Someone asks, “So what do you charge?” and your mind goes blank. You mumble a number lower than the one you’d planned, then add, “but I’m flexible”. Later, on a scrap of paper, you realise that after rent, petrol and supervision you earn less per hour than in your old job.
Pricing is uncomfortable for many of us who came into this work to help people. But if you’re figuring out how to price coaching sessions or therapy sessions, the truth is simple: a practice that doesn’t cover its costs can’t help anyone for long.
This guide gives you a practical formula, a worked example in Rands, and ways to present your session fees with confidence.
The short answer
To price your sessions, work out the annual income you need, add your business costs, and divide by the number of sessions you can realistically deliver after holidays, admin time and cancellations. Then compare that number with local rates for your niche and experience, and package it clearly. Review your fees at least once a year.
Why so many practitioners undercharge
Undercharging usually comes from a few common beliefs:
- “Clients can’t afford more.” Some can’t. But pricing everyone low to accommodate a few often leads to burnout, and burnt-out practitioners can’t give their best to anyone.
- “I’m not experienced enough yet.” Experience matters, but so does training, niche and the value of the outcome.
- “A full session is an hour of work.” It isn’t. Behind every hour are notes, preparation, messages, invoicing, CPD, supervision and marketing.
- “I’ll put my prices up later.” Later rarely arrives without a plan.
It’s worth knowing that confidence about income is common elsewhere in the field. The International Coaching Federation’s 2025 Global Coaching Study found that 59% of coaches anticipate revenue growth, and the ICF reports that most coaches expect higher earnings next year without raising fees. For many practitioners, that growth comes from fuller diaries and better packaging rather than higher prices alone.
Free: The Wellness Practice Growth Guide. A 12-point self-check, seven practical chapters and a 90-day plan to help you fill your diary without burning out.
How to price coaching sessions: a step-by-step formula
Step 1: Decide what you need to earn
Start with your personal monthly income target: what you need to live on and save. Be honest. Include medical aid, retirement savings and a buffer for emergencies. Our money management guide for wellness practitioners can help you work this out.
Step 2: Add up your business costs
List everything your practice costs per month, for example:
- Room rental or a share of home costs
- Practice management software and booking tools
- Professional body membership and registration fees
- Professional indemnity insurance
- Supervision and CPD
- Data, phone and internet, including backup power for load-shedding
- Marketing, website and directory listings
- Accounting fees and bank charges
Then set money aside for tax. Your accountant can tell you what percentage to reserve. If your turnover grows substantially, note that SARS increased the compulsory VAT registration threshold from R1 million to R2.3 million from 1 April 2026.
Step 3: Count your real billable sessions
This is where most people go wrong. You won’t see clients 52 weeks a year. Take off leave, public holidays, sick days and quiet periods like December. Then take off sessions lost to cancellations and no-shows.
Step 4: Do the maths
Here’s a worked example. The figures are illustrative, not a recommendation.
Imagine a Johannesburg coach who wants R35,000 a month in personal income and has R5,000 a month in business costs. That’s R40,000 a month, or R480,000 a year.
She plans to work 44 weeks a year, seeing 15 clients a week: 660 sessions. Allowing for 10% of sessions lost to cancellations, that’s 594 paid sessions.
R480,000 divided by 594 is about R808. So she needs to charge roughly R810 per session, before tax, to meet her goal.
If that number feels high, you have three levers: lower your costs, see more clients, or add other income streams. What you shouldn’t do is simply pick a lower number and hope.
Step 5: Sense-check against the market
Look at directory profiles and websites of practitioners in your area and niche with similar training. You’re not trying to match the cheapest. You’re checking you’re in a believable range for your experience, credentials and the results you help clients reach. Executive and business coaching usually commands higher fees than personal coaching, and specialised therapy often costs more than general counselling.
Session fees for therapy and counselling: extra considerations
If you’re a registered counsellor or psychologist, a few additional factors apply:
- Medical aid. If you bill medical schemes, understand how scheme rates compare with your private rate, and tell clients upfront about any shortfall they’ll need to cover.
