How much should a personal trainer charge in the UK?

TL;DR: PureGym, the UK gym chain, says PT sessions typically cost £30–£65 for 45–60 minutes outside London, and around £45–£65 in London. PTs set their own rates. Where you sit in that range should come from your costs, the hours you can really sell, and what's included, not from what the trainer next to you charges.

PureGym's guide gives the benchmark above and says the price moves with:

• your experience and what you specialise in
• where you train
• who your clients are
• what's in the package, for example WhatsApp support between sessions

The National Careers Service lists a personal trainer's salary as "variable" and typical hours as 32 to 34 a week, also variable. That's honest. Self-employed PT income swings with how full your diary is.

So the range tells you where customers expect you to be. It doesn't tell you what you need to charge. That comes next.

List every cost. Be thorough:

• Gym rent or licence fee. Ask your gym for the exact monthly figure in writing. Deals differ: PureGym, for example, says new PTs get their first month rent-free and keep 100% of their earnings.
• Insurance. Simply Business says the cheapest 10% of its PT customers paid £60.54 or less a year for up to £2m public liability (Jan–Jun 2026). Get your own quote.
• Courses and CPD.
• Kit. Bands, kettlebells, a foam roller for outdoor or home sessions.
• Phone, booking app, website, marketing.
• Travel. Fuel and parking if you go to clients.
• Accountant or bookkeeping software.

Add it up. That's your yearly cost of being in business, before you've paid yourself a penny.

Pick a yearly figure that covers your bills, your tax and some savings. Add it to your costs from Step 1. That's the total your sessions have to bring in.

This is the number most new PTs get wrong. You can't sell every hour you're in the gym.

Take out:

• quiet times (mid-morning, mid-afternoon)
• time on the gym floor finding clients
• writing programmes and checking in on clients
• cancellations and no-shows
• holidays and weeks you're ill

Count the sessions you can realistically fill in a normal week. Multiply by the weeks you'll work in a year.

Your session price = (yearly costs + yearly take-home) ÷ sessions you can sell in a year

Here's the sum with round numbers so you can see how it works. They aren't benchmarks. Put your own in.

Now drop sessions per week to 15 and the same sum needs £53.33 a session. That's why the honest session count matters more than the headline rate.

Then compare your number with the PureGym range. If yours is well above it, recheck your costs and your session count. Could you fill more sessions each week? If it's below, you may be undercharging.

Session packs. A block of 10 or 12 sessions paid up front gives you cash flow and commitment. Keep any discount small. Divide the pack price by the number of sessions and check it still beats your Step 4 number.

Small group training. Two to four people share your hour. Each pays less than one-to-one, but the hour earns more. Work out the minimum number of people you need for the session to run at your hourly number.

Online coaching. Price it on your time per client per week: programme writing, check-ins, messages, video reviews. If one client takes an hour a week of your time, they should pay at least what an hour of your time is worth.

Your price only works if people pay it. Before your first client:

1. Cancellation policy. How much notice do clients need to give? Do late cancellations get charged?
2. Pack expiry. How long does a block of sessions last?
3. Payment up front. Sessions paid before they're used don't need chasing.
4. Price review date. Tell clients when prices are reviewed, so a rise isn't a shock.

Many new trainers start lower to build a client list. If you do:

• Set a date when the intro price ends, and tell clients up front.
• Never go below what your Step 4 sum says you need to cover your costs.
• Charge your full rate to everyone who joins after the intro period.

It's easier to start at a fair price than to put prices up on clients who joined cheap.

A busy trainer with group sessions and online clients should keep an eye on turnover. Check GOV.UK's VAT registration page to see when registering applies to you, and talk to an accountant before it does.

The Personal Trainers Pricing Calculator — Premium (£14.99) is one Excel workbook with ten services pre-loaded, including one-to-one sessions, small group training, online coaching and corporate wellness. You enter gym rent, travel, session length and target income, and it shows the per-session price you need. It also has a quote builder for blocks and a monthly dashboard.

For your terms, the Personal Trainers Business Documents — Premium (£19.99) includes a Cancellation & No-Show Policy, an Online Coaching Agreement and a client consultation and health screening form, among 13 templates.

PureGym says a typical 45–60 minute session costs £30–£65 outside London, and around £45–£65 in London. Trainers set their own rates.

Work out your minimum from your costs and the sessions you can sell. You might start towards the lower end of the range to build clients, but set an end date for any intro price and never go below your cost-covering number.

Most price per session rather than per hour. A 45-minute session at the same price as a 60-minute one earns more per hour, so compare like with like.

The National Careers Service lists PT salaries as "variable". For a self-employed PT, income depends on your price, your sessions sold and your costs. Use the sum in Step 4.

Many PTs do, with a clear notice period. Put it in writing before the first session so clients know where they stand.

All accessed 1 October 2026.

• PureGym, "Personal Trainers: Expectations, Benefits & Costs" (PTs set their own rates; £30–£65 per 45–60 min outside London; around £45–£65 in London; factors)
• PureGym Careers, "Fitness team" (first month rent free; keep 100% of earnings)
• National Careers Service, "Personal trainer" job profile (salary "variable"; typical hours 32 to 34, variable)
• Simply Business, "Personal trainer insurance" (cheapest 10% of PT customers paid £60.54 or less a year for up to £2m public liability, 1 Jan–30 Jun 2026)
• GOV.UK, "Register for VAT: when to register"

This article is general guidance, not financial or tax advice. Check current figures on GOV.UK and talk to an accountant about your own position.