For Coaches & Trainers
Your next session is booked.
Nothing is in writing yet.
Late cancellations, client sharing your frameworks, disputes at the end of a programme. A coaching contract takes 60 seconds to generate and covers all three — under UK law.
Get my coaching contract ready →Free with watermark. Clean PDF for £9.
What late cancellations cost you
Without a written cancellation clause, a client who drops out the morning of a session owes you nothing. Calculate the annual exposure — then decide if £9 is worth it.
Your session fee
At 4 late cancellations per year (conservative estimate):
£1,200 lost annually
A cancellation clause turns every one of those into a protected, billable slot. A consulting agreement is £9 — or free with a watermark to preview first.
The problems coaches run into — and how a contract fixes them
Problem
Client cancels the morning of the session
What the contract does
Cancellation clause: 100% of session fee is due with under 48 hours notice. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998 enforces unpaid cancellation fees with 8% interest — in writing, from day one.
Problem
Client forwards your workbooks, slides, and frameworks to colleagues
What the contract does
IP clause: your programme materials, frameworks, and methodologies are licensed to this client only — for personal use during the programme. Redistribution without written consent is a breach of contract.
Problem
Multi-session programme, client disputes the final payment
What the contract does
Milestone payment schedule baked in. Late Payment Act 1998 interest kicks in automatically at 8% over base rate. They cannot receive remaining sessions until outstanding invoices are cleared.
Problem
"Can we add a few extra sessions to the programme?"
What the contract does
Change control clause: any expansion of scope must be agreed in writing at your rate before additional sessions commence. No written agreement, no additional work.
Built on UK statute — not generic templates
Cancellation fees
Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998 — 8% statutory interest enforced automatically on overdue cancellation invoices.
IP ownership
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 — your frameworks vest in you as creator. The client clause confirms the licence scope.
Penalty vs. liquidated damages
Cavendish Square [2015] UKSC 67 — cancellation fees are enforceable when they reflect genuine loss, not punitive intent.
Which contract do you need?
Consulting Agreement
The right contract for coaching engagements — covers scope, cancellation, IP, confidentiality, payment schedule, and programme boundaries.
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For corporate clientsNDA
Before a corporate client shares sensitive business information, strategy, or personnel details as part of an executive coaching programme.
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Freelance Contract
If you are delivering a defined training project or workshop with specific deliverables — slides, a recorded course, or written materials.
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How it works
Enter your engagement details
Client name, programme scope, session fee, payment schedule, and cancellation window. About 2 minutes.
AI generates your contract
UK consulting agreement with cancellation clause, IP protection, payment terms, and confidentiality. Under 60 seconds.
Send before session one
PDF ready to email. Client signs before any session begins. If they won't sign, you don't start.
Questions coaches ask
Should I use a consulting agreement or a freelance contract for coaching?
Consulting agreement. Coaching is an advisory and developmental service — you are not delivering a project or a tangible product. A consulting agreement is structured around scope of engagement, cancellation terms, programme IP, and confidentiality obligations. A freelance contract is designed for project-based deliverables and is the wrong vehicle for ongoing coaching relationships.
Can I actually enforce a cancellation fee?
Yes — provided it is written into the contract before the engagement starts and represents a genuine pre-estimate of your loss (the missed session slot you cannot fill on short notice). Courts apply the Cavendish Square v Makdessi [2015] UKSC 67 test: a fee that reflects real commercial loss is enforceable. A 100% cancellation fee for under 48 hours notice on a slot-based service is well within this standard.
Who owns the frameworks and materials in my coaching programme?
You do — under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, intellectual property vests in the creator. But you need to say so explicitly in the contract. Without a clause, clients assume that materials delivered during a programme are theirs to keep, share, and reuse. The IP clause in Contracto's consulting agreement grants the client a personal licence for the programme duration only. Your frameworks, workbooks, and models remain yours.
What should the contract say about what clients tell me in sessions?
The confidentiality clause runs both ways. You keep what clients share in sessions confidential (with standard carve-outs for mandatory reporting obligations). Clients keep your materials, methods, and programme structure confidential. This is especially important in corporate executive coaching where clients may share sensitive business, HR, or strategic information.
How do I structure payment for a 12-week programme?
The most common structure is: 50% upfront on signature, 50% at the halfway point (session 6 or 7). This is built into the payment schedule field. Alternatively, monthly invoicing works for open-ended retainer coaching relationships. Whichever structure you choose, the contract specifies payment terms, and the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998 applies interest automatically at 8% over Bank of England base rate on overdue invoices.
Protect your next engagement
One coaching contract covers every client, every programme, every session. Generate free to preview — £9 for the clean PDF you can send today.
Also useful: Fractional executives · Freelancers