You're worth more than you think. Probably.
You've finished training, you've coached a few practice clients, and now someone is about to ask you the question every new coach dreads: "What do you charge?" Pull a number out of thin air and you'll either undersell yourself for years or scare off the right client with a number you can't defend.
There's a real range, real math behind it, and a clear way to land on a rate that pays you what you're worth without pricing yourself out of the market. The short answer: most new life coaches should charge $75 to $150 per session. Certified coaches in a clear niche command $150 to $250. Executive and specialty coaches charge $250 to $500 or more.
This guide gives you the full pricing landscape, the five factors that drive your rate, the three pricing models that actually work, and a step-by-step formula to calculate your minimum rate based on your income goal.
Table of contents
- Life coaching pricing ranges in 2026
- Five factors that determine your rate
- The three main pricing models
- How to calculate your minimum rate
- When (and how) to raise your prices
- Common pricing mistakes
- FAQ
Life coaching pricing ranges in 2026
Coaching is an unregulated profession, so pricing is entirely market-driven. There's no licensing board telling you what to charge. The ranges below come from coach surveys, industry reports, and real Talkspresso provider data.
Hourly rates by experience level
| Experience Level | Per-Session Rate (60 min) |
|---|---|
| New coach (0-1 year, no certification) | $75 to $150 |
| Newly certified coach (ICF ACC or equivalent) | $100 to $200 |
| Established coach (3+ years, full client roster) | $150 to $300 |
| Executive or specialty coach | $250 to $500 |
| Master-level coach (ICF MCC, recognized authority) | $400 to $1,000+ |
Most coaches stay in the $100 to $250 range for their entire career. Pushing past $300 per session usually requires a clear niche, a real reputation, and clients who can expense coaching through their employer.
Package pricing (the industry standard)
Most working coaches don't charge per session. They sell packages. A package is a fixed number of sessions over a fixed timeframe, sold as one offer at one price.
| Package | Typical Price (New Coach) | Typical Price (Established Coach) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 sessions over 1 month | $400 to $600 | $700 to $1,200 |
| 8 sessions over 2 months | $800 to $1,200 | $1,400 to $2,400 |
| 12 sessions over 3 months (most common) | $1,500 to $2,500 | $2,400 to $4,500 |
| 24 sessions over 6 months | $2,800 to $4,500 | $4,500 to $9,000 |
Packages discount the per-session rate by 15 to 25 percent compared to one-off sessions. The discount is the trade for client commitment and your predictable revenue.
Group coaching rates
Group coaching dramatically increases your revenue per hour. Ten participants at $50 each is $500 an hour, even though each participant pays a fraction of your 1:1 rate.
| Format | Per-Participant Price |
|---|---|
| Small group (4 to 6 participants) | $100 to $300 per session |
| Medium group (8 to 12 participants) | $50 to $150 per session |
| Workshop or masterclass (one-off, 20 to 100+ participants) | $25 to $250 per ticket |
| Cohort program (8 to 12 participants, multi-session) | $500 to $3,000 per participant |
If you want to read more on group session structure and pricing, see how to run group coaching.
Five factors that determine your rate
Two coaches with identical training can charge very different rates because of these five variables. Use them to position yourself.
1. Your experience and credentials
Years coaching, hours logged, and certifications all signal expertise. ICF credentials in particular justify higher rates because corporate clients often require them. A coach with 500 logged hours and an ICF ACC credential can usually charge 30 to 50 percent more than a coach with the same training and no credential.
That said, experience is not the only signal. A coach with 20 years of executive HR experience who pivots into coaching can charge executive rates from day one because they bring real domain authority.
2. Your niche
Niche matters more than experience for pricing. A general "life coach" charges what the market for general life coaches will pay, which is usually under $150. An executive coach who specializes in helping VPs prepare for the C-suite charges $400 because the problem is high-stakes and the buyer can pay.
Profitable niches share three traits: high urgency (clients need help now, not someday), high willingness to pay (the problem is expensive to leave unsolved), and clear ROI (clients can articulate what they get).
If you haven't picked a niche yet, start there. It's the highest-leverage decision in your business.
3. Your market and location
Online coaching has flattened geography, but it hasn't eliminated it. A coach in Manhattan charges more than a coach in Tulsa serving the same niche, partly because of cost-of-living perception and partly because their network includes higher-earning clients.
