Guides · Agreements and policies
What should a coaching agreement include?
Seven things: how long a session is and how it’s held, the cancellation window, when payment is due, how long a package lasts, that what’s said stays confidential, that coaching isn’t therapy, and how either of you ends it. All of it fits on one page.
- 1
The session
Its length and where it happens. “50 min · video” is enough.
- 2
The cancellation window
The coaching setup starts with this line under the offerings: “You can move or cancel at no charge up to 24 hours before your session.” Inside the window, say what happens.
- 3
Payment
Due at booking is the simplest rule, and the one that means you never chase a session that’s already happened.
- 4
How long a package lasts
Six sessions to use within 4 months. A package with no end date turns into sessions owed for years.
- 5
Confidentiality
What the client tells you stays between you, with the limits stated, such as a risk of serious harm.
- 6
Coaching isn’t therapy
The clause coaches forget. Say that coaching isn’t a treatment for a mental health condition, and that you’ll suggest other help if the work needs it.
- 7
How it ends
Either of you can stop in writing, and say what happens to sessions not yet used.
No outcome promised
Coaching works when the client does the work, so the agreement shouldn’t promise a job, a promotion or a sale. “Outcomes aren’t guaranteed” in plain words protects you both from a conversation about whose fault it was.
This explains what agreements commonly cover. Your profession, your country and the size of the work can each change what yours needs, and a lawyer who knows them is the person to ask.
Checked 2026-10-11.