The short answer
Give your therapy fees their own page on your website. List each type of session, how long it lasts and what it costs. Say whether you offer a sliding scale. Then add your cancellation policy: how much notice you need, and any fee for a late cancel or missed session. Link the page to your Good Faith Estimate notice.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Key takeaways
- Put session types, lengths and fees on one page. Say how you take payment.
- Say if you offer a sliding scale, and how a client can ask for it.
- State your cancellation policy in plain words. Say how much notice you need and what a late cancel or missed session costs.
- Never bill Medicare for a missed session. Check your own state’s Medicaid rules before you charge a Medicaid client.
- Make the website, the intake forms and the front desk say the same thing.
Why put your fees on your website?
So a client knows the costs before the first session. A fees page also gives you one place to state your policy. That makes it easier for the front desk to say the same thing every time.
The professional codes point the same way. They are rules for each profession’s own members. They are not website laws, and none of them says you must have a fees page. But they ask you to explain fees early. The American Psychological Association (APA) code says psychologists tell clients about fees as early as is feasible in the therapy relationship. They also give clients a chance to ask questions (standard 10.01(a)). It also says psychologists don’t make false, deceptive or fraudulent statements about their fees in public statements, which include advertising and directory listings (standard 5.01) (APA Ethics Code).
The APA code in force is the 2002 code, with amendments that took effect in 2010 and 2017. A revision is in progress, so check the current text before you rely on a standard number.
What should a therapy fees page include?
The things a client needs to decide whether to book. Use this checklist:
- Each type of session, such as an intake session or a regular session.
- How long each session lasts.
- The fee for each one.
- How you take payment, and when.
- Whether you offer a sliding scale, and how to ask.
- Your cancellation policy, with its fee if any.
- How the policy applies to clients with Medicare or Medicaid.
- The date the page was last updated.
- A link to your Good Faith Estimate notice.
A Good Faith Estimate is an estimate of expected charges. Under the No Surprises Act, providers must give one to uninsured or self-pay clients who book at least 3 days ahead or ask for one (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decision tree). Medicare and Medicaid clients are not eligible, as explained below.
If I were writing a small therapy practice’s fees page today, I would put two things first. They are the services, and the list of insurance plans the practice is in network with. In network means the practice has a contract with the plan. If your practice takes insurance, the insurance page guide shows how to write that list.
How do you show a sliding scale clearly?
Say whether you offer one, and say how to ask. A sliding scale is a lower fee for clients who can’t pay the usual one. Don’t make clients guess.
The American Counseling Association (ACA) code says counselors consider a client’s financial status and locality when they set fees. If the usual fee would cause undue hardship, a counselor may adjust the fee when legally permissible. Or the counselor may help the client find comparable, affordable services (standard A.10.c) (ACA Code of Ethics). The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code says fees should be fair, reasonable and commensurate with the services performed. It says to give consideration to a client’s ability to pay (standard 1.13(a)) (NASW Code of Ethics).
ACA says its current code is the 2014 edition. It says a revision is under way (ACA ethics page). Check for a newer edition before you cite it.
On the page, say who the sliding scale is for and how a client can ask for it. Don’t promise a lower fee you may not give. Note that a client who qualifies for a sliding fee discount may get a Good Faith Estimate that shows the undiscounted price. This can happen if the provider lacks the information to work out the discounted price (CMS decision tree).
What should a cancellation policy say?
Four things: how much notice you need, how a client cancels, what a late cancel or missed session costs, and what happens if a fee is not paid. Write each in a plain sentence.
The codes ask therapists to explain these terms before therapy begins. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) code is the most direct. Before therapy begins, a marriage and family therapist explains in writing all financial arrangements and fees. That includes charges for canceled or missed appointments, the use of collection agencies or legal measures for nonpayment, and what happens if a third-party payor, such as an insurance plan, denies payment. After services begin, the therapist gives reasonable notice of fee changes (standard 8.2, code effective January 1, 2026) (AAMFT Code of Ethics).
Other codes cover pieces of it:
| Code | What it says about fees and missed-session charges | Where to use the same words (a practical idea) |
|---|---|---|
| APA, for psychologists | Reach an agreement on compensation and billing as early as is feasible (6.04(a)). Don’t misrepresent fees (6.04(c)). Before you use a collection agency or legal measures, tell the person and give a chance to pay promptly (6.04(e)). | Website, intake paperwork, front desk |
| ACA, for counselors | Inform clients about fees and billing, including what happens with nonpayment (A.2.b). If you will use a collection agency or legal measures, put it in the informed consent papers. Tell clients in a timely way and offer a chance to pay (A.10.d). | Website, informed consent papers, front desk |
| NASW, for social workers | Use clear and understandable language to tell clients about relevant costs (1.03(a)). | Website, intake paperwork, front desk |
| AAMFT, for marriage and family therapists | Explain in writing, before therapy starts, all fees, charges for missed appointments and collection steps (8.2). | Website, written agreement, front desk |
These are practical ideas. The codes govern the clinician’s own duties. They do not set rules for a website as such. Sources: APA, ACA, NASW and AAMFT.
