HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a life coach in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
No register applies to life coaches in any UK nation. Here are the checks, the questions to ask and the warning signs.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a life coach in five steps
- Know that no register appliesAsk about training and any accreditation, and check it.
- Use the discovery callJudge fit before you pay.
- Agree goals and lengthSessions, frequency, total cost.
- Get the terms in writingIncluding cancellation.
- Know the limitMental health problems are for your GP or a therapist, not a coach.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
No licence or statutory register applies to life coaches in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected — anyone may use it. Accreditation by a coaching body is voluntary.
Ask the life coach which training and accreditation they hold and check it with the body that awarded it.
Protected psychologist titles
A life coach is not a therapist in law, and the practitioner psychologist titles — clinical, counselling, health, occupational, sport and exercise psychologist among them — are protected: only someone on the HCPC Register may use them, under the Health Professions Order 2001.
If the life coach uses one of those titles, search them on the HCPC Register; if they are struggling to explain the difference, that tells you something. hcpc-uk.org →
Insurance
No register sets an insurance rule for a life coach; professional indemnity insurance is the cover that pays if their advice causes you a loss.
Ask the life coach whether they carry professional indemnity insurance and with whom.
Trader status and the 14-day cancellation right
A life coach in business is a trader under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A coaching programme agreed online or by phone can be cancelled within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you asked for sessions to start in that time, you pay for what you had.
Get the life coach's programme, total price and cancellation terms in writing before paying.
VAT
Life coaching is standard-rated: a VAT-registered life coach adds 20%. A life coach over £90,000 must charge VAT and show it separately; a coach under the threshold charges none.
Ask for the VAT number if VAT is on the invoice, and whether the programme total includes it. gov.uk →
A good answer: A named course and an accrediting body you can check.
A good answer: A clear line, and a life coach willing to refer you on.
A good answer: Goals, number of sessions and frequency.
A good answer: One figure, in writing.
A good answer: A named supervisor or peer group.
A good answer: Notice and refund terms.
A good answer: Yes, with the narrow limits explained.
Getting the quote right
- Who actually attends — the life coach from the discovery call, or an associate, employed or subcontracted
- Total programme price and number of sessions
- Discovery call free or charged
- Materials or assessments priced
- The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on its own line
- Cancellation and early-exit terms
- Online or in person
Walk away if
- Promises to change your life in weeks
- Uses a psychologist title without HCPC registration
- Pushes high-priced programmes on the discovery call
- Offers to treat depression or trauma
- No written terms
- Discourages you from seeing your GP
What a life coach costs: £25–£150 per session
Life coaches charge per session or for a programme over several months. Life Coach price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Life coaches near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- Discovery callFit and goals.
- Goal settingClear goals agreed.
- Coaching sessionsStructured conversations and actions.
- AccountabilityFollow-up on actions each session.
- Review and closeWhat changed and what next.
- Discovery call
- A short first call to check fit.
- Accreditation
- Voluntary recognition by a coaching body.
- Supervision
- A coach's own review of their practice.
- Action plan
- Agreed next steps.
- Contracting
- Agreeing goals and terms at the start.
- Practitioner psychologist
- HCPC-protected titles.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a life coach: questions people ask
No. No licence or statutory register applies in any UK nation, and the title is not protected.
No. Coaching is not treatment for a mental health problem; psychologist titles are protected and need HCPC registration.
Agreed online or by phone, usually within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, paying for any sessions you had.
£25 to £150 a session, typically around £65. Programmes bought up front can cost less per session; ask the total. Read the life coach price guide for the factors, then search above to see life coaches in your area.
At 20% if the coach is VAT-registered.
Tell the coach in writing; one in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in health & wellbeing
Life coaches near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- HCPC — understanding the regulation of psychologists
- HCPC — check the Register
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
- VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register