Tax season is never easy. 

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But this year, many thousands of therapists made it through with more clarity and confidence, and we’re proud to have played a part.

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Every tax season for us is about incremental improvements and this year was about improving the user experience (UX) and speed to return.

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If this was your first time filing as an independent therapist, congrats. That’s a huge milestone. If you’re still catching up or filed an extension, don’t worry. That’s more common than you think. Wherever you’re at, we’re in your corner.

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At Heard, we know tax season can feel overwhelming. Every therapist’s financial story is different—your hours, your income, your paperwork, your payors. So we treated (and treat) every return like it mattered. Because it did (and does). That being said, we still have opportunities to improve here and are already planning for the 2025 tax season. 

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This past quarter, our team was focused on helping you move through the most stressful financial time of year with more clarity, more confidence, and more control. Not by scaling fast, but by doing the right thing for each therapist, again and again.

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Sometimes that looked like helping Sruthi, an LCSW in Arizona, upload her final documents. Or walking through the importance of uploading four separate 1099s to accurately align year-end income with Samantha, a Counselor in New York.

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This work isn’t always flashy. But it’s what we believe in—and it’s what we’re building toward.

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What we launched to make your life easier

Staying compliant

• A redesigned year-end tax experience laying out the entire journey, making it easy to know what each next step was, and when it had to be done by
• Automated balance sheets for instant clarity (and saves us time) 
• Live tax return review meeting with your tax pro at filing (much requested) 
• The option to keep working with the same tax pro each year

Getting started

• Faster (and easier) onboarding, with smart auto-reconciliation for catch-up bookkeeping
• A new S Corp pricing plan inclusive of Heard Payroll with more flexibility 
• A bookkeeping-only plan for those who like working with their CPA or doing their own taxes

Growing with Heard

• Smarter business insights—less guesswork, more understanding
• More automation in payroll and financial planning
• Launched phone support for when you just need to talk to someone
• Managed insurance billing to take admin off your plate

What this actually means for you

• 97% of therapists filed on time, with zero extensions caused by Heard. Tax sentiment score hit 81, up 13 points year-over-year. You didn’t have to scramble—we helped you breathe easier and avoid penalties.
• We completed 45% more tax returns than last year. More therapists are trusting Heard, and we delivered. That kind of scale leads to faster workflows, better systems, and a smoother experience for you.
• The amount of questions you have during tax season is down 50%, and your satisfaction with our customer service has continued to grow —even during tax season. Not because you're asking less, but because things are clearer and more intuitive.
• You’re able to answer your questions easily 5x more frequently than last year by using all of our helpful resources. You're finding answers faster, but we're still investing heavily in human support. Phone support is continuing to roll out to all customers later this quarter.
• Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) is at an all-time high, meaning most of you would recommend us to a friend or fellow therapist. You’re telling us the experience is improving—and we’re just getting started.
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What’s next: making Heard feel like your CFO and COO

With tax season behind us, we’re focused on three things over the next 12–18 months.

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Helping you understand your financial picture, fast
We’re redesigning our onboarding and bookkeeping experience so you get a real-time snapshot of your financial health from day one. This work will lead to less back and forth with your bookkeeper. More confidence.

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Helping you make smarter weekly decisions
Whether you're wondering if you can afford to hire help, take Fridays off, or finally raise your rates, we’ll help you see the path and take the next step.

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Taking more off your plate
From your first client to your first hire, we’re building a platform that automates, simplifies, and scales with your practice — starting from day one.

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Admin day is about to get a whole lot smarter.

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This time last year, we were catching up. This year, we’re showing up.

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Where we’re still pushing to get better

We’ve come a long way—but we know there’s more to do.

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Expectation vs. reality
We’re still working to better set expectations around what Heard offers—especially when compared to “my local CPA.” See full comparison.

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One size doesn’t fit all
S Corps and sole props have different needs. We’re tailoring the experience to meet both—and launching a more affordable plan for new sole proprietors.

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Supporting every stage
We’re building products to support your practice at its earliest stages, and grow with you as you scale.

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Thanks for building Heard with us. We don’t take your trust for granted.

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I read every piece of feedback, every review, and every message I receive. Every week, I dig into support tickets and sales calls—not just to fix what’s broken, but to better understand what you need.

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We’re building this with you and for you. And we’re just getting started.

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