Pricing benchmark
How much should you charge for 1:1 coaching?
One-on-one coaching is the most personal — and most time-bound — thing you sell, so its price has to carry your time, your expertise, and the result the client is actually buying. There's no universal rate card, but there is a method that gets you to a defensible number. The band on this page reflects real one-on-one payments processed through CheckMargin once enough exist to show without exposing any single coach.
Price the result, not the hour
The most common pricing mistake in 1:1 coaching is selling time. Your client isn't buying a 45-minute call; they're buying a transformation — strength, a marathon finish, a body-composition change, accountability they can't get alone. Anchor the price to the outcome and the timeframe to reach it, then let the call cadence follow. Outcome-led pricing also protects your margin: a single weekly call priced by the hour caps your income at your calendar, whereas a programme priced on the result lets you charge for the value, not the minutes.
Work backwards from your take-home
A reliable way to set a floor is to start from the income you actually need to keep, then add everything that comes off the top before you do:
- Processing fees — roughly 3% plus a fixed amount per payment (see the Stripe fees guide).
- Tool costs — your share of TrueCoach, Zoom, scheduling, and the rest, spread across active clients.
- Tax reserve — set aside before the money feels like yours.
- Unpaid hours — admin, programme design, and check-ins between calls.
Run a real payment through the take-home calculator to see what a given price actually leaves you. If the number after all of that doesn't clear your goal, the headline price is too low — raise it or tighten the package, don't absorb the gap.
What justifies a premium 1:1 rate
Within one-on-one coaching, the levers that support a higher number are specialisation (a narrow niche you're known for beats general fitness), proof (documented client results and testimonials), access (messaging between calls, faster turnaround, a smaller roster), and delivery (a structured programme with assessments and adjustments, not just a recurring call). Sell in blocks — a 12-week engagement rather than a rolling monthly call — so the price reflects the full result and your income is predictable enough to plan around.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge per session or per package for 1:1 coaching?
Packages almost always win. Per-session pricing caps your income at your calendar and frames you as time-for-money, while a block (e.g. 12 weeks) lets you price the result, smooths your cash flow, and improves client commitment and outcomes.
How do I know if my 1:1 rate is too low?
Work a real payment through your processing fees, tool costs, tax reserve, and unpaid hours. If what's left doesn't clear the take-home you need per client, the price is too low — raise it or reduce what's included rather than quietly absorbing the shortfall.