Tutoring Contract Template: A One-Page Agreement, Clause by Clause

A tutoring contract is a short written agreement between you and a student, or the student's parent, that says what you will teach, what it costs, what happens when a lesson is cancelled or missed, and how either side can stop. You agree to it before the first lesson, so nobody has to remember a conversation from March.

Below is a one-page template you can copy, with blanks in square brackets. After it comes a reason for every clause, versions for adults, children, groups and packages, a look at signing, and the outside rules we found that can override what you write. We run a tutoring-software company and we are not lawyers, so read the "not legal advice" notes as seriously as the template.

What this guide adds to our cancellation guide

We already have a guide to tutoring cancellation policies and contracts. It explains what a policy should include, compares a strict, a moderate and a flexible one, and covers no-shows and payment terms. It does not give you any contract wording. This guide does, and it keeps the cancellation material short by sending you there for the long version.

So the split is simple. Read the cancellation guide to decide your rules: how many hours, what fee, what to do with a package. Come back here to put those rules into sentences a parent can sign.

What a contract can and cannot do

A contract does three useful things for a private tutor. It makes you decide your rules before a dispute. It gives a parent something to read and agree to, so a later "I didn't know" is harder. And it gives you a dated record if a fee is questioned.

It does not do four things, and tutors sometimes expect it to.

• It does not make an unfair clause fair. A court can refuse to enforce a term that is punitive, and consumer rules in some places cannot be signed away.
• It does not decide how the law sees you. The IRS says no single factor decides whether someone is an employee or self-employed, and a written contract is only one piece of evidence under "type of relationship". If you tutor through a company, what you do day to day matters more than what the page says.
• It does not collect the money for you. A signed fee clause helps if you ask for payment, and it does not replace asking. Our guide to asking for tutoring payment covers the messages.
• It is not a substitute for a lawyer when the stakes are larger, such as a contract with a school, a team of tutors or a large prepaid sum.

The one-page template

Copy this into a document, replace everything in square brackets, and delete clauses you do not need. The hours, percentages and days are examples of ours, taken from common practice and not from any law. Choose your own.

Tutoring Agreement

• 1. Who. This agreement is between [your full name or business name] ("the tutor") and [student's full name] ("the student"). If the student is under 18, [parent or guardian's full name] ("the parent") signs for the student, is responsible for payment, and makes the decisions this agreement gives to the student.
• 2. What. The tutor will teach [subject and level] in [one-to-one / small group] lessons of [60] minutes, by [video call app / in person at address], starting on [date]. The usual time is [day and time] in [time zone].
• 3. Fees. Each lesson costs [amount and currency]. Payment is due [before each lesson / on the 1st of each month / in full before the first lesson] by [payment method]. If a payment is more than [7] days late, the tutor may pause lessons until it is paid.
• 4. Cancelling and moving a lesson. The student or parent may cancel or move a lesson at no charge by giving at least [24] hours' notice by [message / email / the booking page]. With less notice, the lesson is charged at [50]% of the fee.
• 5. No-shows. If the student has not joined [15] minutes after the start time and the tutor has not heard from them, the lesson is a no-show. It is charged at [100]% of the fee and the lesson ends.
• 6. If the tutor cancels. If the tutor cancels or moves a lesson, the student may choose a make-up lesson within [30] days or a refund of that lesson. The tutor charges no fee.
• 7. Packages and unused lessons. A package of [number] lessons costs [amount] and must be used within [number] months of the first lesson. At the end of that time, unused lessons [expire / are refunded at the per-lesson price, minus any package discount]. Lessons cancelled with enough notice return to the package.
• 8. Privacy and recordings. Lessons are not recorded unless the tutor and the student (or parent) agree in writing. The tutor uses the student's contact details only for lessons, scheduling and payment, and does not share them without permission, except where the law requires it.
• 9. Materials. The notes, worksheets and other materials the tutor creates are for the student's own use. They may not be shared publicly or sold.
• 10. Results. The tutor will teach to the best of their ability and cannot promise a particular grade, score or result.
• 11. Ending. Either side may end this agreement by giving [7] days' notice in writing, and email counts. Fees for lessons already taught stay due. Unused paid lessons are handled under clause 7.
• 12. Changes. The tutor may change fees or rules by emailing at least [14] days before the change starts. Lessons already booked keep the old terms.
• Signed: [student or parent name], [date]. [Tutor name], [date].

