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Personal trainer cancellation policy and client terms in the UK

Last updated: . Facts checked on 13 October 2026.

Please note: this page is general information, not legal advice. Get your own terms checked by a solicitor or another qualified adviser before you use them.

Short answer. You can charge for late cancellations and no shows and set expiry dates on packages, as long as the terms are clear, agreed before the client pays and fair. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says an unfair term is not binding on a consumer (legislation.gov.uk), and the CMA says a cancellation fee must not be excessive and should reflect what your business will actually lose (CMA on GOV.UK). If you sell online, by phone or message, or in person away from your usual gym or studio, clients often also have 14 days to cancel. There are exceptions. A single session booked for a set date may be one (legislation.gov.uk).

What UK law says about your client terms

The Consumer Rights Act 2015

Every service contract includes a term that you will use reasonable care and skill (s49), and what you tell a client about your service can become binding (s50). A term is unfair if, contrary to good faith, it causes a significant imbalance in the parties' rights to the client's detriment (s62). Written terms must be plain, intelligible and legible (s68). Schedule 2 lists terms that may be unfair. Examples are letting a trader keep money when the consumer decides not to go ahead, without paying the consumer the same if the trader cancels (paragraph 4), and making a consumer who cancels pay a disproportionately high sum, or pay for services not supplied (paragraph 5) (Schedule 2). Terms like these can always be checked for fairness, however clearly they are written (s64).

The CMA's unfair terms guidance

The CMA updated its guidance on 22 July 2026 (CMA). It says unfair terms are not binding on clients, and traders may have to repay money taken under them. Since 6 April 2025, the CMA can also fine a business that breaks consumer law, including by using unfair terms, without going to court. The maximum is £300,000 or 10% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher. Courts can set the same maximum in cases brought by Trading Standards (CMA37; DMCC Act 2024, s182). For most PTs, the more likely risk is simpler: an unfair term cannot be enforced, so you cannot keep the money it was meant to protect.

The 14 day right to cancel for online and off premises sales

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 let consumers cancel distance and off premises contracts (reg 29). A distance contract is agreed without you and the client being together, for example through a website or booking app. An off premises contract is one agreed in person away from your business premises, such as at a client's home, in a park or at their workplace (reg 5). Your business premises are where you work on a permanent or usual basis. A gym or studio where you rent space and train clients regularly is likely to count, even if you do not own it. A gym you use only now and then probably does not. What matters is where and how you agreed the deal, not where you train. If you agree a package face to face at your usual gym and the client pays later by card link, the 14 day right is unlikely to apply. Off premises contracts where the client pays £42 or less have no 14 day right. There is no such limit for distance contracts (reg 27). For a service, the client can cancel until the end of 14 days after the day the contract is made (reg 30).

  • Starting early. Do not start within the 14 days unless the client expressly asks. For off premises contracts, the request must be in writing, such as on paper, by email or by text. If they then cancel, they pay a proportionate amount for what they have had, worked out from the total price they agreed, not your single session price. They pay nothing for it if you did not tell them about the right to cancel and this cost before they bought. Once you have delivered everything they bought, at their request and with their agreement that the right would then end, they can no longer cancel (reg 36).
  • Telling clients. Before the client is bound, give them your business name, address and contact details, the total price, and how the right to cancel works, including the time limit and how to use it. You must also give them a cancellation form. The model is in Schedule 3 (Schedule 2, GOV.UK). If you do not give the cancellation information, the period can run for up to 12 months longer (reg 31). For off premises sales, not giving it can also be a criminal offence (reg 19).
  • Refunds. Refund within 14 days of being told, using the same payment method, with no fee (reg 34).

One exception covers services related to leisure activities where the contract sets a specific date or period (reg 28). Government guidance says it protects traders who set aside capacity they may not be able to fill again, such as theatre tickets for a set performance (BIS guidance). A single PT session booked and paid for on a set date and time may fall within it, but no UK court has decided this. It is less likely to cover a package with no dates fixed, or a rolling monthly plan. If you rely on it, tell the client before they buy that they have no right to cancel (Schedule 2). Get advice before you rely on it.

