FIELD NOTES · THE DPC FINANCIAL ALMANAC

Plain writing on the
money side of Direct Primary Care.

Once a month, a short piece on entities, taxes, pricing, margin, and the small choices that compound. Written for DPC clinicians, not accountants.

THIS MONTH
THE ARCHIVE · 47 NOTES
FEB 2026
BOOKKEEPING

The DPC chart of accounts your last CPA probably got wrong.

Membership revenue isn’t procedure revenue. Here’s the structure we use on every client, and why the default QuickBooks template will bite you in year two.

JAN 2026
PRICING

What a fair DPC membership price actually looks like.

Panel size, cost of care, desired take-home. Three inputs, one honest number. Most DPCs are undercharging by $15–$30 per member per month.

DEC 2025
OPENING YEAR

A year-one checklist, ordered by what will actually bite you.

Entity, EIN, bank, merchant processor, membership platform, chart of accounts, payroll, tax elections. In that order.

NOV 2025
TAX & ENTITIES

The home office deduction is a trap. Here’s the one that isn’t.

DPC clinicians have a cleaner, larger, more defensible deduction sitting next to their home office. Most miss it.

OCT 2025
SCALING

When to add your second provider, in dollars.

The usual advice (“when you feel busy”) will put you out of business. Here’s the member count and margin number to watch instead.

SEP 2025
BOOKKEEPING

Why your merchant processor reports don’t match your P&L.

Refunds, NSFs, mid-cycle cancellations, pro-rated signups. Four small leaks that turn into a big reconciliation headache by Q3.

AUG 2025
TAX & ENTITIES

Solo 401(k) vs. SEP IRA, for a solo-clinician DPC.

Short version: Solo 401(k), almost always. Here’s the one situation where SEP is the better answer, and why most CPAs default to the wrong one.

THE MONTHLY DISPATCH

One note a month.
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