Coaching contract: Free template
Download your free coaching contract template The PDF gives you all 10 clauses i...
Last Updated: August 3, 2026
Key takeaways
A coaching contract is a legal agreement that sets out your scope of services, fees, confidentiality terms, and cancellation policy.
Coaching is unregulated in most jurisdictions, so your contract is what defines your boundaries and limits your liability.
The 10 core clauses cover scope, payment, scheduling, confidentiality, cancellation, termination, liability, client duties, intellectual property, and governing law.
Health and wellness coaches should add a safeguarding clause, data protection terms, and wording that separates coaching from therapy.
Send the contract for signature before the first session, so the signed copy sits on the client record from day one.
Download your free coaching contract template
The PDF gives you all 10 clauses in editable form, with fill-in fields for client details, fees, session terms, and signatures. It also includes the safeguarding and data protection wording that health and wellness coaches need.
Download templateA coaching contract is the written agreement that sets the terms of your work with a client. Coaching is unregulated in most jurisdictions, so no licensing body decides what you and your client owe each other. Your contract does that job instead.
The template below covers the 10 clauses a professional coaching contract needs. It also adds two sections written for health and wellness coaches, covering safeguarding and data protection. Both matter as soon as you handle health information.
What is a coaching contract?
A coaching contract is a legally binding agreement between you and your client that sets the terms of your professional relationship. It covers the services you provide, your fees, how sessions run, what stays confidential, and how either side can end the engagement.
Think of it as a mutual promise. You commit to coaching within your stated scope, and the client commits to paying on time and turning up prepared. Both of you get something to point at when a question comes up months later.
A well-drafted contract also carries a liability disclaimer stating that coaching is not therapy, medical advice, or a substitute for mental health treatment. That wording protects you legally and sets honest expectations before the first session.
Why every coach needs one in writing
Both sides benefit. You set boundaries around what you will and won’t take on, define payment expectations, and limit your exposure to liability claims. Your client knows the session frequency, the cancellation terms, and where coaching stops.
Without one, arguments about fees, missed sessions, or scope creep cost you time and goodwill. A written agreement settles those questions before they arise, which keeps the coaching itself free of admin friction.
10 essential clauses to include
The template covers all 10 clauses below in plain language. Here is what each one does and why it earns its place.
Extra clauses for health and wellness coaches
Health coaches, nutrition coaches, and functional medicine practitioners work far closer to regulated care than general life coaches do. Clients expect careful handling of health information, and you have to be clear that coaching is not treatment.
Add a safeguarding clause. Say that you will contact the appropriate authorities if you learn of a risk of serious harm to the client or someone else. This mirrors UK safeguarding practice, which the Care Quality Commission requires of regulated healthcare providers.
Address data privacy. If your clients are in the UK or EU, state how you handle their personal data under GDPR and UK data protection law. In the US, say whether the health data privacy law HIPAA applies to you. Most independent health coaches are not covered entities under it.
Where you store the signed contract matters as much as what it says. If you use practice management software like Pabau, client records and signed forms sit in one system that supports GDPR and HIPAA compliance.
Sharpen the liability disclaimer. State that coaching is not a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, or licensed therapy. Tell clients to see their physician or therapist for anything outside your scope.
Pro Tip
Review your contract once a year. Fees change, sessions move from in-person to video, and your scope grows. A contract that matches how you work today is far easier to defend than one written three years ago.
How to adapt the template for your practice
Treat the download as a starting point rather than a finished document. Five steps make it yours.
- Insert your contact information. Add your name, business name, address, phone number, and email at the top of the contract.
- Define your scope of services. Name the coaching you offer, whether that is life, executive, or health coaching. Then list what you do not do, such as therapy, medical treatment, or financial advice. Keep it consistent with the program structure you sell.
- Set your fees and payment schedule. Specify your hourly rate or package price, the payment method, the due date, and any late fees or refund terms.