Late cancellations and no shows

No law sets a notice period for personal training, so you choose it. The CMA says any cancellation fee must not be excessive and should reflect steps you can take to reduce your loss, such as finding another client for the slot. Charging when you could reasonably reduce your losses is unlikely to be fair, and any charge should be explained clearly and up front (GOV.UK).

Session packages: expiry and refunds

Packages are prepayments. The CMA says making a substantial prepayment entirely non-refundable, regardless of the circumstances, is more likely to be unfair (CMA37).

We found no CMA guidance written for package expiry dates, so treat expiry as an ordinary term that must be fair: make it prominent, allow a realistic time and say what happens if illness or injury stops training. The CMA notes a gym case where 12 month tie ins were held unfair because members could not end them for reasons such as medical ones. If a client stops early, it says an exit charge should reflect your savings, your ability to reduce your loss, the benefit to you of being paid early, and the benefit the client got from signing up rather than choosing a shorter or different deal (CMA37). For a PT, that benefit is usually the package discount. So charging back the discount on sessions used can be fair, if you show how it works before the client buys and they never pay more than the package price.

When you cancel or the session goes wrong

Keeping prepayments when the contract does not go ahead, or the client has had no benefit, is unlikely to be fair (GOV.UK). If a session is not delivered with reasonable care and skill, the client can ask you to put it right, for example with a repeat session at no cost. If that is not possible, or you do not do it within a reasonable time, they can have a price reduction, which can be the full price (s54, s55). A refund must be made within 14 days of you agreeing it, by the same payment method, with no fee (s56).

You cannot exclude or restrict liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence (s65). The CMA gives a gym's "at their own risk" sign as an example of wording that is too broad (CMA37).

Make your terms clear

The CMA says to bring important terms up front, use everyday words, give the client a copy they can keep, and consider a cooling off period even where the law does not require one (GOV.UK). Send your policy before the first payment. See our booking software guide and how much to charge as a personal trainer.

Example cancellation policy template

Change the words in bold to suit your business. The prices in point 4, including the worked example, are example figures only: replace them with your own package and single session prices, and only give a single session price you actually charge. This is a starting point only. Get it checked by a solicitor or another qualified adviser before you use it.

Your business name: cancellations and packages

  1. Moving or cancelling. You can move or cancel a session at no cost with at least 24 hours' notice by message or email.
  2. Late cancellations and no shows. With less notice, or if you do not attend, I will charge the session at the price you paid for it, or take it from your package. This is because I usually cannot fill the slot at short notice. If I do fill it, there is no charge. If something serious and unexpected happens, such as sudden illness or an emergency, tell me as soon as you can and I will try to move the session instead.
  3. If I cancel. You can choose another time at no cost or a refund for that session. If I have to stop training you altogether, I will refund all your unused sessions at the price you paid.
  4. Packages. A package of 10 sessions costs £400, which is £40 a session. My single session price is £50. Sessions are valid for 6 months from purchase. I will remind you one month before they expire. If illness or injury stops you training, tell me and I will pause your package and move the expiry date back by the time you missed. If a long term illness or injury means you cannot train at all, I will refund your unused sessions at the price you paid. If you want to stop early for any other reason, tell me before your sessions expire. I will refund your unused sessions, after charging the sessions you have used at my single session price of £50 instead of the package price. You will never pay more than you paid for the package. For example, if you used 4 sessions from a £400 package, I charge 4 sessions at £50, which is £200, and refund £200. This does not apply in your first 14 days (see point 5), or if you stop because I cancelled, could not carry on or changed these terms. Sessions not used or refunded by the expiry date are lost.
  5. Your right to cancel. If you bought online, through an app, by phone or message, or in person anywhere other than my gym or studio, such as at your home, you can usually cancel until the end of 14 days after the day you bought, without giving a reason. To cancel, send me a clear message or email, or use the cancellation form I gave you. I will not start your sessions in those 14 days unless you ask me to. If we agreed the deal in person away from my gym or studio, please ask in writing, for example by email or text. If you ask me to start and then cancel, you pay only a fair share for the sessions you have had, based on the package price you paid, not my single session price. I will refund the rest within 14 days of you telling me, by the same payment method, with no fee. Once you have had every session you bought, you can no longer cancel.
  6. Changes. I will only change these terms or my prices for a good reason, such as a change in the law or in my costs, and I will give at least one month's written notice. Price changes do not affect sessions you have already paid for. If you do not agree to a change, you can stop and I will refund your unused sessions at the price you paid.
  7. Your legal rights. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.

