Doula contracts basics

Before you draft

This guide is educational only. It is not legal advice. Consider having a qualified professional review agreements for your location.

What a service agreement usually covers

Use your service agreement to describe the arrangement you and the client are making. Include the support offered, service dates or availability window, fees, backup and how either of you requests a change. Name the people entering the agreement and provide the contact details used for the service.

Draft a starting outline with the free contract outline tool. Fill it with your actual services and questions for a professional review rather than copying language you cannot explain. A template is a place to organize your terms, not confirmation that they suit your location or practice.

Read the draft beside your website and quote. Check that a family would receive the same description in every place. When a term needs a spoken explanation, improve the written version too so the client can return to it later.

Scope and boundaries

Describe what you provide and what sits outside your role. DONA publishes Standards of Practice and Codes of Ethics for birth and postpartum doulas describing professional boundaries. ¹ Review the relevant standards when writing your scope of practice, then explain your own service in accessible language.

Name the visits, support and follow-up that are included. State where you offer support and how a change of setting is handled. Explain that medical care and care decisions belong with the client's healthcare team and the client, not with your service.

Include a process for requests outside the agreed package. You might discuss an additional visit, refer the request elsewhere or explain that you cannot accept it. Record any agreed change rather than relying on a message that never makes it into the service description.

Fees and payment timing

State the agreed fee and what it covers. List payment dates or milestones, the accepted payment process and how the client receives confirmation. If you offer a payment plan, put its terms in the agreement instead of leaving them in an earlier conversation.

Explain how you quote additional services, travel or other extras. Make clear when a client must approve an extra charge and how you record that approval. Avoid language that leaves the client guessing whether an ordinary request will create another bill.

Ask your reviewer about any payment terms you are unsure how to describe. Keep unanswered legal or tax questions on a separate list for a qualified adviser. Do not turn a suggested clause from a peer into a rule without checking that it fits your circumstances.

Backup doula language

Describe when backup may be used and how the client will be informed. Explain how they can learn about the backup's approach before support is needed. Clarify who coordinates the handover and whom the client contacts while arrangements are changing.

Agree responsibilities with your backup separately so your client-facing promise matches the coverage you have arranged. Include how availability is confirmed and what happens if the usual backup is unavailable. Discuss how necessary client information is shared with permission.

Make the payment implications of backup clear in the client agreement. Ask a qualified reviewer to help with wording about responsibility and any changes to the service. Leave room for client questions before asking them to accept the arrangement.

Cancellation and refunds

Write down how a client can cancel or request rescheduling. Describe how you confirm receipt and what happens to scheduled visits or reserved availability. Explain any refund terms alongside the cancellation process rather than hiding them in a separate document.

Consider changes that do not fit neatly into a standard cancellation: a different birth setting, a postponed visit or your own inability to provide support. Write questions about those situations for your reviewer. Check that you understand the approved wording before discussing it with clients.

When a change occurs, send a written record of what you have agreed and what remains unchanged. Keep the earlier version so you can follow the history. Do not assume that silence means a client has accepted a revised arrangement.

On-call window and communication

Define the on-call window and how the client reaches you for birth attendance. Distinguish urgent attendance contact from routine scheduling or questions. Include an alternative contact route if the usual method fails.

State your routine response expectations and how clients learn about planned unavailability. Explain who answers during backup coverage and when a conversation will return to you. Keep the contact instructions short enough to find quickly.

For scheduled visits, explain arrival arrangements and how either person reports a delay. Set out how to request a different date and how you confirm it. Review these instructions aloud during onboarding so the written agreement is familiar.

Illustrative example

Imagine a client asks whether a later home visit is part of the birth package. Your inquiry email mentions follow-up, but the draft agreement does not say what that means. Pause before sending it for signature and clarify the included follow-up format.

Update the package description and ask your reviewer about any related terms that need attention. Send the revised draft to the client with the change clearly explained. Invite them to ask questions before signing rather than expecting them to infer the service from earlier messages.

Checklist before you send a contract

Keep a clean version of the reviewed agreement and record which version each client receives. Read the completed details before sending, especially dates, service choices and contact information. Give the client time to review and ask questions.

• Match the scope and included services to the quote.
• Check fees, payment timing and extra-service approval.
• Confirm backup arrangements and information-sharing expectations.
• Explain cancellation, rescheduling and refund terms.
• Include the on-call window and contact instructions.
• Resolve location-specific questions with a qualified professional.