Life coach
invoice template

Life coaches invoice individual clients for sessions and packages, and sometimes employers for coaching staff. Below is a ready-made life coach invoice template, with worked example lines, the VAT and payment rules that apply, and the mistakes that most often delay payment.

What goes on a life coach invoice

Show the package, the number of sessions, the period, and dates of sessions held.

Line by line: Coaching package, 6 sessions, 1 × £540.00 = £540.00; Additional session, 1 × £95.00 = £95.00. The subtotal is £635.00. The example assumes you are not VAT registered, so there is no VAT and the total due is £635.00. The figures are illustrative, not a price guide, so use your own rates.

The legal minimum is the same for every trade. GOV.UK says an invoice needs a unique number, your business name and address, the customer's name and address, a description of the work, the supply date and invoice date, the amount charged, VAT if you charge it, and the total due. This template lays each of those out for life coaches; for the detail, read what a UK invoice must include.

Give each invoice the next number in a single sequence and never reuse one. A cancelled invoice keeps its number and is cancelled with a credit note. If you want a format that stays tidy for years, try the invoice number generator.

How life coaches price their work

Packages of sessions over a set period, with single sessions at a higher rate.

Keep the pricing visible. Each line should show the quantity, the unit and the rate, so the customer can match it to the quote. To set rates that cover your costs and your tax, try the day rate calculator; for materials and stock you resell, the profit margin calculator shows the margin you really make.

Agree this before you start

Agree the package, the number and length of sessions, the period they run over, how sessions can be rescheduled, what support is included between sessions (messages, calls, worksheets), and refunds if the client stops part-way. Coaching is not therapy: if a client would be better served by a health professional, say so and record that you have.

When to send a life coach invoice

In advance of each package.

An invoice sent on the day tends to be paid on time; one sent weeks later tends to be paid weeks later. Email it as a PDF and keep a copy. The invoice due date calculator shows exactly when payment falls due under your terms.

VAT on life coach invoices

Coaching is standard-rated for a VAT-registered coach.

There is no general VAT relief for fitness, coaching or complementary therapy: once registered it is 20%. The health exemption is narrow and tied to statutory registers. Most sole traders here stay under the £90,000 threshold, so their invoices simply show the price with no VAT line.

Registration is compulsory once taxable turnover in the last 12 months passes £90,000, or when you expect to pass it within the next 30 days. Check your position with the VAT registration checker; until then, see invoicing without a VAT number.

Who life coaches invoice

Corporate clients, venues and studios pay against invoices that quote their reference and list each class or session with its date. Private clients booking packages online have a 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations; if they ask you to start sooner, they pay for sessions already delivered.

Employers paying for staff coaching need a purchase order and an invoice addressed to the company, and they may want a short report on attendance, never on what was discussed. Agree confidentiality terms with both the employer and the person being coached before the first session.

Recharging costs and expenses

When you agreed to pass on costs, list them separately: mileage at an agreed rate, parking, materials or anything bought for the customer. The recharge is income and the cost is an expense, both in full. Registered businesses charge VAT on the recharge as part of their service; a true disbursement, paid as the customer's agent, is the narrow exception. Use the mileage calculator to value your business miles.

Packages, memberships and expiry dates

Packages and memberships need two things on the invoice: what is included and when it expires. Show the number of sessions, the period, and your cancellation terms, and keep a simple record of sessions used. On the cash basis the income counts when you are paid. A refund of unused sessions should be recorded with a credit note, not by deleting the original invoice.

Deposits, stages and cancellations

Packages paid up front, sometimes in instalments.

Sell blocks of sessions up front and put the number of sessions and the expiry date on the invoice, so there is no argument later about what was paid for. Charge for late cancellations only under terms agreed at booking.

Payment terms for life coaches

In advance or by instalments.

Between businesses, the default when nothing is agreed is 30 days from receipt of the invoice or the work, whichever comes later, and agreed terms should not normally exceed 60 days. Late business payers owe statutory interest at 8% above Bank Rate plus fixed compensation per invoice; the late payment interest calculator does the sums. Private individuals are not covered by that Act, so agree your terms with them in writing before the work starts.

Getting paid faster

Put everything the customer needs to pay on the invoice: your bank name, account name, sort code and account number, and the reference to use, normally the invoice number. Give a due date, not just "on receipt". Then follow a routine: a reminder the day after the due date, another a week later, and a firmer letter after two weeks. Most late payment is disorganisation, not refusal, and a routine fixes it. Invoice payment terms compares the common options, and the due date calculator turns them into a date.

If a customer disputes the invoice

When a customer queries an invoice, reply quickly and in writing, quote the quote or agreement, and ask them to pay the part they accept while you resolve the rest. A credit note can settle a partial dispute cleanly. Unpaid after reminders? Send a letter before action with a final date; in England and Wales, claims up to £10,000 can then go to the small claims track. Invoice disputes and small claims for an unpaid invoice have the detail.

Common life coach invoicing mistakes

• Instalments without a schedule. If a package is paid in instalments, list the dates and amounts on the invoice.
• No refund terms. State what happens if a client stops before the package is used.
• Employer-funded coaching invoiced to the individual. Invoice the company that is paying, with its purchase order.
• Leaving out the due date. "Payment due within 14 days" or a date on the invoice gives you something to chase against. Without one, business customers default to 30 days.
• Losing track of what is unpaid. Chase on the day after the due date, not a month later; the guide to chasing an unpaid invoice has the wording.

Checklist before you send it

A quick check before sending saves a chase later:

• The invoice number is the next in your sequence and has never been used.
• The customer's name and address are right, with their purchase order or reference if they use one.
• Each line shows what was done, the quantity, the unit and the rate.
• The subtotal and total add up, and VAT appears only if you are VAT registered.
• The invoice date, a due date and your bank details are on it.
• A copy is saved with your records before you press send.

Keep a copy of every invoice

Your invoices are the evidence behind the income on your tax return, so keep a copy of every one. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax makes that digital: from 6 April 2026 for qualifying income over £50,000, from April 2027 over £30,000, and from April 2028 over £20,000, with quarterly updates to HMRC. Check your start date with the MTD requirement checker.

Download the life coach invoice template

Download it as a Word document for Word or Google Docs, as an Excel workbook whose totals are live formulas, or as a print-ready PDF. Prefer to fill it in on screen? The free invoice generator opens pre-filled with the example life coach lines, lets you choose a template and colour, and makes a finished PDF in a minute, with nothing stored.

For the tax side of the trade, from allowable expenses to Making Tax Digital, read the self-employed life coach tax guide. A TapTax account, free to start, keeps your invoices and records together and files your quarterly updates to HMRC.