If you sell online or away from your usual gym or studio, send this policy with your business name, address and contact details and a cancellation form (Schedule 3), before the client pays. If a solicitor confirms the leisure exception covers your single sessions booked for a set date, add a line saying those sessions have no 14 day right to cancel.

How FitDesk helps

FitDesk is personal trainer software for UK personal trainers: client management, bookings with repeat weekly bookings, workouts, progress tracking, messaging, session packages and invoices with a card payment link. Sell session packages, message clients your policy before they pay and send invoices with a card payment link. FitDesk does not write your terms or give legal advice. See Stripe for personal trainers for how card payments and refunds work.

No monthly fee. 0.7% on Stripe card payments through FitDesk, minimum 1p per card payment. Stripe's own fees still apply. Cash has no FitDesk fee. FitDesk is a Pickle Labs company (Pickle Labs Collective Ltd). Create your FitDesk account

Frequently asked questions

Can a personal trainer charge for a late cancellation?

Yes, if the charge was clear before the client paid and is proportionate. The CMA says a cancellation fee must not be excessive and should reflect what your business actually loses, allowing for steps you can take to reduce that loss, such as filling the slot with another client. This is general information, not legal advice.

What notice period should a PT cancellation policy have?

No UK law sets a fixed notice period for personal training sessions, so you choose it, for example 24 or 48 hours. Whatever you pick must be clear, agreed before the client buys and fair. The CMA says terms that could have a significant effect on clients should be brought to their attention up front.

Can personal training packages expire?

An expiry date is a contract term, so it must be fair and transparent under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The CMA says making a substantial prepayment entirely non-refundable, whatever the circumstances, is more likely to be unfair. State the expiry clearly before payment, allow a realistic time to use sessions and consider pausing for illness.

Do clients get a 14 day cooling off period for personal training?

Often, yes. If you sell online, by phone or message, or away from your usual gym or studio, clients usually get 14 days to cancel. A single session booked for a set date may be an exception. If a client asks you to start sooner and then cancels, they pay a fair share of the agreed price.

Do I have to refund a client if I cancel a session?

Generally, yes. GOV.UK says a term letting you keep prepayments when the contract does not go ahead, or the client has had no benefit, is unlikely to be fair. Offer another time at no cost or a refund. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, refunds for poor service are due within 14 days of agreeing them.

Can I make clients agree they train at their own risk?

Not in a way that protects you if you are negligent. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says a trader cannot exclude or restrict liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence. The CMA gives a gym sign saying customers use equipment at their own risk as an example of wording that is too broad.

Related guides

Sources

All checked 13 October 2026.

  • Consumer Rights Act 2015 (ss 49, 50, 54 to 56, 62, 64, 65, 68, Sch 2 paras 4 and 5): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/contents
  • Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (regs 5, 19, 27 to 31, 34, 36, Sch 2, Sch 3): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/contents
  • Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, s182 (CMA fines, in force 6 April 2025): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2024/13/section/182
  • BIS, Consumer Contracts Regulations guidance (December 2013): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a817b92ed915d74e33fe73a/bis-13-1368-consumer-contracts-information-cancellation-and-additional-payments-regulations-guidance.pdf
  • CMA, Writing a fair contract for customers (updated 22 July 2026): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/writing-a-fair-contract-for-customers
  • CMA, Unfair contract terms (CMA37, 22 July 2026): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unfair-contract-terms-cma37
  • GOV.UK, Online and distance selling for businesses: https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses

Please note: this guide is general information, not legal advice. It cannot cover every situation. For advice on your own terms, speak to a solicitor or another qualified adviser.