- Session length. Be clear whether a session is 50 or 60 minutes, and price longer couples or family sessions accordingly.
- Reports and admin. Letters, reports and assessments take time. Set separate fees for them.
- Ethical considerations. Follow your professional board’s rules on fees and advertising, and don’t pressure clients into long commitments.
Coaching rates in South Africa: packages vs single sessions
How you package your fee matters as much as the number itself.
- Single sessions are easy to understand and good for once-off support, but income is unpredictable.
- Packages of four, six or eight sessions encourage commitment, and you can offer a modest per-session saving. They work well for coaching, where progress builds over several sessions.
- Programmes with a clear outcome, such as a 12-week career transition programme, let you price the result rather than the hour.
- Group sessions and workshops lower the price per person while raising your hourly income. Listing them on the zenconnekt events page helps them reach new people.
- Online courses bring in income without adding hours. zenLearning lets you sell courses from the same place clients book with you.
Our guide to choosing a wellness business model covers how these fit together.
Making your fees accessible without undercharging
Many practitioners want to support clients who can’t afford full fees. You can, sustainably:
- Set a limited number of reduced-fee slots each week, and keep them for clients who genuinely need them.
- Offer a sliding scale with clear criteria, rather than negotiating case by case.
- Run lower-cost group options alongside one-on-one work.
- Refer to community services or NGOs when that’s a better fit.
Accessibility works best when it’s a deliberate choice, not a default.
How to talk about your prices confidently
- Publish your fees. Visible prices save everyone time and signal professionalism.
- State the fee plainly. “My sessions are R850 for 60 minutes.” Then stop talking.
- Explain what’s included, such as session notes, WhatsApp check-ins or worksheets.
- Take payment at booking by card, EFT or SnapScan to avoid awkward conversations later. Our guide on reducing no-shows with policies, reminders and deposits explains how.
- Don’t apologise. Your fee reflects your training and the value of the work.
When and how to raise your prices
Review your fees every year. Costs rise with inflation: Stats SA reported annual consumer inflation of 4.3% in July 2026. If your fees stay flat, your real income falls.
When you raise prices:
- Give existing clients at least a month’s notice.
- Explain the change briefly, without over-justifying.
- Consider honouring current rates until a client’s package ends.
- Apply new rates to new clients immediately.
Most clients understand. The ones who value your work will usually stay.
Key takeaways
- Price from your numbers: income target plus business costs, divided by realistic billable sessions.
- Allow for holidays, admin time and cancellations, or your hourly income will fall short.
- Sense-check your fee against local rates for your niche and experience, not the cheapest practitioner.
- Packages, programmes, groups and online courses can raise income without adding hours.
- Publish your fees, take payment at booking and review prices every year in line with inflation.
Ready to publish clear prices and get paid at booking? Create your zenconnekt practitioner profile to list your services and session fees on zenDirectory, sell packages and courses, and take card and EFT payments. Founding profiles are free with the code ZEN100 until 31 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for a coaching session in South Africa?
There’s no single right rate. Work out the income you need, add your business costs, and divide by the sessions you can realistically deliver after holidays and cancellations. Then compare the result with coaches in your area and niche who have similar training. Executive coaching usually costs more than personal life coaching.
Should I offer coaching packages or single sessions?
Packages usually work better for coaching because progress builds over several sessions. They encourage commitment, reduce drop-off and make your income more predictable. Single sessions are useful for once-off support or for clients who want to try you first. Many practitioners offer both, with a modest saving on packages.
How often should I increase my session fees?
Review your fees at least once a year. Your costs rise with inflation, so flat fees mean your real income shrinks over time. Give existing clients at least a month’s notice, explain the change briefly, and consider keeping current rates until a client’s package ends.
Is it okay to offer reduced fees to some clients?
Yes, as long as it’s deliberate and sustainable. Set aside a limited number of reduced-fee slots each week, or use a sliding scale with clear criteria. Group sessions and workshops are another affordable option. This way you can support clients who need it without undercharging everyone and putting your practice at risk.
