There's a paragraph in the middle of my coaching contract that lived there for almost four years before I actually read it carefully. I'd copied the bones of my original agreement from a coach I admired back when I was starting out, changed the obvious things (my name, my rates, the session length), and sent it to my first real client feeling like I was playing dress-up. That paragraph, it turned out, described a cancellation policy that didn't match what I actually did. I'd been telling clients one thing on the phone and sending them a document that said something slightly different. Nobody noticed. Or if they did, they were too polite to mention it.
Most of us don't talk about this. The contract is the thing you send after the exciting part (the client said yes!) and before the real part (the work begins). It lives in a folder somewhere. You pull it out, update the name and the date, maybe glance at it, and hit send. If you're being honest, you might not be entirely sure what every clause means or why it's there.
Here's what I've figured out over nine years: the coaching contract is not primarily a legal document. I mean, it is one. But that's not what it's for. It's the first act of the coaching relationship. It sets the temperature of everything that follows. And most of us are getting it wrong, not because we're careless, but because nobody ever explained what each piece is actually doing.
So here's my full template, what each section is for, and the two things most coaches leave out that cause real friction later.
What the contract is actually doing
Some coaches avoid contracts because they feel cold. Corporate. Like you're lawyering up before the relationship even starts. I understand that instinct, and I think it's exactly backwards.
A good coaching contract removes ambiguity. That's it. When both people know the boundaries, the structure, the expectations, and the exit ramps, they can stop wondering about all of that and actually focus on the work. I've had clients visibly relax after reading mine. Not because it was legally impressive, but because it answered every question they would've been too polite to ask out loud.
The contract I use now is about two pages. It took me nine years of small revisions to get there. I'll give you the whole thing below, but first, the logic behind the sections.
The sections, and why each one is there
Scope and objectives. This is where most coaches are too vague. "We will work together on your leadership development" tells the client nothing and protects nobody. I write two or three specific sentences about what we're working on, based on our intake conversation. This section gets customized every time. If, four months in, the engagement has drifted somewhere completely different (which happens, and that's fine), we revisit this section together. Having it written down means there's something to revisit.
Session structure. How often, how long, what platform. Sounds obvious. But I can't tell you how many coaches leave this verbal and then end up in an awkward negotiation when a client assumes sessions are 90 minutes and you assumed 60. Write it down.
Fees and payment. I'll come back to this one. It's one of the two sections most coaches handle badly.
Cancellation and rescheduling. The other one most coaches handle badly. More on this in a moment.
Confidentiality. What you keep private, what you don't, and the exceptions. If you're coaching inside an organization with a sponsor involved, this section is critical. The client needs to know exactly what goes back to their boss and what doesn't. I spell this out in plain language. No legal jargon.
What coaching is and isn't. The "not therapy" clause. I keep this short and honest. Coaching is not therapy, not consulting, not mentoring. If something comes up that's beyond my scope, I'll say so and help them find the right resource. This protects both of you, and it's also just true.
Working agreement. I actually send this as a separate document now, not embedded in the contract. The contract is the legal and logistical piece — everyone gets the same one. The working agreement is the relational piece — that one gets written for each client. I've written about that process separately in my coaching agreement template piece.
Termination. How either party can end the engagement. Clean, simple, no guilt. This matters more than you think.
The full template
I'm giving you the complete text. Use it, adapt it, make it yours. But please (I'll say this once) have a lawyer in your jurisdiction look at the liability language before you use it with real clients. Liability clauses vary by state and province, and getting this piece wrong is the one area where template-borrowing can actually bite you.
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COACHING AGREEMENT Between: [Coach Name], [credentials if applicable] And: [Client Name] Effective Date: [Date] 1. Scope and Objectives This coaching engagement is focused on [2–3 specific sentences based on intake conversation, e.g., "supporting your transition from VP of Engineering to a broader operational leadership role, with particular attention to how you build relationships with cross-functional peers and communicate strategic priorities to your team"]. These objectives may evolve as our work progresses. If the focus of our coaching shifts significantly, we will revisit this section together and update it in writing. 2. Session Structure We will meet for [frequency, e.g., twice monthly] sessions of [length, e.g., 60 minutes] each, conducted via [platform, e.g., Zoom/phone/in-person]. Sessions will be scheduled in advance and confirmed by email. Between sessions, you are welcome to reach out via email or text for brief check-ins. I will respond within 24 hours on business days. Between-session communication is not a substitute for session time. 3. Fees and Payment The fee for this engagement is [amount] per [session/month/engagement]. Payment is due [within 7 days of invoice / at the beginning of each month / per agreed schedule]. Invoices will be sent via [method]. If payment is not received within 14 days of the invoice date, a late fee of [amount or percentage] will apply. If payment is more than 30 days overdue, coaching sessions will be paused until the balance is resolved. This is not punitive. It is a boundary that allows me to maintain my practice and serve all my clients well. 4. Cancellation and Rescheduling Either party may reschedule a session with at least 48 hours' notice. Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice will be charged in full, except in genuine emergencies. If you need to pause our work for an extended period (more than four weeks), please let me know and we will discuss how to handle the pause, including whether to hold your recurring slot. If three consecutive sessions are cancelled or missed without communication, I will reach out once to check in. If I don't hear back within two weeks, I will consider the engagement concluded and send a final invoice for any outstanding balance. 