Online and global doesn't mean priced for the lowest bidder. If your clients are mostly in the US and Western Europe, price for that market.
4. Session length and format
A 60-minute session is the default. A 90-minute deep-dive session can command 40 to 60 percent more, not 50 percent more. A 30-minute focused session usually prices at 60 to 75 percent of a 60-minute rate, not 50 percent. Think in flat per-session prices, not per-minute math.
Format also matters. Voice-only calls usually price 10 to 20 percent below video. In-person sessions can charge 25 to 50 percent above video, justified by your travel and setup time.
5. What's included beyond sessions
A package that includes 12 sessions plus email support between sessions, a workbook, and one bonus 30-minute "emergency call" is worth meaningfully more than 12 sessions alone. Anchor the price to the full deliverable, not just the call time.
The pattern most coaches use: include 2 to 4 hours of "between-session value" (email, voice memos, resources) and price the package 20 to 30 percent above the raw session math.
The three main pricing models
You can structure your offer in dozens of ways. Most working coaches use one of three models.
Per-session pricing
You sell individual sessions at a flat rate. Clients book one at a time. Simple, low commitment, low income predictability.
Best for: new coaches, specialty consultations, one-off "tune-up" clients with established coaches.
Pros: simple to start, no awkward refund conversations, easy to test pricing.
Cons: revenue varies wildly week to week, clients often quit before they get results, marketing has to work harder because every session is a new sale.
Package pricing
You sell a fixed number of sessions over a fixed timeframe at a single package price. Clients pay in full or on a payment plan, usually before the first session. This is what most established coaches use.
Best for: any coach with a clear methodology that takes more than one session to deliver results (which is almost everyone).
Pros: predictable revenue, client commitment, better outcomes (because the package is long enough to actually work), simpler client management.
Cons: higher upfront ask for clients, more pressure to deliver, refund policies need real thought.
The standard package is 12 sessions over 3 months at a 15 to 25 percent discount off the per-session rate.
Monthly retainer
Clients pay a flat monthly fee for ongoing access. Usually includes a set number of sessions plus email or messaging support. Common in executive and business coaching.
Best for: established coaches with long-term clients, executive niches, B2B engagements.
Pros: recurring revenue, deeper relationships, scope tends to expand naturally over time.
Cons: scope creep is real, "unlimited access" burns coaches out, harder to onboard new clients into.
For a deeper breakdown of all pricing models including hybrid and tiered approaches, see life coaching pricing models.
How to calculate your minimum rate
Most coaches pick a number that "feels right" and end up underearning. Here's the math instead.
Step 1: set your annual income goal
Pick a real number. Not "as much as possible." A specific number you can plan around. Example: $80,000 a year.
Step 2: subtract self-employment taxes and overhead
Set aside 25 to 30 percent for taxes. Set aside another 5 to 10 percent for tools, professional development, and unexpected expenses.
For an $80,000 income goal, your gross revenue target is roughly $80,000 divided by 0.65, or about $123,000.
Step 3: estimate your sustainable session count
Most coaches can sustain 15 to 25 client sessions a week without burnout. Less than 15 leaves money on the table. More than 25 erodes session quality and most coaches eventually scale back.
Multiply your weekly sessions by your working weeks. Most coaches work 45 to 48 weeks a year (4 to 7 weeks of vacation, holidays, and slow periods).
Example: 20 sessions a week x 46 weeks = 920 sessions a year.
Step 4: account for fill rate
You won't book every available slot. Realistic fill rates are 70 to 85 percent for established coaches and 50 to 70 percent for new coaches still building their pipeline.
Example: 920 available sessions x 70 percent fill rate = 644 actual sessions a year.
Step 5: do the math
Gross revenue target divided by actual sessions = your minimum per-session rate.
Example: $123,000 divided by 644 sessions = $191 per session.
Round to a clean number: $200 per session. Or build a 12-session package: $200 x 12 = $2,400, discounted to $1,995 for the package price.
If that number feels high, you have three options. Increase your fill rate (better marketing). Reduce your weekly sessions and add group or digital revenue. Or accept a lower income goal. What you can't do is charge $75 a session and hit $80,000 take-home without working yourself into the ground.
When (and how) to raise your prices
Most coaches raise their rates 12 to 18 months too late. Here's how to know when, and how to do it.