That is short enough that a parent will read it. If it grows to three pages, you have probably written a rule for every possible event, and parents stop reading at page two.

Clause by clause: why each line is there

A template teaches little unless you know why each line exists. Here is the reason for every clause, and the one mistake we see most with it.

Clauses 1 and 2: who and what

The names settle who owes what. The line about a parent matters most when the student is a child: if only the child is named, nobody has clearly agreed to pay. Putting the time zone beside the lesson time costs five words and prevents the missed lesson that happens when a clock change reaches one country before the other. Our guide to scheduling across time zones explains that problem.

Clause 3: fees

Write the amount with the currency, and say when it is due. The single most useful words in this clause are "before each lesson" or "in full before the first lesson", because asking for money before the lesson is far easier than chasing it after. The right to pause lessons for late payment gives you a calm, rule-based reason to stop, so you do not have to argue.

Clauses 4 and 5: cancelling and no-shows

These two clauses carry the most weight, and our cancellation guide covers how to choose the numbers. Two points on wording. First, name the way notice is given, so that a message sent at 10 p.m. to a number you do not check does not count as notice. Second, say what time the notice period is counted from, which is the start of the lesson.

A fee for late cancellation is what lawyers call a liquidated damages clause: a fixed amount, or a formula, that one side owes if it breaks the agreement. A Cornell Law School explainer says such a clause must be clearly stated in the contract and agreed before the contract is made, and that courts will not impose one that is "punitive, illegal, unconscionable" or "contrary to public policy". We read that as a reason to keep the fee modest and to explain it as the time you held for them, and not as a fine. That reading is ours, and a lawyer in your state can tell you more.

Clause 6: if the tutor cancels

Parents notice one-sided contracts. A line that says you owe a make-up lesson or a refund when you cancel is the cheapest way to show good faith, and it prevents the argument "you charge me when I cancel but not when you do". A tutor without that clause can end up granting the make-up anyway, with no rule to point to.

Clause 7: packages and unused lessons

This is where the largest sums, and the most arguments, sit. Decide three things before you sell a package: how long it lasts, what happens to lessons left at the end, and whether the discount is lost if the student stops early. Write down the answers. Our guide to lesson packages explains how to price them. Check whether your state or country regulates prepaid services or expiry dates, because some places do.

Clauses 8 and 9: privacy and materials

Parents of children want to know whether lessons are recorded and who sees their child's name. Say it plainly, and then do what it says. The materials line protects worksheets you spent hours writing; its limit is that you cannot stop a student from keeping their own notes. Keep it as a request not to share or sell, and do not threaten.

This is not a privacy policy, and we did not research child-data rules for this guide. If you teach children, read the rules for your country.

Clause 10: results

Never promise a grade. Even a hopeful "you will get a 7" in a message can come back later as a promise. The clause says that you teach, the student learns, and the result is not guaranteed.

Clauses 11 and 12: ending and changing

Say how to stop. A family that cannot easily end an agreement is a family that says unkind things in reviews. A short notice period, with fees for lessons already taught still due, is fair to both sides. The change clause lets you raise your rates later with a fixed warning and no new contract.

Versions for different students

One template does not suit everyone. These are the changes we would make for the usual cases. They are our suggestions, and they are not a legal requirement.

Why have the parent sign for a child? A Cornell Law School explainer on contract capacity says that "capacity rules often require a person to have reached a minimum age and to be of sound mind", and that a contract signed by a person lacking capacity "may be void or voidable". The page does not mention children by name, so we claim no more than this: a contract with a child is on shakier ground, and a contract with a parent is not. The age at which a person can sign differs between places. Ask a local lawyer if you teach in a place with unusual rules.

