A life coaching agreement defines the package (typically 3–6 months of weekly or biweekly sessions at $75–$250 per session, or $300–$1,500 monthly), payment and refund terms, a 24-hour rescheduling policy, and confidentiality with its limits. Its most important clause is the scope disclaimer: coaching is not therapy, counseling, or medical advice — coaches don't diagnose or treat mental-health conditions, and the agreement should include a referral pathway when issues exceed coaching's lane.
Life Coaching Contract Template
Reviewed by the Agiled editorial teamUpdated June 2026
Coaching agreements protect a relationship that runs on candor — and a business that runs on booked calendar slots. The contract handles the commercial...
Part of our free contract template library — 75+ agreements in Word and PDF, ready to customize and sign.
Full template text
LIFE COACHING CONTRACT
This Life Coaching Contract ("Agreement") is entered into as of [Date] by and between:
Coach: [Full Name], [Certification, e.g., ICF-ACC, ICF-PCC], located at [Address / Virtual Practice], Phone: [Phone], Email: [Email] ("Coach")
Client: [Full Name], residing at [Address], Phone: [Phone], Email: [Email] ("Client")
1. Nature of Coaching Relationship
The Coach agrees to provide life coaching services to the Client. Life coaching is a professional relationship focused on helping the Client define goals, develop strategies, and take action toward desired outcomes. Coaching is NOT therapy, counseling, psychology, psychoanalysis, or any form of mental health treatment. Coaching does NOT provide medical, legal, or financial advice. If the Client requires any of these services, the Coach will provide an appropriate referral.
2. Coaching Objectives
The Client's primary objectives for this engagement are:
a) [Objective 1].
b) [Objective 2].
c) [Objective 3].
These objectives may be refined during the coaching process by mutual agreement.
3. Session Details
a) Number of Sessions: [Number] sessions.
b) Session Duration: [60 / 90] minutes each.
c) Frequency: [Weekly / Bi-weekly / Monthly].
d) Format: [In-Person at [Location] / Phone / Video Conference via [Platform]].
e) The Coach shall provide email support between sessions for brief questions and accountability check-ins, with a response time of [24-48] hours.
4. Duration of Engagement
This Agreement begins on [Start Date] and continues for [Number] months or until all sessions are completed, whichever comes first. The engagement may be extended by mutual written agreement.
5. Compensation
a) Total Fee: $[Amount] for the full [Number]-session package.
b) Per-Session Rate (if applicable): $[Amount] per session.
c) Payment Schedule: [Full payment due before the first session / Monthly installments of $[Amount] due on the [1st] of each month / Per session, due before each session].
d) Accepted Payment Methods: [Credit Card / PayPal / Bank Transfer / Check].
e) Late Payment: Payments received more than [7] days past the due date shall incur a late fee of $[Amount] or [%] of the outstanding balance.
f) Sessions shall not be scheduled until all outstanding balances are paid.
6. Cancellation and Rescheduling
a) The Client must provide at least [24 / 48] hours' notice to cancel or reschedule a session.
b) Cancellations with less than [24 / 48] hours' notice shall be charged as a completed session.
c) No-shows (failure to attend without notice) shall be charged as a completed session.
d) The Coach shall provide at least [24] hours' notice for cancellations. If the Coach cancels, the session shall be rescheduled at no cost to the Client.
7. Refund Policy
a) The total coaching fee is [non-refundable / refundable for unused sessions only / refundable with [30] days' notice minus a $[Amount] administrative fee].
b) If the Client terminates the engagement early, [no refund will be issued / unused sessions will be refunded at the per-session rate minus any discount applied].
8. Client Responsibilities
The Client agrees to:
a) Attend all scheduled sessions on time.
b) Come prepared to each session with relevant updates, questions, and completed assignments.
c) Be open, honest, and willing to explore new perspectives.
d) Take responsibility for their own decisions, actions, and results.
e) Complete any assignments, exercises, or action items agreed upon during sessions.
f) Notify the Coach promptly of any changes in circumstances that affect the coaching objectives.
9. Confidentiality
a) The Coach agrees to keep all information shared by the Client during coaching sessions strictly confidential.
b) The Coach shall not disclose the Client's identity or any session content to third parties without the Client's written consent, except as required by law.
c) Exceptions to confidentiality: The Coach may break confidentiality if the Client discloses intent to harm themselves or others, if required by court order, or if the Client provides written authorization.
d) The Client acknowledges that coaching sessions conducted by phone or video may not be fully secure and accepts this risk.
