Pricing is one of the hardest things about running an independent practice. Charge too little and you undermine your sustainability — and, often, the perceived value of your service. Charge too much and you worry about pricing out the clients who need you most.

Here's a practical framework for setting fees that work for your practice.

Start with your costs

Before thinking about market rates, calculate what you need to earn. Add up:

Your personal salary target (what you need to live on)
Business costs: room hire, insurance, CPD, software, marketing
Self-employed taxes and National Insurance (roughly 30–35% of profit)
Holiday and sick time (you have no employer paying for this)
Pension contributions

Divide the total by the number of client hours you realistically expect to deliver per year — accounting for no-shows, cancellations, and non-client time. This gives you your minimum viable rate.

Understand the market

The UK market for health and wellness practitioners varies significantly by location, discipline, and experience:

Counselling and psychotherapy: £50–£120/hour (London up to £150+)
Physiotherapy: £50–£90/session
Personal training: £40–£80/hour (London up to £100+)
Massage therapy: £45–£90/60 min
Nutritional therapy: £75–£150/initial consultation
Life and executive coaching: £80–£250/hour

Search for practitioners in your area with similar qualifications and experience. This gives you the upper and lower bounds of what the local market will bear.

Factor in your positioning

Where you sit in the market depends on:

Experience: Newly qualified practitioners typically charge 20–30% below experienced counterparts
Specialisation: Specific expertise (trauma, eating disorders, sports performance) commands a premium
Location: London rates run 40–60% higher than most regional cities
Format: Online sessions often run 10–20% lower than in-person

Stop undercharging

Research consistently shows that practitioners — especially new ones, and especially women — systematically undercharge. The reasons are understandable: imposter syndrome, fear of rejection, discomfort with discussing money. But the consequences are real.

Undercharging creates a treadmill: you need more clients to earn enough, so you have less time and energy for each one, which reduces the quality of your work, which makes it harder to charge more. The inverse is also true.

A simple check: if you're fully booked with a waiting list, your price is too low.

How and when to raise fees

Most practitioners should review their fees annually. When raising fees:

Give existing clients at least 4–6 weeks' notice
Raise new client rates immediately
Consider a smaller increase for long-term clients to acknowledge loyalty

A 5–10% annual increase is reasonable and rarely causes meaningful client attrition if your service quality is strong.

Sliding scale and concessions

Many practitioners offer a limited number of reduced-fee slots for clients who genuinely couldn't otherwise afford treatment. This is ethically sound and professionally sustainable, provided:

You're earning enough from full-fee clients to absorb it
You're explicit about the limited availability of reduced-fee slots
You set boundaries on how long concessions last

How to Set Your Therapy Fees in 2025: A Practical UK Guide