For coaches

Contracts for coaches

A UK coach needs a signed agreement before the first session: the programme, session format, fees, cancellation and no-show notice, , who owns worksheets, and consumer rights when you sell to individuals. Coaching is not therapy — write that boundary. CDPA 1988 s.11 makes you first owner of freelance materials; s.90 needs a written, signed . Lex drafts that on one shared link.

Last updated 4 November 2026

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Lex drafts it in Plain English beside the legal wording. Share one link; both sides agree and sign.

Templates coaches use most

Client workConsulting agreementA consulting agreement sets out advice and expertise you provide to a client, billed by the day, the month or the project.Read →Client workFreelancer agreementA freelancer agreement sets the brief, deliverables, rate, rights and payment terms between a freelancer and a client.Read →Client workServices agreement (MSA)A services agreement sets the standing terms for every project with a client, so each new job needs only a short statement of work.Read →Client workRetainer agreementA retainer agreement sets a monthly fee for a set amount of your time or availability, and what happens to unused hours.Read →NDAs & IPMutual NDAA mutual NDA lets two businesses share confidential information both ways before a deal, and says what each side can do with it.Read →Client workStatement of workA statement of work sets the scope, deliverables, milestones and fees for one project under a wider services agreement.Read →HiringIndependent contractor agreementAn independent contractor agreement hires someone to do work as a business of their own, setting the work, pay, ownership and how the arrangement ends.Read →

Which clauses decide a coach contract?

Five lines decide most coaching jobs: the programme and sessions, the fee and payment plan, cancellation and no-show notice, confidentiality and its limits, and who owns the worksheets. Write them in a consulting agreement or a freelancer agreement before the first session. Lex puts them on one paper the client signs from a link.

The clauses that usually decide a UK coaching job. Assignment of copyright must be in writing, signed — CDPA 1988 s.90. A no-show fee is what the parties agree, not a statutory 48-hour rule.
ClauseWhat it doesTypical coaching line
Programme and sessionsWhat “done” looks like: count, length, format.Named sessions, length and Zoom or in-person; extras quoted first.
Fees and packagesHow they pay: package, plan or .Named package price; instalments on named dates; pause if unpaid.
Cancellation and no-showNotice, what is kept, what can be moved.48 hours’ notice to reschedule; a no-show is a used session.
ConfidentialityWhat stays private, and the usual limits.Session talk stays private, except harm, crime or a court order.
IP of materialsWho owns worksheets, workbooks and recordings.Licence of named uses on full payment; frameworks stay yours.

What contract does a coach need?

Start from a consulting agreement. There is no coaching-agreement-only template; that paper is the closest fit for advice, time and a fee. A packaged programme can sit on a freelancer agreement or a services agreement. Ongoing slots sit on a retainer. Repeat work can hang a statement of work under standing terms. Company-to-company contractor coaching can start from an independent contractor agreement. If you are sharing unpublished programme notes before the deal is signed, a mutual NDA sits next to it. How to write a consulting agreement is the shorter how-to. What should a UK coach contract include? is the England and Wales deep-dive. Lex drafts from one sentence; the client signs from one link.

How is coaching different from therapy or regulated advice?

Coaching is a commercial service: sessions, a programme and a fee. It is not therapy, medical treatment or regulated legal, tax or investment advice. Write that boundary on the paper so a later reader does not treat a session note as a diagnosis or a guaranteed outcome. You advise; they decide. If the work is strategy for a business rather than a personal programme, Contracts for consultants is the sibling page. See What should a UK consultant contract include?.

How should the programme, sessions and fees be written?

Name the sessions, the length, the format and what “done” looks like. “Coaching” is not a list. “Eight 60-minute Zoom sessions over 12 weeks; no 24/7 WhatsApp cover” is a list. Write the package price, any payment plan and a right to pause if an invoice is overdue. A deposit of 30–50% on signature is a common shape, not a statutory rate. There is no default UK right to keep a ; both sides have to agree it. See payment terms and What goes in a freelance or contractor agreement.

How should cancellation, no-show and consumer rights work?

Write the notice both sides use to cancel or reschedule. Forty-eight hours is a common coaching shape, not a statutory rule. A no-show is usually a used session if you wrote that. For a consumer who bought at a distance or off-premises, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give 14 days to cancel a service contract without giving a reason. An unfair consumer term is not binding — Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.62. A company buying executive coaching is a business client; an individual buying a life-coaching package usually is a consumer. The longer split is Client cancelled: can you keep the deposit?.

How should confidentiality and personal data be written?

Session talk stays private. Write the usual limits: harm, crime, or a court order. That is practice, not a statute we invent. Your own client notes and bookings are typically data you control. UK GDPR Article 28 applies when you process personal data for a client organisation — for example employee details on a corporate coaching programme. Write that in data protection and confidentiality. A mutual NDA sits next to a pitch. See NDA for UK freelancers.

Who owns the worksheets, and how should retainer and liability work?

You do, unless you assign them. CDPA 1988 s.11 makes the author the first owner of freelance copyright. Section 90 says an assignment is not effective unless it is in writing, signed. named worksheets on full payment; keep frameworks as pre-existing materials. A retainer buys a named monthly slot; a programme buys a named package. Cap liability at the fees. You cannot exclude death or personal injury caused by negligence — Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 s.2. See limitation of liability and How a freelancer caps liability.

Frequently asked questions

What contract does a coach need?

A coaching agreement covering the programme, session format, fees, cancellation and no-show notice, confidentiality, who owns worksheets, consumer rights when you sell to individuals, and a . There is no coaching-only template; start from the consulting agreement, the freelancer agreement or the retainer.

Is a coaching agreement the same as therapy?

No. Coaching is a commercial service: sessions, a programme and a fee. It is not therapy, medical treatment or regulated advice. Write that boundary on the paper. You advise; they decide. Do not hold out a session as a diagnosis or a guaranteed outcome.

Can I keep the fee if the client cancels or no-shows?

Only if both sides agreed the notice, the no-show rule and what is kept. There is no default UK 48-hour rule and no default right to keep a deposit. For a consumer, a 14-day cancellation right can apply on a distance or off-premises service contract, and the term must be fair.

Do I own the worksheets until I am paid?

Yes, unless you already assigned copyright in writing, signed. CDPA 1988 s.11 makes you the first owner of freelance copyright. s.90 requires a signed written assignment. Paying an invoice does not move ownership. Write a licence or assignment on full payment.

Do consumer clients get 14 days to cancel?

Yes, on a distance or off-premises service contract. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 let a consumer cancel during that period without giving a reason. For a service contract the period ends 14 days after the day the contract is entered into. A company buying in the course of business is not a consumer for those Regulations.

Can my client sign without creating an account?

Yes. You share one link, the client reads the agreement in Plain English, agrees and signs. It is free for them.

Sources

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The legal wording governsLast reviewed 4 November 2026Pending lawyer review