10. Disclaimer of Guarantees
The Coach makes no guarantees regarding the outcome of the coaching engagement. Results depend on the Client's effort, participation, and individual circumstances. The Coach is not responsible for the Client's actions, decisions, or results, whether related to or arising from the coaching engagement.
11. Limitation of Liability
The Coach's total liability arising from or related to this Agreement shall not exceed the total fees paid by the Client under this Agreement. The Coach shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages.
12. Intellectual Property
All coaching materials, worksheets, exercises, assessments, and content provided by the Coach remain the intellectual property of the Coach. The Client may use these materials for personal purposes only and may not reproduce, distribute, or sell them without the Coach's written consent.
13. Termination
a) Either party may terminate this Agreement by providing [14] days' written notice.
b) Upon termination by the Client, the refund policy in Section 7 shall apply.
c) The Coach may terminate immediately if the Client engages in abusive, threatening, or inappropriate behavior.
d) Termination does not release the Client from obligation to pay for sessions already completed or charged under the cancellation policy.
14. Dispute Resolution
Disputes shall be resolved through good-faith discussion. If unresolved within [30] days, the parties agree to mediation. If mediation fails, disputes shall be submitted to binding arbitration in [City, State]. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of [State].
15. Entire Agreement
This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties. Amendments must be in writing and signed by both parties.
SIGNATURES
Coach Signature: ___________________________ Date: _______________
Print Name: ___________________________
Client Signature: ___________________________ Date: _______________
Print Name: ___________________________
- Per session
- $75 – $250
- Monthly package
- $300 – $1,500
- Typical engagement
- 3 – 6 months
- Reschedule window
- 24 hours, or the session is used
What your life coaching agreement should cover
Coaching scope and the therapy disclaimer
Coaching supports goals, accountability, and forward action. It is not psychotherapy, counseling, medical, legal, or financial advice; the coach doesn't diagnose or treat conditions. The clearest version names what the coach will do and won't — and clients sign that understanding.
Referral pathway
If issues arise that exceed coaching's scope — clinical depression, trauma, crisis — the coach pauses and refers to licensed professionals. Having the clause makes the hardest conversation in coaching a contractual step instead of an improvisation.
Package structure and session terms
Number of sessions, length (45–60 minutes standard), frequency, the engagement term, and the expiry date for unused sessions (commonly 60–90 days past the term). Open-ended session banks become administrative debt.
Fees, payment timing, and refunds
Paid in full or monthly installments — installments are a payment plan for the full package, not a cancel-anytime subscription, and the agreement should say which. Refund policy stated plainly: commonly unused-session refunds minus sessions delivered at the single-session rate, or no refunds with a satisfaction-first session escape.
Rescheduling and no-shows
24 hours' notice to reschedule; no-shows and late cancels consume the session. Coaches sell calendar slots — the policy is the inventory protection.
Confidentiality and its limits
Session content stays confidential, with stated exceptions: risk of harm to self or others, legal compulsion, and (in corporate-sponsored coaching) the agreed reporting boundary with the employer. Coaching confidentiality is contractual, not privileged — clients deserve to know that.
Client responsibility clause
Results come from the client's actions; the coach provides structure, frameworks, and accountability — not guarantees. Outcome guarantees in coaching marketing are both unethical under ICF ethics and an FTC problem; the contract shouldn't contradict the marketing rules.
Communication between sessions
What's included (e.g., email/voice notes with 48-hour response) and what isn't (on-demand calls, crisis support — see referral clause). Unbounded access is the quiet burnout machine of the coaching business.
Corporate-sponsored coaching terms
When an employer pays: who the client is (the coachee), what the sponsor receives (attendance and themes, never session content), and the three-way agreement that keeps trust intact.
Termination
Either party may end with notice (commonly 14 days); wind-down math for sessions delivered versus paid; and the coach's right to end the engagement when scope or fit fails, with a pro-rated settlement.
Typical life coaching pricing (U.S., 2026)
| Format | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single session | $75 – $250 | 45–60 minutes |
| Monthly package (2–4 sessions) | $300 – $1,500 | Includes between-session support |
| 3-month engagement | $900 – $4,500 | The standard starting commitment |
| 6-month engagement | $1,800 – $9,000 | Often installment-paid |
| Executive coaching | $300 – $800+/session | Corporate-sponsored typically |
| Group coaching (per person) | $50 – $200/month | Cohort programs |
| Session expiry | 60 – 90 days post-term | Use-by date on packages |
Coaching is an unregulated title — pricing varies enormously with niche, credential (ICF ACC/PCC/MCC), and market. Executive and specialized niches price well above general life coaching.