When a client finds the policy, it should be easy to read. In my years on the billing side, the intake form was the main place to state it. A phone call or a message when the client booked on the website also gave a clear message. So the website, the form and the call should all match.
Can you charge Medicare and Medicaid clients for a missed session?
Not the way you charge a self-pay client. Medicare has a clear rule. The two state Medicaid agencies cited below say you may not charge Medicaid clients for missed appointments. For other insurance plans, read your contract.
| Payer | What the sources say | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare | Medicare policy allows a missed-appointment charge only if you also charge non-Medicare patients the same amount. It is a charge for a missed business opportunity, not for a service. Medicare does not pay it, so don’t bill it to Medicare (CMS manual, Chapter 1). CMS says billing staff should know the practice may bill the beneficiary (the person with Medicare) directly, and that Medicare should not be billed (CMS MLN Matters). | Charge a Medicare client only if the same charge, at the same amount, applies to your other clients. |
| Medicaid | Some state Medicaid agencies say providers may not bill Medicaid clients for missed appointments. North Carolina’s agency quotes CMS policy: a missed appointment is part of the cost of doing business (NC Medicaid). Connecticut’s agency said in a January 2015 notice that federal and state policies prohibit it (Connecticut Medicaid notice). | Check your own state’s Medicaid agency before you charge. |
| Self-pay | The ethics codes ask you to explain charges before therapy begins (see above). | Put the charge in your policy before the first session. |
| Commercial plans | Not covered in these sources. | Read your contract with each plan before you charge an insured client. |
Where does the Good Faith Estimate notice fit?
Link to it from your fees page. A client who pays out of pocket may need an estimate before the first session. The rule says information about the availability of a Good Faith Estimate must be written clearly. It must be prominently displayed and easily searchable from a public search engine on the practice website. It must also be shown in the office and where scheduling or cost questions occur (45 CFR 149.610).
A practice may give one estimate for recurring services. Its scope must not run past 12 months (45 CFR 149.610). CMS gives counseling as an example (CMS decision tree). People in federal health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are not eligible for an estimate, even if they don’t plan to use that coverage (CMS decision tree).
The full steps are in the Good Faith Estimate notice guide.
The website, the intake forms and the front desk should say the same thing
A client may see all three. If they disagree, the client is confused, and the front desk has to sort it out. So write the policy once. Then copy it, word for word, to each place.
Use this check each time you change a fee or a rule:
- Update the fees page first.
- Copy the same words to the intake or consent form.
- Give the front desk the same words to say on the phone.
- Put the new “last updated” date on the page.
- Check that nothing older is still posted elsewhere, such as an old listing or a printed sheet.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says advertising must be truthful and not deceptive. It says an ad is deceptive if it has a statement, or leaves out information, that is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably. It must also be material, which means it matters to the consumer’s decision to buy or use the product (FTC advertising FAQs). So a fees page that leaves out a charge a client will face could be a problem.
A fees and cancellation page template
Fill in the brackets with your own details. This template is illustrative. It gives no real or sample prices.
Fees
- [Session type], [length] minutes: [fee]
- [Session type], [length] minutes: [fee]
Payment. [Methods you take, and when payment is due]
Sliding scale. [Yes or no. If yes, who it is for and how to ask]
Cancelling. Please cancel at least [X] hours ahead by [phone or portal]. A late cancel or missed session: [fee, or no fee].
Medicare and Medicaid clients. [How the policy applies to you]
Insurance. [Plans you are in network with, and when the list was last checked]
If you pay out of pocket. See the practice’s notice about the Good Faith Estimate. [Link]
Last updated. [Date]
What mistakes should you check for on your own site?
Look for these:
- A fees page that is out of date, or does not match the intake form.
- A late-cancel fee on the page with no notice period.
- A policy that does not say if a collection agency may be used. The APA and ACA codes both say to tell the person first and give a chance to pay.
- A missed-session charge that you apply to Medicare or Medicaid clients without checking the rules above.
- A “from” price that leaves out charges a client will face.
- No “last updated” date.
- No link to the Good Faith Estimate notice.
Next step
Your site should show a client the fees and the policy before the first call. A new website from ClinicBuilds can include a fees page and policy pages. See also the counseling practice websites page, which shows two concept sites labelled “Concept site — fictional practice”.
This is general information, not legal advice. For a look at how your fees and cancellation policy read today, ask for a free presence review.