your records feel messy. A little outside help can save so much time and confusion.
- Scheduling & Paperwork: Have a virtual assistant to help with scheduling, forms or paperwork so you can focus on clients.
- Billing: If insurance claims are piling up or denials are draining time, a specialist could help get more hours back in your week.
When it comes to adjusting your fees, it doesn’t mean pricing out clients who need sliding-scale options. You can raise fees for certain times or services, like evening sessions or new-client assessments, and keep some lower-cost slots too. It’s a gentle way to help the people who need it and help buffer your income.
TL;DR
To lower your costs, start with the easiest fixes first. Taking small steps builds momentum and helps to ease the day-to-day stress.
At TL;DR Accounting, we help therapists improve the financial health of their private practice. If you need someone to spot where your practice is quietly leaking money and show you how to plug the holes, let’s talk.
Book a meeting with us to see your potential savings in one snapshot!
