> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opentherapy.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fees and earnings

> How a session fee is divided, and how to read and reconcile your earnings screen.

## What comes off a session

Four deductions, all from your payout. Nothing is ever added to what the client pays.

| Deduction        | Amount                                            |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Platform fee     | **2.5%** of the session                           |
| Introduction fee | **\$20–\$75**, once per new client, by discipline |
| Card processing  | Stripe's actual cost                              |
| GST              | **10%** on Open Therapy's two fees                |

The full table of introduction fees by discipline, and how GST is applied to each line, is on [Fees](/fees).

## The shape of it

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="First session — \$180">
    | Line                            | Amount       |
    | ------------------------------- | ------------ |
    | Client pays                     | \$180.00     |
    | Platform fee (2.5%)             | −\$4.50      |
    | Introduction fee (Psychologist) | −\$45.00     |
    | Card processing                 | −\$3.36      |
    | GST on Open Therapy's fees      | −\$4.95      |
    | **You receive**                 | **\$122.19** |

    32.1% deducted, almost all of it the one-off introduction.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Every session after — \$180">
    | Line                       | Amount       |
    | -------------------------- | ------------ |
    | Client pays                | \$180.00     |
    | Platform fee (2.5%)        | −\$4.50      |
    | Card processing            | −\$3.36      |
    | GST on Open Therapy's fees | −\$0.45      |
    | **You receive**            | **\$171.69** |

    4.6% deducted.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Over a course of care the blended rate lands under 10%. Two ways to improve it:

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use your own booking link" icon="link" href="/therapists/your-booking-link" horizontal>
    Clients who arrive through it carry no introduction fee at all.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Price your initial consultation properly" icon="dollar-sign" href="/therapists/services-and-pricing" horizontal>
    The introduction fee lands on the first session. A realistic initial fee protects your margin on it.
  </Card>
</Columns>

<Note>
  The introduction fee is capped at what a session can carry after processing, the platform fee and
  GST. A cheap or free first session nets you nothing rather than putting you in debt to us.
</Note>

## Your earnings screen

**Earnings** in your workspace, and the numbers on it are real rather than estimated.

### The chart

Twelve months of **net** earnings, oldest first, with the current month flagged. Months with no work are shown as empty rather than skipped — a chart that skips them implies a busier year than you had.

### Totals

For this calendar month and for all time:

| Figure           | Meaning                                                    |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Gross            | What clients paid                                          |
| Platform fee     | 2.5% total                                                 |
| Introduction fee | One-off fees charged in the period                         |
| Processing fee   | What the cards actually cost                               |
| Fee GST          | Tax on Open Therapy's two fees                             |
| **Net**          | What reached you                                           |
| Sessions         | Count                                                      |
| New clients      | First sessions, whether or not an introduction was charged |

### Settlements

One line per session: gross, each fee, net, the platform fee rate that was in force, whether it was a first session, and its status.

| Status       | Meaning                            |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| **Pending**  | Settled, not yet transferred       |
| **Settled**  | Divided and queued                 |
| **Paid out** | Transferred to your Stripe balance |

### Payouts and invoices

Payout lines show the period, the date paid, the amount and the status — processing, paid or failed. Fee invoice lines show the reference, period, subtotal, GST and total.

## Waiting on you

The queue of sessions that have finished but haven't been recorded as attended or missed. **Nothing settles and nothing transfers until you clear it.** See [Managing sessions](/therapists/managing-sessions#recording-attendance).

## Fee changes never re-price the past

Every settlement stores the rate that applied when it was made. A rate change tomorrow applies to new sessions only — it cannot re-price what you earned yesterday.

## Reconciling

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start from the payout">
    A payout is the sum of the settlements transferred in that period. It's your net.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Match it against settlements">
    Filter settlements by **Paid out** for the period.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Take fees from the invoice, not the payout">
    Your deductible expenses are on the platform fee invoice, which shows them ex-GST with the GST
    separated. See [Invoices and tax](/therapists/invoices-and-tax).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Don't reconstruct your fees by subtracting net from gross. The invoice is the document your
  accountant needs, because it separates GST you can claim from fees you can deduct.
</Tip>