Signs you're undercharging
- You're booked solid and turning clients away
- Your fill rate is over 90 percent
- Clients say yes immediately without negotiating or hesitating
- You feel resentful about the work
- Your rate is the same as it was 18 months ago
If two or more of these are true, raise your rates.
How to raise your rates without losing clients
Existing clients usually keep their current rate (you grandfather them). New clients pay the new rate. Announce the change 30 to 60 days in advance to existing clients with a clean script:
"Starting [date], my rate for new clients will be $[new rate]. As an existing client, your rate stays the same through [end of current package or 12 months from now]. After that, your renewal will be at the new rate."
Most clients respect that. Some will sign a longer package at the old rate to lock in the price. That's fine. It's a vote of confidence in your work.
How much to raise
Raises of 10 to 25 percent are normal and easy to defend. Raises over 50 percent need justification: a new credential, a new niche, or a clear repositioning. Raises under 10 percent aren't worth the awkwardness.
Common pricing mistakes
Avoid these. They're the ones that cost coaches the most money.
Charging by the hour instead of by the transformation. Hours are a commodity. Outcomes are not. Price for what the client gets, not for the time you spend. A 12-session package that gets a client a $50,000 raise is worth more than 12 sessions of "talking through stuff."
Discounting before building value. "I'll knock off $50 if you book today" trains clients to negotiate. Set your price, hold the line, and let the client opt in or out at full rate. The exception is the launch rate (a 25 to 30 percent discount for your first three to five paying clients), which is intentional and time-limited.
Not accounting for taxes. Set aside 25 to 30 percent of every payment for self-employment taxes the second the money hits your account. Ignore this rule and you'll discover the problem during your first quarterly tax payment.
Comparing yourself to the cheapest coach online. There's always a coach charging $25 a session somewhere. They're not your competition. Your competition is the coach in your niche charging $200 a session and earning a real living. Price for that market.
Forgetting platform fees. If your booking platform takes 25 to 50 percent (some do), your "rate" isn't your rate. It's whatever's left after the platform's cut. On Talkspresso, you keep 90 percent of every session, so $200 is roughly $180 to you. Build your real take-home into your pricing math from the start.
FAQ
How much do most life coaches charge in 2026?
Most new life coaches charge $75 to $150 per session. Certified coaches charge $100 to $200. Established coaches in a defined niche charge $150 to $300. Executive and specialty coaches charge $250 to $500 or more. The range is wide because coaching is unregulated and pricing is entirely market-driven.
What's the average cost of a life coaching package?
The most common life coaching package is 12 sessions over 3 months. New coaches charge $1,200 to $2,400 for that package. Established coaches charge $2,400 to $4,500. Premium and executive coaches charge $5,000 to $15,000.
Should I charge by the session or by the package?
Most working coaches sell packages because they create predictable revenue, deeper client commitment, and better outcomes. Per-session pricing works for new coaches still testing the market and for established coaches who run occasional one-off sessions. By month six of your practice, you should have at least one package offer.
How much do I keep after platform fees?
Platform fees vary wildly. Some platforms take 25 to 50 percent of every booking. Others charge a flat monthly fee with no percentage. Talkspresso takes 10 percent of each booking with no monthly fee, so a $200 session pays you $180. Check the actual take-home math before you commit to any platform.
Should new coaches offer free sessions to get experience?
Free coaching often backfires. Clients who don't pay tend not to show up, do the work, or value the experience. A better approach is the launch rate: discount your normal rate by 25 to 30 percent for your first three to five paying clients. Once you have testimonials, charge your full rate.
How do I justify my price to a client who pushes back?
Don't justify. Reflect. "I hear that the price feels like a stretch. Where are you in your decision?" Most price objections aren't really about price. They're about whether the client believes the outcome is worth it. Talk about the outcome, not the rate.
When should I raise my rates?
Raise your rates when your fill rate hits 90 percent, when clients stop hesitating at your price, or when 12 to 18 months have passed since your last raise. Raises of 10 to 25 percent are normal and easy to defend. Grandfather existing clients at the old rate for the duration of their current package.
Set your price, and start booking
Pricing is a decision, not a discovery. Pick a number, defend it, and adjust based on what the market tells you. The fastest way to learn what the market will pay is to put a real price on a real booking page and start sending clients to it. Set up your Talkspresso page, list your services at the rates you decided on this week, and let the market vote with their wallets. You can always adjust in 90 days based on what you learn.
