What insurance is needed for a personal trainer?
Public liability insurance for personal trainers
Public liability insurance protects you against claims made as a result of property damage or injuries sustained by members of the public, connected with your work.
The short answer here is yes. As a licensed personal trainer, you may be required to carry insurance in order to maintain your license. Personal trainer insurance requirements vary from state to state, and these requirements are in place to help protect your personal training business from claims and lawsuits.
Depending on its benefits, your plan may cover physical therapy in full or in part. Many plans limit your out-of-pocket cost for each visit to a copayment. Others require you to pay for part or all of your visits until you have reached your deductible. After that, the insurance plan pays 100% up to their set limit.
How much does a personal trainer cost? The Personal Trainer Development Center states a typical hourly rate of $60 to $70, while Lessons.com puts the national average at $55 per hour. Costs can range widely, though. Find Your Trainer reports that, across the country, personal trainers charge $29 to $166 per session.
- Fitness studio rent.
- Protein shakes (that you sell to your clients)
- Merchandise.
- Mileage (not including your commute)
- Marketing costs.
- Training equipment.
- Accounting costs (including TaxScouts)
...
#2 - Personal Trainer Expenses For Office Costs
- Phone and internet bills.
- Postage.
- Stationary.
- Printing costs - e.g. Ink and Paper.
- Computer softwares - Can only be claimed for an initial 2 years.
- “This is easy!”
- “This is light!”
- “I wasn't sore at all afterward!”
- “Really, we're done already?!”
- “I'm going to train to run a half-marathon and write a blog about it so I won't be able to quit!”
A personal trainer may seem like a luxury only the wealthy can afford. But there are ways to get the individual attention and benefits of a trainer, even on a smaller budget. Sharing a session with just a few others can spread out the cost, while maintaining some level of a personalized workout.
Is it worth getting a personal trainer? For many people, it is. A trainer can help you to reach important goals, help you to return to fitness after an injury, or simply provide motivation and accountability when you need it the most.
Most people have a co-payment of about $25 to $35 per therapy session. However, some co-payments can be as high as $50 or $75. If you have Medicare as your primary insurance, your plan will cover about 80% of the claim for PT, and you may have to pay the remaining 20%.
Does PT count towards deductible?
If you go to a cash-based physical therapy practice or simply pay out-of-pocket for physical therapy, the requirements of insurance companies to receive reimbursement or to apply your costs to your deductible no longer apply.
Compared to many other professions in the US, the average salary of a physical therapist hovers around a livable $85k a year, with new graduates earning just under $70k. Once you're finally debt-free, you'll enjoy this healthy income as a PT.

Personal Training Rates in the U.S.
Average personal trainer rates in the U.S. aren't too far off from UK rates, but again they will vary based on your specific area. The national average cost of personal training in the U.S. is $40-70 per hour-long session.
On average, personal trainers charge $25 to $50 per 30-minute session, $40 to $70 per hour session, and $60 to $100 per 90-minute session. Group fitness training starts at $35 per class. Get free estimates from personal trainers near you.
A typical rate is around $60 to $70 for a one-hour training session. But outliers can make anywhere from $40 to $400 and beyond. Some may even offer weeks- or months-long packages for four or five figures. Finding the right rate for you starts with the annual take-home you want.
In general, no. You wear it for creating fitness content, training clients, etc...so why not? As a general rule, the IRS has repeatedly rejected tax deductions for clothing that can be worn both for work and personal.
Since your trainees are individuals, not businesses, they won't be sending you a Form 1099-NEC. But you're still responsible to report earnings on your tax return and pay taxes throughout the year with quarterly estimated payments.
Trainers will simply receive their portion of the pay and the gym will keep whatever is theirs. During tax time, you will receive a Form 1099-NEC instead of a W-2 as an independent contractor. As a result, the IRS will receive information on the non-employee compensation in the 1099-NEC.
Exercise Equipment/Supplies
From hand weights to treadmills to elliptical machines, there are so many tools trainers encourage their clients to use in order to get fit. If you purchase this equipment for your small business, the IRS will allow you to take a tax deduction on it.
- Start an Online Fitness Studio. Online fitness studios are the best way for you to earn more money as a trainer. ...
- Launch a Fitness App. ...
- Live Stream Fitness Classes. ...
- Sell Downloadable Workout Plans. ...
- Sell Your Favorite Fitness Products. ...
- Sell Your Own Branded Fitness Products. ...
- Find Brand Sponsorships. ...
- Generate Advertising Revenue.
What annoys personal trainers?
If you're trying to get on your instructor's good side, you may want to put down the phone and pick up the pace. Using the phone in class or during personal training appointments is the top way to annoy your instructor, followed by skipping appointments and practicing poor personal hygiene.
Fitness professionals can best protect themselves with Certified Professional Insurance (personal trainer insurance) and an understanding of what risk management means. Understand the consequences and identify potential risks; understand the different levels of insurance, and how your coverage works.
They stopped learning after the course
Personal trainer courses are intense and require some hard work to complete. For many PTs, it's the end of their learning journey. However, fitness evolves and you need to keep your knowledge up to date.
