Health Coach Rates: How Much Should You Charge as a Health Coach?

Health coaching is a great career for anyone interested in nutrition, fitness, and wellness. If you are passionate about helping people, consider it as a career option. You’ll need to get certified and find a job or look for independent clients. Then, you have to decide what to charge. 

Health and wellness coach salaries vary significantly by location and many other factors. Information about what coaches charge in your area and with similar credentials is helpful as you begin to set your rates. Read up and do your homework to make sure you don’t undercharge or price yourself out of the market. 

What Is Health/Wellness/Nutrition Coaching? 

First, it helps to understand what this career is. There are a few terms used to describe health coaches with overlaps and also some differentiating factors. In general, a health coach provides the following services for clients:

• Meet with clients to evaluate current lifestyle habits and set goals for making positive changes

• Help clients find the underlying reasons for wanting to make changes

• Guide and motivate clients as they implement these changes

• Identify challenges and barriers to success in meeting health goals

• Strategize to overcome those barriers

• Provide positive support and accountability

• Help clients use tools like tracking or apps to meet goals

• Educate clients about various aspects of health

What health coaches cannot do is diagnose medical conditions, provide treatment, or create meal plans. 

The terms health coaching and wellness coaching are often used interchangeably. A wellness coach might have a broader scope and include things like spiritual wellness, relationship goals, and more. A nutrition coach has a narrower focus, helping clients meet specific goals related to diet and food. 

Here is some more information about the differences between wellness coaches and personal trainers. 

How Much Do Health Coaches Earn? 

If you are beginning a career in health coaching, you need to know what to expect. This includes salaries. Know what you can earn before jumping into the industry. These are some of the statistics reported by websites that list average salary information for various careers: 

• ZipRecruiter – $53,530 per year (1)

• Indeed – $41,224 per year (2)

• Glassdoor – $52,095 per year (3)

• Salary – $63,663 per year (4)

It is important to understand that these are very broad statistics. Salaries and hourly rates vary considerably by location, qualifications, employer, and more. Many salaries are for coaches working as employees. If you want to be an independent coach or start a small business, you can set your own rates and determine how much you earn. 

Also consider how much variation there is in hourly rates by geographic location. Coaches in cities and in areas with a higher cost of living can charge a lot more than those working in rural areas or cities where most people earn less than the national average. 

Factors that Influence Pricing for Health Coaching Sessions

Comparing salaries and hourly rates in your area is a great start to pricing your own services. You’ll also need to consider several other factors: 

Find Your Direct Competitors

With a general idea of what health coaches earn across the country and in specific areas, narrow your research. Put yourself in the shoes of someone actively seeking out a coach. Search for health coaches in your area or online and get pricing. 

You can then compare what they have to offer with what you can provide clients and price accordingly. The idea is to strike a balance between being competitive so you can get clients and charging so little that you don’t earn enough. 

Consider Your Qualifications and Experience

One of the most important comparisons to make between yourself and your competitors is qualifications. If you have a higher credential and more experience than another health coach, you can charge more. 

If you are only starting out, you might want to charge a little less than experienced coaches in your area. As you gain experience and more clients willing to give positive reviews and testimonials, you can begin to charge more. 

What Are Your Expenses? 

As with any business, expenses matter when setting rates. Some of the expenses you can expect to have as a coach include: 

• Office or gym rental space

• Apps or software for managing the business and communicating with clients

• Website fees

• Marketing and advertising costs

• Business liability insurance

Price out your expense as accurately as possible to help determine a rate. Expenses will cut into your net earnings, so they are important to consider carefully. 

Do You Offer Any Extras? 

You should also take into account anything you offer clients beyond a basic coaching session. Do they get free access to an app? Maybe you provide a health journal or an online support community. If you include fitness and nutrition as well as health coaching, you offer more than the basics. The more you offer, the greater value for the client and the higher you can price sessions. 

Create Pricing Structures

Finally, think about how you will offer and price sessions. Many coaches create packages, which benefit both coach and client. A coaching package is a bundle of sessions, whether in-person, on the phone, or a combination. 

As a coach, a package deal means you have clients committing to pay for sessions for a period of time. For the client, a package is typically less expensive than paying session by session. For instance, if you charge $60 per session, you might charge $50 per session if they commit to 10 sessions in total. 

You might also consider monthly or annual rates for clients. Pricing based on time gives you continuity and commitment from clients, but you must be clear about what is included. A monthly rate, for example, should include a maximum number of sessions or phone calls that is fair for both of you. 

How Much Should You Charge as a Health Coach for Online Sessions? 

Online coaching is increasingly popular. It allows the coach to reach more clients. It offers more flexibility for clients with busy schedules. 

If you are pricing for online coaching, all the above factors are still important to consider. But, in general, you should charge less if there is no in-person interactions or phone calls. 

This blog about what to charge as an online personal trainer has more information about online pricing and how to set rates as a fitness or wellness professional. 

Working Independently vs. Working for a Company

Employment is good if you want stability or if you are just starting out and need experience as a coach. Also, you don’t have to come up with pricing. Employees have set salaries. 

On the other hand, working independently gives you the opportunity to earn more by charging more or taking on more clients. This takes more work on your part, requiring you to be a marketer and salesperson as well as a coach, but having your own health coaching business can be rewarding. 

Whether you choose to be an independent coach or are seeking employment with a company, know your worth. You have a lot to offer clients, so don’t make the common mistake of undervaluing yourself or charging too little. 

Become a certified health coach on your schedule. ISSA offers Health Coach Certification that you can complete online at your pace. You’ll learn how to provide the guidance needed to help clients with health conditions and develop programs that empower these individuals—providing insight, accountability, and motivation to make lasting positive change. 

References

1. Salary: Remote Health and Wellness Coach. Ziprecruiter. (2023, May 4). https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Remote-Health-And-Wellness-Coach-Salary 

2. Health coach salary in United States. Indeed. (2023, May 7). https://www.indeed.com/career/health-coach/salaries 

3. Salary: Health Coach. Glassdoor. (2022, September 15). https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/health-coach-salary-SRCH_KO0,12.htm 

4. Health and Wellness Coach Salary. Salary.com. (2023, May 1). https://www.salary.com/research/salary/posting/health-and-wellness-coach-salary