Personal Trainer Contract Template: What to Include

Many disputes between trainers and clients are not about training. They are about money and expectations: a missed session, a refund request, a reply that took three days. A clear contract settles those before they happen.

Important: this is general information, not legal advice. Contract and consumer law, and how far a liability waiver protects you, vary by state and country. Use this outline to prepare, then have your final agreement reviewed by an attorney where you practice.

What a personal trainer contract should include

1. The parties and the date

Your business name, the client's name and contact details, and the start date.

2. Services

Exactly what the client gets: number and length of sessions, or for online coaching, the program, the meal plan or nutrition guidance, how often check-ins happen and how fast you reply. Also say what is not included, such as unlimited messaging, calls or plan changes outside check-ins.

3. Term and renewal

How long the agreement lasts, whether it renews automatically, and how the client stops it renewing. Automatic renewal rules vary by state, so this is a clause to have checked.

4. Price and payment

The price, billing schedule and payment method.
What happens if a payment fails.
How and with how much notice you can change prices.

5. Cancellations and no-shows

For in-person sessions: how much notice is needed to move a session, and what happens with late cancellations and no-shows. For online coaching: what happens if the client misses check-ins. Many trainers use a 24-hour notice rule; whatever you choose, apply it the same way to everyone.

6. Refunds

When a refund is available, for what and how it is calculated, for example unused sessions in a pack. Be clear and fair; consumer protection laws can override a "no refunds" line.

7. Health screening and client responsibilities

The client confirms they completed a health screening honestly, such as the PAR-Q+, and will tell you about any change in their health.
They will follow medical advice and stop and tell you if something feels wrong.
For online clients: they train unsupervised and are responsible for their environment and equipment.

8. Assumption of risk and liability

The client acknowledges that exercise carries risk. This section often includes a release or waiver. Its strength depends on state law, so it is the clause most worth an attorney's time. Keep professional liability insurance either way; a waiver is not a substitute.

9. Scope of practice

State what you are and aren't: you are not a doctor or, unless licensed, a dietitian, and you don't diagnose or treat medical conditions. If you provide nutrition coaching, describe it within what your state allows. See how to become a nutrition coach for the scope question.

10. Results

A plain line that results depend on many factors, including the client's adherence, and that you don't guarantee a specific outcome unless your offer does so in writing.

11. Privacy, data and photos

What information you collect (health answers, measurements, photos) and how you store it.
Who can see it, and that you won't share it without consent.
Separate, opt-in consent before any progress photo or testimonial is used publicly, even cropped. See progress photos.

12. Communication

The channels you use, your hours, and your response time. In online coaching, this clause heads off a lot of frustration.

13. Ending the agreement

How either side can end it, the notice needed, and what happens to prepaid sessions or months. Include your right to end the agreement for abusive behavior or non-payment.

14. Signatures

Signed and dated by both sides before the first session or payment. For minors, a parent or guardian signs. An electronic signature is generally fine, but confirm for your state.

Extra points for online coaching contracts

Which app or platform coaching runs on, and that the client agrees to its terms.
How check-ins work: the day, what to submit and when you reply.
That the client is responsible for training safely without supervision.
Which law applies when the client lives in another state or country.

Putting it into your onboarding

A contract only helps if every client signs it before starting. Make it a fixed step: offer accepted, agreement and health screening sent, both returned, then the first plan. In CoachPilot, the onboarding questionnaire is assigned as soon as you add a client, so your intake questions are waiting when they open the app, and signed documents can be shared in the client conversation, attached to that client.

The short version

Put services, term, price, cancellations, refunds, health screening, risk, scope, privacy, communication and how to end the agreement in writing, signed before the first session. Add response times and check-in rules for online coaching. Use a template to prepare, and have the final version checked by an attorney in your state.

Frequently asked questions

It is strongly advisable. A written agreement sets out what the client is buying, how payment and cancellations work and what each side is responsible for. It prevents many disputes, and your insurer may expect you to have one.

The parties, the services and what is not included, the term and renewal, price and payment, cancellations and no-shows, refunds, health screening and the client's responsibilities, assumption of risk and liability, scope of practice, privacy and photo consent, ending the agreement, and signatures.

No. A waiver or release is one part of the agreement, where the client acknowledges the risks of exercise. How far a waiver protects you depends on state law, so have it reviewed by a local attorney and keep your insurance in place regardless.

It should define response times and the channel for communication, how check-ins work, that the client trains unsupervised, how the app or platform is used, and how photos and data are stored. Clients may also be in other states or countries, which affects which law applies.

Many trainers require notice, such as 24 hours, to move a session without charge, and treat late cancellations and no-shows as a used session. Whatever you choose, put it in writing, apply it consistently and make sure clients see it before they pay.

A template is a good starting point, but have the final version reviewed by an attorney in your state, because enforceability, consumer protection rules and waivers differ by state.

Keep comparing: see the full CoachPilot pricing and comparison table, the PAR-Q+ and client intake, the personal trainer business plan and personal training packages.

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