Signing it: a typed name, a checkbox or paper

You do not need a pen. The US E-SIGN Act, in 15 U.S.C. section 7001, says that for a transaction in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a signature, contract or other record "may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form", and the same for a contract that used an electronic signature. We read this on the Cornell Law School site on 31 Oct 2026.

Notice the word "solely". A contract cannot be thrown out only because it is electronic. That does not mean a tick in a box proves the person understood a clause, or that an unfair clause becomes fair. Outside the US, other laws apply, so check yours.

Three ways to collect agreement

• A checkbox and a typed name on your booking page. It is quick, and it records a time. The risk is that you keep no copy of what the student agreed to, so keep a dated copy of each version of your text yourself.
• An e-signature app that emails a PDF to both sides. It gives a signed document that each side keeps. Many such apps have free or paid tiers, and we have not compared them here.
• Paper, for in-person lessons. Sign two copies, and each side keeps one. See the next section on in-person sales before you rely on it.

Whatever you pick, keep three things for each student: the exact text they agreed to, the date, and the way they agreed (the email, the signed PDF, the booking record). Update the text rarely, and when you do, keep the old version with a date.

Rules outside your contract that can win

A signed clause is not the last word. We found three places where an outside rule can apply. Check them for your country and state.

The US FTC Cooling-Off Rule, for in-person sales

The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives buyers three days to cancel certain sales made at their home, workplace or dormitory, or at a seller's temporary location, and it also applies when the buyer invites a salesperson to their home. We read the FTC's consumer page, dated September 2025. It excludes sales under $25 made at the buyer's home, and sales made entirely online, by mail or by telephone.

The part that matters for tutors: the FTC page says the rule "applies to instruction or training courses, regardless of your reason for taking them", although business purchases are otherwise excluded. So an in-person tutor who sells a package of lessons and has it signed at the student's kitchen table may be inside the rule, and the rule puts duties on the seller, such as telling the buyer about the right to cancel. A tutor who sells and signs entirely online appears to be outside it. This is our reading of one FTC page and not a legal opinion, so check the rule for your own sales before you rely on this.

Cancellation rights in the UK

The GOV.UK guidance for businesses selling online says that a seller must tell a customer they can cancel up to 14 days after an order is delivered, and that there are different rules for downloads and streaming. Services work differently from goods. Per a search summary of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (the regulations themselves would not load for us, so we did not read them), the 14 days for a service run from the day the contract is made, a service starts inside that period only if the customer asks expressly, and a customer who cancels after an early start can owe a reasonable cost for what was already supplied. Read the regulations before you write a UK refund clause. If you tutor UK students online, this can matter for a package that you sell on the web.

Mistakes we would avoid

• Copying a long contract from a big company. A parent will not read it, and a clause you do not follow is worse than no clause.
• Writing rules you will not enforce. If you always waive the fee, the clause teaches families that it is optional. Waive it on purpose, and say it is a favour.
• Changing the text and not keeping the old one. In a dispute you need what that student agreed to.
• Forgetting the parent. A contract with a teenager who has no money does not help you collect.

What Tutafy has for contracts, and what it does not

We build Tutafy, so here is what the app does and does not do about contracts, read from the code on 31 October 2026.

One correction to our own site. Our older cancellation guide describes a booking tool that applies a late fee automatically. Tutafy does not do that, and the table above is the accurate description: it sets the notice window and blocks the cancellation, and you collect any fee yourself.

A practical way to use it: paste a short version of the twelve clauses into the contract box as plain numbered lines, and keep the full version in a document for parents. The box scrolls on the booking form, so keep the text short enough to read there.

Sources read on 31 Oct 2026. The Cornell Law School pages, the FTC page, the IRS page and the GOV.UK page were read directly. The text of the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 could not be read by our script, so what we say about services comes from search summaries and is marked as such. The FTC seller duties are from a search summary of FTC pages. Nothing here is legal advice. Sources: Cornell LII: 15 U.S.C. 7001 (E-SIGN) · Cornell LII Wex: Liquidated damages · Cornell LII Wex: Capacity · FTC: The Cooling-Off Rule · IRS: Independent contractor or employee · GOV.UK: Online and distance selling for businesses · legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.