Rank | State | Average Personal Trainer Salary |
---|---|---|
1 | California | $49,724 |
2 | Hawaii | $48,936 |
3 | Washington | $48,140 |
4 | Connecticut | $47,835 |
According to the BLS, the state that pays the highest personal trainer salary is New York. The annual mean wage for an instructor in this state is $61,840 per year or $29.73 an hour. New York also has one of the highest employment levels for fitness professionals.
Rank | City | Total Jobs |
---|---|---|
1 | Sebring, FL | 90 |
2 | Ithaca, NY | 150 |
3 | Charlottesville, VA | 730 |
4 | Portland, ME | 590 |
You should train with a personal trainer one to three times per week. Once per week - If you're on a budget and can train solo at least one other time a week. Three times per week - If you're looking to learn exercises faster (and maybe get more gains long term).
Personal trainers are expensive because you're paying them to give you their undivided attention for 30-60 minutes. Many trainers also have advanced degrees and additional certifications, which allows them to charge more money. Other trainers charge a lot of money simply because they know they're good at what they do.
If you've been working with your trainer consistently for three to six months while consuming the proper nutrition, and you don't feel stronger and see progress in attaining your fitness goals, it's time for a change, says Rodrick Covington, founder and chief executive officer of Core Rhythm Fitness, a fitness and ...
There's no limit on how much Medicare pays for your medically necessary outpatient therapy services in one calendar year.
What is PT coinsurance?
After your deductible is met, your insurance begins to pay some of the costs. But they require you to pay a portion, called co-insurance. What is co-insurance? The percentage of the visit you're responsible for after meeting your deductible. For example, your insurance pays 80%, and you pay 20%.
Original Medicare covers outpatient therapy at 80% of the Medicare-approved amount. When you receive services from a participating provider, you pay a 20% coinsurance after you meet your Part B deductible ($226 in 2023).
A copay after deductible is a flat fee you pay for medical service as part of a cost-sharing relationship in which you and your health insurance provider must pay for your medical expenses.
Generally speaking, an HMO might make sense if lower costs are most important and if you don't mind using a PCP to manage your care. A PPO may be better if you already have a doctor or medical team that you want to keep but doesn't belong to your plan network.
The portion of a physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), or chiropractic claim that is greater than four units (60 minutes) of timed, short-term rehabilitation services per patient, per day, per provider will be denied as being not medically necessary.
How Much Does a Physical Therapist Make? Physical Therapists made a median salary of $95,620 in 2021. The best-paid 25% made $101,920 that year, while the lowest-paid 25% made $77,750.
- Sports medicine. Physical therapists who specialize in sports medicine treat professional and amateur athletes. ...
- Cardiovascular. ...
- Geriatrics. ...
- Neurology. ...
- Pediatrics.
- PRN Physical Therapist. Salary range: $84,500-$125,500 per year. ...
- Registered Physical Therapist. ...
- Travel Physical Therapist. ...
- Pediatric Physical Therapist. ...
- Per Diem Physical Therapist. ...
- Correctional Facility Physical Therapist. ...
- Certified Hand Therapist. ...
- Senior Physical Therapist.
Depending on your goals, starting point, and physical ability, one personal training session can be enough, although 1-3 personal training sessions per week is recommended. For those new to exercise, 2-3 personal training sessions per week is recommended to ensure that you develop proper form and a sustainable routine.
Physical therapists typically work five 8-hour days or four 10-hour days that begin at 8:00 am and end at 6:30 pm. Either of these schedules works well for patients.
Is an online PT cheaper?
Online Personal Trainer Prices
Generally, Online Personal Trainers charge 2-3 times the amount they charge for a 1-hour session. Now considering you can train with any Online Personal Trainer/Online Fitness Coach of your choice from anywhere in the world, prices do vary.
As a beginner, you should see a personal trainer two to three times a week for six weeks to start. This helps you establish a consistent fitness routine, which is important in the beginning. It is also a good opportunity to learn new workouts and techniques and ensure you perform exercises in the safest way possible.
- 1 – Soft Tissue Work – 5 mins. Most of the clients I work with spend a lot of time sitting. ...
- 2 – Specific Stretching – 3 mins. ...
- 3 – Mobility & Muscle Activation – 5 mins. ...
- 4 – Main Workout – 12 mins. ...
- 5 – Cool Down – 5 mins.
Learn from experts in the field on how many hours a personal trainer works. As you get personal training experience, try to stick to 25-30 hours a week (max) for actual training sessions. You'll need non-training time for scheduling, invoicing, working out, promoting your business on social media, and more.
While an online courses business isn't legally required to carry general liability insurance, operating without it is extremely risky. If your online courses business is sued, you could face fees totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more).
If you have a slow month with clients, you still have to pay rent. Most gyms charge rent by the month, so you could see less profit or even be in the hole depending on how many clients you get in a bad month.
Online trainers often are advised to obtain both general liability insurance and professional liability insurance. General liability insurance usually handles claims of bodily injury from third party, whereas.
Professional indemnity insurance can be there for your business whether someone says you were professionally negligent during your online coaching courses, or if you accidentally disclose private information without consent.
The best way to avoid liability is to prevent injuries on your property in the first place and protect yourself with a solid insurance policy in the event the unavoidable and unexpected does occur. What are some liability risks?