5. Confidentiality Everything discussed in our coaching sessions is confidential. I will not share the content of our conversations with anyone without your explicit written permission. Exceptions: I am required to break confidentiality if I believe there is an imminent risk of harm to you or others, or if required by law. [If organizationally sponsored:] Your organization has engaged me to support your development. I will provide [brief written progress updates / verbal check-ins] to [sponsor name/role] focused on themes and development areas only. I will not share specific content from our sessions. You and I will agree in advance on what is shared, and I will review any written updates with you before they are sent. 6. What Coaching Is and Isn't Coaching is a collaborative process focused on your goals, your growth, and your capacity to lead effectively. It is not therapy, counseling, consulting, or mentoring. I will not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. If during our work I believe you would benefit from therapeutic support, I will say so directly and respectfully, and I can help you find appropriate resources. You are responsible for your own decisions and actions. I will support your thinking, challenge your assumptions, and hold you accountable to your own commitments. The outcomes of this engagement depend on your active participation. 7. Working Agreement [I send this as a separate document. The contract covers the logistics and legalities. The working agreement covers how we'll actually work together. See my piece on coaching agreements for the full template and the AI workflow I use to write one per client.] 8. Liability [Have a lawyer draft or review this section for your jurisdiction. At minimum, it should clarify that coaching is not a licensed profession in most jurisdictions, that you carry professional liability insurance (if you do, and you should), and that the client agrees to hold you harmless for decisions they make based on the coaching engagement. Do not copy liability language from the internet without legal review.] 9. Termination Either party may end this engagement at any time with 14 days' written notice. Upon termination, any outstanding fees will be invoiced and are due within 14 days. There is no penalty for ending our work. If you've gotten what you need, or if this isn't the right fit, I'd rather know than continue an engagement that isn't serving you. Agreed: [Client Name / Signature / Date] [Coach Name / Signature / Date]
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The two sections most coaches skip (and regret later)
Payment terms with actual consequences. Most coaching contracts I've reviewed say something about fees and then go completely silent on what happens when someone doesn't pay. This feels generous. It's not. It's avoidant. I added the late fee and the 30-day pause language after a client went three months without paying and I kept coaching them because I liked them and didn't want things to get weird. Things got weird anyway, just later, and with a much larger unpaid balance.
Put the boundary in the contract. Say it plainly. I even added that line about it not being punitive, because it's not. It's a working agreement between two adults.
What happens when a client ghosts. Nobody talks about this, but it happens. Not often, but enough. A client stops showing up. Doesn't respond to rescheduling emails. You're left wondering whether to keep their slot open, whether to invoice, whether something is wrong. The three-missed-sessions clause gives you a clear protocol. You reach out, you give it two weeks, and then you close the engagement cleanly. This protects your schedule and, honestly, it protects them too. Nobody wants to be haunted by a coaching relationship they feel guilty about abandoning.
Where AI actually helps with contracts
The contract itself is a PDF I update once or twice a year. It doesn't need AI — it needs clarity and a lawyer's eye on the liability section. Where AI has been useful is in the review phase.
When I rewrote my contract last year, I ran the old version through Margaret and asked: "What's ambiguous here? What could a reasonable person misread? What questions would this leave unanswered?" It caught three things I'd missed. One was the cancellation language being vague about whether "session" meant a single meeting or an entire engagement. One was the confidentiality section not addressing what happens with a corporate sponsor. The third was a payment term that technically allowed indefinite delays.
If you already have a contract, that's worth doing. Paste it in and ask what's unclear. You'll find something.
The per-client customization happens in a separate document — the coaching agreement, which I've written about separately. That's where the AI workflow saves real time. The contract stays the same for everyone.
The one thing you must not skip
Get a lawyer to look at your liability clause. I'm serious. I know it costs money. I know it feels excessive for a two-page coaching agreement. I don't care. Liability language is jurisdiction-specific and the stakes, while low-probability, are high-consequence. A coach I know (good coach, solid practice) had a former client's company come after her because a clause in her contract was ambiguous about intellectual property discussed in sessions. It cost her $4,000 in legal fees to resolve, and a reviewed liability clause would have prevented it entirely.
You don't need a lawyer to review the whole contract. Just the liability section. Most will do it for a flat fee. Ask for one.
A word about contracts feeling "too formal"
I had a colleague tell me once that sending a contract felt like it undermined the trust she was trying to build with a new client. I get the impulse. And I think it's the wrong instinct.
The coaches I respect most are precise about boundaries. Not rigid. Precise. There's a difference. A contract that says "here's exactly how this works, here's how we'll handle the hard parts, and here's how either of us can walk away cleanly" is not a barrier to trust. It's the foundation of it.
I learned this from the client I lost early in my career. I was so focused on process, on doing things "right," that I missed the person. But the lesson wasn't to abandon structure. It was to make the structure serve the relationship instead of the other way around. A good contract does exactly that. It says: I've thought about this. I've thought about what could go wrong. I want us both to be free to focus on your work, not on logistics.
I finally rewrote that paragraph from the beginning of this piece last year. Took ten minutes. Probably should have done it in 2019.