Life Coach Contract Template

The agreement is part of the coaching

Because coaching is unregulated, there is no outside body setting the terms of the relationship. The agreement is where you set them yourself. It protects you, but more importantly it tells the client what coaching is, what it is not, and who is responsible for what. A client who has read a clear agreement arrives at the first session already understanding that they own the outcome and you own the process.

Write it in plain language. A client should be able to read the whole thing in five minutes and explain it back. Dense legal phrasing does not make an agreement stronger. It makes it less likely to be read, which is the only way it prevents a misunderstanding.

Clause by clause

Services. State the number of sessions, their length, the period they must be used within, and what contact happens between sessions (for example, one short email check-in a week). Vague phrases such as "ongoing support" invite a client to expect daily messages.

Payment. Say when payment is due, whether a package is paid up front or in installments, and what happens if a payment fails. Decide now whether sessions pause until payment is made, so you never have to invent the rule during an awkward conversation.

Cancellation and rescheduling. Set the notice period (twenty-four or forty-eight hours is common) and what happens to a session cancelled late. Say how many times a session can be moved. Write the rule you would be comfortable enforcing with your favorite client, because you will have to.

Confidentiality. Promise to keep what the client shares private, and name the limited exceptions honestly, such as a serious risk of harm to the client or someone else, or a legal requirement to disclose. Also say how you store notes and for how long.

Scope and referral. This is the clause that matters most in life coaching. State that coaching is not therapy, counseling, medical, legal or financial advice, and that you will suggest the client see an appropriately licensed professional if something arises that belongs with one. Coaches who skip this clause are the ones who drift into work they are not trained to do.

Where this fits in the course

Unit 1 of the life coach course covers the ethics behind the scope clause and the difference between what a coach contributes and what a client does. Unit 4 covers recognizing when a request has crossed the line into somebody else's profession, and Unit 7 covers writing the two policies every practice needs in its first year.

A filled-in example

Mistakes to avoid

• Copying an agreement written for another country. Consumer and contract law differ. Use a template to organize your thinking, then have somebody qualified where you practice check it.
• Leaving out the scope clause. Without it, a client can reasonably believe you are offering help with a mental health or medical issue. Name what coaching is not, and commit to referring.
• Writing a cancellation rule you will not enforce. A policy you waive every time teaches clients it does not exist. Pick a rule you are willing to apply and apply it kindly.
• Sending the agreement after the first session. Terms agreed after the work starts are harder to hold to. Send it with the booking confirmation and ask for it back before you begin.