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A massage therapist can invoice their work as a light entrepreneur without setting up their own company. You agree on appointments and prices yourself, send invoices through the Truster app, and get paid directly to your account. Truster takes care of withholding tax according to your tax card as well as the official reporting. The account is free, and you only pay when you invoice, so you can start doing massage work on the side of another job or your studies.

#Where do massage therapists work as light entrepreneurs?

Many massage therapists see private clients in a rented treatment room, at a gym, or during home visits. Another established way of working is workplace massage: a company books a therapist to visit the office regularly, and employees reserve appointment slots. Home visits are also in demand, especially among elderly clients and busy families.

In sports, there's work all year round: muscle maintenance for athletes, service agreements with clubs and teams, and massage stations at competitions and events. In these cases, invoices are often sent to the club or event organizer, which is just as easy with Truster as invoicing a private client.

#Pricing, expenses and VAT in the massage industry

Massage is typically priced by the length of the treatment, and many therapists also sell packages of several sessions bought at once. For workplace massage, a per-day or per-visit rate is often agreed with the company. Home visits usually carry an extra travel fee. Your price should also cover room rental, supplies, and travel time.

Typical expenses include a massage table and its maintenance, oils and towels, laundry services, room rental, and training that maintains your professional skills. Expenses and mileage are logged in the Truster app and are automatically factored into your pay.

Good to know: treatment given by a trained massage therapist can be VAT-exempt healthcare when the legally defined conditions are met. It's worth checking how this applies to your own work at vero.fi (the Finnish Tax Administration) before finalizing your price list.

A massage therapist's client base typically grows through recommendations: a well cared-for client tells others about you. Visibility also comes from collaborating with gyms, physiotherapists and sports clubs, as well as offering workplace massage to local businesses. Online booking and a clear price list make it easier for a new client to decide to book their first appointment.

#Invoicing and pay with Truster

Private clients are usually invoiced after the appointment, while business and club clients receive a consolidated invoice, for example once a month. Creating an invoice in the app takes a couple of minutes. Maksuvahti tracks your receivables and sends payment reminders on your behalf for 1.99 € per invoice, so you can focus on your treatments.

If a business client has a long payment term, HetiPalkka pays your wages before the invoice due date for a fee of 5% of the invoice amount. For monthly plan users, Truster Turva is included in the price, so you're insured both at your practice and when visiting clients.

Light entrepreneurship suits massage therapists well, since the work is personal and the client base is built on recommendations. You can try out different ways of working, such as workplace massage and sports therapy, without committing to fixed costs or bookkeeping.

As a light entrepreneur, you can do massage work at exactly the scale you want: a few evenings a week alongside another job, or full days at your own practice. Compared with a sole proprietorship, you skip the bookkeeping and reporting, yet you can still invoice companies and clubs just like a company would. Quiet weeks cost you nothing, so seasonal fluctuations won't hurt your finances.

#How much do you take home?

Truster's service fee is 3.99% of invoicing, or a flat 55 €/month, which suits those with high invoicing volumes. The service fee and statutory payments are deducted from the invoice amount, and withholding tax is applied to your pay according to your own tax card. Depending on the situation, massage services may be either taxable or VAT-exempt healthcare, so check your own situation at vero.fi (the Finnish Tax Administration).

Of the service fee models, the percentage-based 3.99% suits irregular gig work, while the flat 55 €/month suits fully booked weekly calendars. Price your sessions and packages so that the fee covers room rental, supplies and travel time, not just the time spent at the treatment table.

The amount you take home depends on your invoicing volume, your expenses, and your tax rate. On our Calculators page, you can try your own figures and instantly see how much lands in your account at different prices.