How to Figure Out What to Charge as a Doula

If talking about money makes your chest tighten, you are not bad at business. You are responding to centuries of conditioning around care work.

But here is the problem. When doula training avoids real conversations about money, it sets people up to burn out. So let’s actually talk about what you should charge as a doula and why.

This is one of the most common questions we hear from people who are exploring an online doula training and from folks who are a doula in training right now. What should I charge? How much should a doula charge? How do I say my prices without apologizing?

The last one is a big one. You will feel the urge to offer sliding scale and payment plans and discounts the first time you say your rate. Most doulas do this! 

Pricing is never just about numbers. It is about worth, power, and who we have been taught is allowed to ask for more.

Why Pricing Feels So Hard After Doula Training

Forbes has written extensively about how women undercharge. When you look at Fortune 500 leadership, out of 500 CEOs, roughly 20 are women. Power and money have been coded as ‘masculine’ for a very long time. Women who speak confidently about money are often labeled aggressive or difficult.

Care work adds another layer.

Doula work is deeply tied to identity. Many people feel this work in their bones. There is a caretaker instinct, a pull, and it can feel deeply uncomfortable to charge for something that feels intrinsic to who you are.

Also, you are your service which we want to hold is a very vulnerable thing! Very! You are selling yourself through solving the problems for other people, but that really puts you on display and a no to your package can feel like a no to you personally. 

If your doula certification or doula training did not address this head on, it makes sense that setting your prices now feels loaded, confusing and scary.

But here is the reframe we need to get grounded in.

This is your job. Not a hobby. Full stop. 

Read that again. 

We are not debating the importance of free doula care here. Community care matters. Volunteer work matters. But doula training is preparation for a profession and a career. A job as a doula needs to support you and your family and all your financial responsibilities.

Loving your work does not mean you should subsidize it. We cannot afford to do this with our time, our bodies or our heartspace. 

PIN IT

The “Crumble” That Happens in Pricing Conversations

We see this all the time.

You have an incredible consult. You share thoughtful information. The family feels seen and supported. They want to work with you.

Then money comes up.

Suddenly your voice changes. You apologize for your rate. You say it like a question. You rush through it. You make it uncomfortable.

Now it feels tense and weird and the family is not feeling secure in your care. This is subtle, but it breaks the cycle of care from you, money from them. 

That dynamic does not serve anyone.

Scarcity mindset and, at times, desperation can come through in what you are saying. Your doula training should help you build confidence with this. If they didn’t we are going to bridge that gap for you here. 

Your Experience Is Bigger Than the Number of Births You’ve Attended

One of the biggest mistakes doulas make when setting their prices is believing their worth starts at zero.

It does not.

Have you been a camp counselor. Worked in a daycare. Been a paramedic, teacher, nurse, or social worker. Parented your own children. Volunteered in hospitals. Supported friends through loss or crisis.

All of that matters.

Doula training adds to who you already are. Please do not erase your lived experience… it holds so much value, babes!

Every experience you have had gives you tools and those tools show up in client care. When a family shares a fear, you draw from your life to support them. 

How to Actually Calculate What You Should Charge as a Doula

Let’s get practical. Time to get out your note pad.

• Start with what you need to make in a year.

Get really honest…what do you actually need to make this year?

Look at your desired take home pay. Add taxes (add 10-30%). Add business expenses (add 10-30%). This gives you your operating cost.

• Now look at capacity.

How many clients can you realistically take in a year? Account for seasons you do not want to work like Summers or holidays.

As a birth doula, the average client takes about 22 billable hours when you include consults, prenatal visits, birth, and postpartum check up.

Divide your annual operating cost by your realistic number of clients. That gives you a baseline.

Then add profit (20-30%)

Yes, profit.

Profit is what keeps you in business. It allows you to take time off, reinvest, and stay sustainable long term. This is something weekend trainings almost never talk about.

If you want to understand why rushed education harms doulas financially, we recommend reading these pieces:
https://bebomia.com/stopweekendtrainings/
https://bebomia.com/weekendopenletter

Short trainings often skip business education, leaving doulas underprepared to charge sustainably and forcing them into underpricing just to survive.

Why Undercutting Hurts the Entire Doula Community

It is important to look at what other doulas in your area are charging so you understand the range. This gives context to hold your price you came up with above.

Price yourself in the middle and please please don’t lowball. When prices drop, no one can make a living wage. Undercutting hurts everyone. We need rates to rise, not fall.

If you want to offer something premium, that is great. Add value, not more labor, you can offer addition handouts or make a video series or something like that which you create once and share repeatedly. You will want to add more 1:1 hours to raise your rate. Please fight that urge because it is not sustainable and then it is not really raising your rates or offering premium, it is just more time for you which means you cannot take more clients so your take home may actually be declining in this action. 

Anchor Pricing and Packages That Work for Doulas

If you offer packages, structure matters.

When there are two options, people usually choose the cheaper one. When there are three, most people choose the middle. This is called anchor pricing.

If you offer an $800 package, a $1000 package, and a $2000 package, most people will choose the $1000 option. That should be the package you actually want to sell.

Anchor pricing also reduces negotiation. Clear options help clients feel confident.

More Certifications Will Not Fix Pricing Insecurity

This part is important.

We see doulas go into debt chasing more certifications because they think letters after their name will make charging easier. It will not.

Confidence comes from clarity and from knowing your numbers. From understanding that your price is fair because without it, you cannot stay in business.

A doula training should not leave you feeling apologetic or afraid to talk about money. It should teach you everything you need to know to have a viable and sustainable business. We cover all of this in our doula training FYI. 

Practice saying your rate out loud until it feels neutral… As neutral as talking about positions changes in active labor. Practice in the mirror and practice on video. Practice until your body stops bracing and you can deliver the number with confidence and ease and comfortability.

Doula Training Should Prepare You for Sustainability

If you are a doula training or considering an online doula certification, ask this question before enrolling:

Does this program teach pricing, sustainability, and real business skills.

If not, you will be left figuring this out alone.

You can explore our approach to doula training here
https://bebomia.com/doulatraining

And if you are still deciding whether doula work is right for you, this guide is a good place to start
https://bebomia.com/ultimateebook

Doula training should not push you into burnout, debt, or self doubt. You deserve to charge a price that allows you to stay in business, care for your family, and continue offering care long term.

If you want to chat with us, send us an email at [email protected], we read each one and are happy to jump on a call with you!