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Tutoring Contract Template

A plain-English service agreement for tutoring and coaching businesses: parties, services, scheduling, payment terms, liability, and termination. Copy it or download the .txt file.

4 min read·Updated August 6, 2026

The first time a contract matters is the first time something goes wrong: a family disputes a charge for a missed session, a parent insists you promised a score jump, a client quits mid-package and wants every dollar back. If the answer lives in an email thread from four months ago, you lose the argument or the relationship, and sometimes both.

An agreement signed before the first session settles those questions while everyone still likes each other. It also reads as professionalism. Parents handing you their kid and their card number tend to find a clear contract reassuring, not aggressive.

This is a structure, not legal advice

Contract law varies by state and province, and no template knows your situation. Have a lawyer licensed where you operate review your final version, especially the liability, refund, and termination sections, before you put it in front of a client.

What the Template Covers

Eleven short sections: the parties, the service, scheduling, cancellations, payment and refund terms, progress reporting, materials, a liability cap, supervision rules for minors, termination, and signatures with separate consent checkboxes.

Two design choices are worth keeping even if you rewrite everything else. First, the cancellation policy is attached by reference as Schedule A rather than pasted in, so you can tighten your notice window later without re-signing every family. Second, Section 5 contains an explicit no-guarantee sentence. The most common dispute in tutoring is a parent who heard "we'll get her to a 1450" when you said "we'll work toward it," and one line of text prevents most of it.

tutoring-contract-template.txt
Download .txt
TUTORING SERVICES AGREEMENT

This template is a starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer licensed
in your state or province review the final version before you use it.
Replace every blank and every [bracketed choice] before sending.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

This agreement is between:

Provider: _________________________________________ ("the Company")
Address: __________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________

Client: ___________________________________________ ("the Client")
(The parent or legal guardian, if the student is a minor)
Student(s): _______________________________________
Address: __________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________

Effective date: ___________________


1. SERVICES

The Company will provide tutoring services in the following subject(s):
__________________________________________________________________

Session length: __________ minutes
Format: [in person / online / both]
Location (if in person): _________________________________________

Sessions are delivered by tutors selected and assigned by the Company.
The Company may substitute or reassign tutors and will give the Client
notice when a standing assignment changes.


2. SCHEDULING

Sessions are scheduled in advance through [scheduling software / email /
phone]. A recurring weekly time slot, once agreed, is held for the Client
while the account remains in good standing. Requests to change a standing
slot require __________ days' notice.


3. CANCELLATIONS, RESCHEDULING, AND NO-SHOWS

Cancellations, rescheduling, missed sessions, and make-up sessions are
governed by the Company's Cancellation Policy, attached as Schedule A and
incorporated into this agreement. The Company may update the Cancellation
Policy with __________ days' written notice to the Client.


4. FEES AND PAYMENT

Rate: $__________ per [session / hour], or as set out in the package
purchased by the Client.

Payment is due [before each session / on receipt of invoice / at package
purchase]. Accepted payment methods: _____________________________

Prepaid packages: hours are deducted as sessions are delivered, including
sessions that count as chargeable under the Cancellation Policy (for
example, late cancellations and no-shows). Package hours
[expire __________ months after purchase / do not expire].

Late payment: the Company may pause scheduling of future sessions if an
invoice is more than __________ days past due.

Refunds: unused prepaid hours are [refundable on request / refundable
within __________ days of purchase / non-refundable]. Hours already
delivered or chargeable under the Cancellation Policy are not refundable.


5. PROGRESS AND COMMUNICATION

The Company will provide session notes or progress updates [after each
session / weekly / monthly]. Tutoring supports learning; it does not
guarantee results. The Company makes no promise of specific grades, test
scores, or admission outcomes.


6. MATERIALS

[State who supplies textbooks, workbooks, devices, and any licensed
practice material, and who owns custom material a tutor creates for the
student. Example: "The Client supplies the student's textbooks. The
Company supplies practice worksheets, which remain the Company's
property."]


7. LIABILITY

The Company's total liability under this agreement is limited to the
amount the Client paid for services in the __________ months before the
event giving rise to the claim. Neither party is liable to the other for
indirect or consequential losses. Nothing in this section limits any
liability that cannot be limited or excluded by applicable law.


8. SUPERVISION AND SAFETY (for minor students)

For in-person sessions, a parent, guardian, or responsible adult must be
[on the premises / reachable by phone] for the full session. For online
sessions, the Client is responsible for a suitable environment on the
student's end. Sessions may be recorded for quality and safety purposes
only if the recording consent box in Section 11 is checked.


9. TERMINATION

Either party may end this agreement with __________ days' written notice.
The Company may end it immediately if an invoice remains unpaid
__________ days after a written reminder, or if the conduct of a student
or client makes continued service unreasonable. On termination, the
Client owes fees for all delivered and chargeable sessions. Any refund of
unused prepaid hours follows Section 4.


10. GENERAL

This agreement is the entire agreement between the parties about its
subject and replaces earlier discussions. Changes are valid only in
writing signed (or electronically accepted) by both parties. If any
clause is found unenforceable, the remaining clauses stay in effect.
This agreement is governed by the laws of ______________________
[state / province], without regard to conflict-of-law rules.


11. CONSENT AND SIGNATURES

[ ] I consent to receiving scheduling and billing emails about this
    account. (Required to deliver the service.)
[ ] I consent to session recordings as described in Section 8. (Optional)

Client name: _______________________________
Client signature: __________________________  Date: ___________

Company representative: ____________________
Company signature: _________________________  Date: ___________


Schedule A: Cancellation Policy (attach your policy; a companion
cancellation policy template is available from the same source as this
document).

The Blanks That Matter Most

Most blanks take ten seconds. Three deserve a real decision.

The refund terms in Section 4 are the big one. Fully refundable unused hours are the easiest sell and the biggest exposure; non-refundable packages protect your cash but are harder to defend when a family moves away in week two. Pick a position you can apply to every family the same way, because the first exception becomes the new policy.

The liability window in Section 7 caps what you could owe at some multiple of what the client recently paid you. Your lawyer will have a view on the right number of months for your jurisdiction; the template's job is to make sure the question gets asked.

The termination notice in Section 9 protects both sides of a standing weekly slot. Make it long enough that you can rebook the hours, short enough that an unhappy family is not trapped. Whatever you choose, align it with the notice period in Section 2 so the two clauses cannot contradict each other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this contract legally binding once we both sign it?

A signed agreement is generally enforceable, but whether each individual clause holds up depends on where you operate. Liability caps and refund restrictions in particular are treated differently across jurisdictions. That is the reason for the lawyer-review step: the template gives you the structure and the questions, and a local professional confirms the answers.

Can I use this for the tutors I hire?

No. This is a client-facing service agreement. Hiring a tutor calls for a different document, an employment or independent-contractor agreement covering pay, classification, scheduling obligations, and what happens to client relationships if the tutor leaves. Stretching one document across both jobs does neither well.

Should the cancellation policy live inside the contract or as an attachment?

As an attachment, which is how the template handles it. Cancellation rules are the part you are most likely to revise as you learn what your families actually do. Keeping them in Schedule A means a policy update needs written notice, not a fresh signature from every client.

Does an electronic signature count?

Electronic signatures are widely accepted for agreements like this one, and a checkbox-plus-typed-name flow is common in tutoring. Confirm the specifics with your lawyer if your jurisdiction or your insurer has particular requirements, and keep a copy of what was signed and when.

Your contract's payment terms need a system that collects them

Gigpie runs prepaid packages, installment plans, and autopay, and charges a flat 2% of what you collect. No monthly fee, no per-tutor seats.

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