- Customize the session details. Set your standard session length, usually 30 to 60 minutes, plus the frequency and the format. State your cancellation notice period, where 24 to 48 hours is common.
- Have a lawyer read it. Contract law varies by jurisdiction, so ask a local attorney to confirm your final version is enforceable where you practice.
Many coaches send the finished contract as a digital intake form, so the client signs before the first appointment. The signed copy then sits on their record beside your session notes.
How this template aligns with ICF standards
The International Coaching Federation, known as ICF, is the largest coaching accreditation body. It does not prescribe a template, but its code of ethics does require a written agreement with every client.
ICF Core Competency 3 covers establishing and maintaining agreements. This template addresses the elements it asks for, including scope, fees, confidentiality, client rights, and the limits of your role.
ICF uses the phrase coaching agreement for the same document, so a coaching agreement template and a coaching contract cover the same ground. If you hold a credential or are working towards one, adjust the wording to match your own ethics statement.
Life coaching vs executive coaching: Key differences in terms
Fees, third parties, and governing law are where the two engagements part company. If you coach individuals, a life coaching template starts from simpler terms than a corporate engagement needs.
How Pabau gets contracts signed before session one
Most coaches email the contract as a PDF and wait for a signed scan to come back. The signed file then lives in a folder, separate from the client’s notes, payments, and booking history.
Pabau’s coaching client management system sends the contract as part of onboarding, collects the e-signature, and files the signed copy on the client record. Fees, session history, and notes all sit beside it.
That means no client reaches session one without a signed agreement on file. When a question about fees or cancellations comes up six months later, the signed version is one click away.
Send coaching contracts with one click
Pabau's digital forms and e-signature tools send your coaching contract as part of client onboarding. Clients sign before the first appointment, and the signed copy syncs straight to their record.
Conclusion
A contract is only worth what your practice does with it. A template sitting unsigned in a downloads folder protects nobody, so build signing into onboarding before you take a first payment.
Two calls are yours to make. The first is how narrowly you define your scope. The second is how much notice you ask for on a cancellation. Loose terms cost you money, and strict ones can cost you bookings. Write down where you land, then revisit it each year.
Have a local attorney check your final version, then get it signed before session one. Book a demo to see how Pabau sends coaching contracts for signature and stores them on the client record.
Continue your research
Need to review progress at the end of an engagement? The coaching evaluation form gives you a structured way to collect client feedback.
Planning the engagement itself? The coaching plan template turns the goals in your contract into session-by-session steps.
Coaching clients on daily habits? The hydration handout is a client-facing page you can send alongside the signed contract.
Working with clients on kidney-friendly eating? The low potassium food list gives nutrition coaches a ready reference to share.
Not sure when to refer a client out? This psychiatry interview guide shows what a clinical assessment covers, which helps you hold your scope line.
Frequently asked questions
What is a coaching contract?
A coaching contract is a written agreement between a coach and client covering services, fees, session schedule, and confidentiality. It also sets the cancellation and termination terms, so both sides are protected.
Do I need a contract if I’m not ICF-certified?
Yes. A written agreement is standard practice for any professional coach, certified or not. It sets boundaries, prevents disputes, and protects you legally. Coaching is unregulated in most jurisdictions, so your contract is the only document defining the relationship.
Can I use an e-signature instead of a printed signature?
Yes. E-signatures are legally valid in the US under the ESIGN Act and in the UK under the Electronic Communications Act 2000. Sending the contract as a digital form also creates an automatic record of when it was signed.
What should I do if a client wants to change the terms?
Listen to the specific concern and decide whether the change is reasonable. Common requests involve the cancellation notice period, refund terms, or scheduling. You can add a signed addendum or reissue a revised version. Either way, both parties sign the change.
Does ICF require a specific contract format?
No. ICF does not mandate a template, but it does require a written agreement covering scope, confidentiality, fees, client rights, and termination. This template meets those requirements.