How life coaching agreements work in practice
The private three-month engagement
The standard starting container: 12 weekly sessions, paid up front or in three monthly installments, with goals set in session one and reviewed at the midpoint. The agreement's quiet workhorses are the reschedule rule (24 hours, or the session is used), the expiry date that keeps session four from being redeemed next year, and the installment clause that makes month two's payment a debt, not a decision. Renewal is a new agreement — automatic rollovers breed resentment in a relationship that depends on enthusiasm.
Corporate-sponsored executive coaching
A company pays for an employee's coaching, and three parties need the boundaries written: the coachee is the client whose session content stays confidential; the sponsor receives attendance confirmation and agreed thematic updates, never transcripts; and goals may be three-way agreed at kickoff. Invoicing runs to the company on Net 30 with a PO; the confidentiality boundary runs to the coachee absolutely. Coaches who blur this — reporting content to the paying sponsor — end both relationships at once.
The client who needs more than coaching
Somewhere in many coaching practices, a client's situation reveals clinical depth — persistent depression, trauma surfacing, a crisis disclosure. The agreement's scope and referral clauses convert this moment from an ethical improvisation into a procedure: name the boundary, refer to licensed care (with crisis resources for acute situations), and pause or close the coaching engagement with pro-rated settlement. Coaches who 'coach through' clinical territory practice without a license and carry the liability for it; the contract is where that line gets drawn in advance.
Mistakes that weaken a life coaching agreement
Skipping the not-therapy disclaimer
The single most important clause in coaching. Without it, the coach has no documented boundary against unlicensed-practice exposure — and the client has no informed understanding of what they bought.
Guaranteeing outcomes
'You'll double your income' in marketing or contract is an FTC problem and an ICF ethics violation. Sell the structure, the frameworks, and the accountability — the client owns the results.
Installments that work like subscriptions
When a client treats month three's installment as optional, the package price was fiction. State that installments are a payment plan for the committed package — or price monthly-cancelable honestly as a higher per-session rate.
Unbounded between-session access
The 11 PM voice memos arrive the week after an enthusiastic 'reach out anytime.' Define the included channel and response time; everything else is a different (priced) tier.
Vague refund terms
Refund disputes in coaching turn on terms nobody wrote down. Pick a policy — unused sessions minus delivered-at-rack-rate, or no refunds with a first-session escape — and put it in the signature packet.
How to use this template
- 01
Download the life coaching agreement template in Word or PDF.
- 02
Define the package: sessions, length, frequency, term, and the expiry date for unused sessions.
- 03
Set fees, the installment structure (as a payment plan), and the refund policy.
- 04
Include the coaching-scope disclaimer, the referral pathway, and confidentiality with its limits.
- 05
Set the 24-hour reschedule rule and the between-session communication boundary.
- 06
For corporate-sponsored work, add the three-way reporting boundary — then have the client sign before session one.
Skip this template if…
- Licensed therapy or counseling — clinical care runs under licensure, privilege, and informed-consent rules coaching doesn't reach.
- Financial or investment advising — regulated activities requiring registration; coaches stay out of specific financial advice.
FAQs
How much do life coaches charge?
Typically $75–$250 per session, $300–$1,500 for monthly packages, and $900–$4,500 for a standard three-month engagement. Executive coaching runs $300–$800+ per session, usually corporate-sponsored. Credentials (ICF ACC/PCC/MCC) and niche specialization move pricing significantly.
What should a life coaching contract include?
The package and session terms, fees and refund policy, a 24-hour rescheduling rule, confidentiality and its limits, the between-session communication boundary, termination terms — and most importantly, the scope disclaimer distinguishing coaching from therapy, with a referral pathway.
Is life coaching the same as therapy?
No. Therapy is licensed clinical care that diagnoses and treats mental-health conditions; coaching is an unregulated forward-looking practice focused on goals and accountability. A proper coaching agreement states this distinction explicitly and commits the coach to referring clients to licensed care when needs exceed coaching's scope.
Are coaching sessions confidential?
Yes by contract — but not by legal privilege, unlike therapy. Standard limits: risk of harm to self or others, legal compulsion, and in employer-sponsored coaching an agreed reporting boundary (attendance and themes only). The agreement should state all of this so clients consent informed.
What happens if I miss a coaching session?
Under the standard policy, sessions rescheduled with 24+ hours' notice move freely; no-shows and late cancellations consume the session. Coaches sell reserved calendar time — the policy protects the slot, and packages typically carry a 60–90 day use-by date past the engagement term.
Can I get a refund on a coaching package?
Whatever the agreement says — common structures are refunds of unused sessions with delivered sessions charged at the single-session rate, or no refunds paired with a first-session satisfaction escape. Installment plans remain due as committed package payments unless the contract says otherwise.
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