Life Coach Intake Form: Template, Example and Tips

A life coach intake form is the questionnaire a new client fills in before your first session. It tells you why they came now, what they want to change, what they have already tried, how they like to be coached, and whether anything in their situation sits outside coaching and needs a different professional. Below is a free life coach intake form template with nine sections you can copy today, followed by a table that explains each section, the additions life coaches need for scope and privacy, a filled example for a fictional client, and a comparison of ways to send and store it.

We make Coachful, a coaching platform where this form can be sent as intake questions on your booking page, completed by the client before the first call, paired with a coaching agreement they sign electronically, and stored on the client record next to their goals, check-ins and sessions. You can use the template anywhere, though: paste it into a document, a form tool or your own system.

What goes in the life coach intake form template?

Nine sections: contact details, what brought them to coaching, life areas, goals, history and current supports, how they like to be coached, practical commitments, a scope and wellbeing check, and consent. Copy the text below, replace every [bracketed] item with your own details, and delete any question you would not actually use in the first session.

Life coaching intake form: [Your practice name]

Intro text for the client: Thank you for booking with [Your name]. This form takes about [15] minutes. Your answers help me prepare so our first session is spent on you, not on paperwork. Skip anything you would rather talk about in person. Everything you share is kept confidential as described in our coaching agreement and privacy notice at [link].

Section 1. About you

1. Full name and the name you would like me to use.
2. Pronouns (optional).
3. Email and mobile number. Can I text you session reminders? [Yes / No]
4. City and time zone.
5. Your work or main daily role right now (for example: team lead, parent at home, student, between jobs, retired).
6. How did you hear about me? [Referral / Instagram / Podcast / Search / Other]

Section 2. Why now

1. In two or three sentences, what made you decide to look for a life coach this month rather than last year?
2. If our work together went really well, what would be different in your life six months from today? Describe a normal Tuesday.
3. What would tell you, at the end of our [12 weeks / 3 months], that coaching was not worth it?

Section 3. Life areas snapshot

1. Rate your current satisfaction from 1 (very unsatisfied) to 10 (fully satisfied) in each area: career or work, money, physical health and energy, close relationships or partner, family, friends and social life, personal growth and learning, fun and recreation, home environment, sense of purpose.
2. Which one or two areas, if they improved, would make the others easier?
3. Which area do you want to leave alone for now?

Section 4. Goals

1. List up to three things you want from coaching. Write them in your own words; we will sharpen them together.
2. For your top goal: what is the smallest visible sign that it is starting to happen?
3. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is this goal to you? How confident are you that you can reach it?
4. What is already working that you want to keep?

Section 5. What you have tried and who supports you

1. What have you already tried to change this (books, courses, apps, other coaches, conversations)? What helped, even a little?
2. Have you worked with a coach before? What did you like or not like about it?
3. Are you currently working with a therapist, counsellor, psychiatrist or doctor on anything related to what you want from coaching? [Yes / No / Prefer to discuss] You do not need to share details. If yes, I may ask whether you are comfortable letting them know you are working with a coach.
4. Who in your life will notice and support the changes you make? Who might find them difficult?

Section 6. How you like to be coached

1. When someone holds you accountable, what works best: a gentle nudge, a direct challenge, or a mix?
2. How do you usually respond when you fall behind on a commitment?
3. Between sessions, how would you like to stay in touch? [In-app messages / Email / Weekly check-in form / Only in sessions]
4. Is there anything about your background, beliefs, health, neurodiversity or circumstances you would like me to keep in mind so our sessions work well for you?

Section 7. Practical commitments

1. Which days and times usually work for sessions? [Weekday mornings / Weekday evenings / Weekends]
2. Roughly how many hours a week can you give to actions between sessions? [Under 1 / 1 to 2 / 3 to 5 / More than 5]
3. Do you expect any big events in the next three months (travel, a move, a new job, a baby, surgery) that could affect our schedule?

Section 8. Scope and wellbeing check

Text for the client: Coaching is not therapy, counselling, medical care or crisis support. These questions help me make sure coaching is the right fit for you right now. Answering yes does not mean we cannot work together; it means we will talk about it first.

1. In the past few months, have you had thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life? [Yes / No / Prefer to discuss]
2. Are you currently dealing with a mental health condition, addiction, eating difficulty or recent trauma that is affecting your daily functioning? [Yes / No / Prefer to discuss]
3. Are you involved in a legal dispute, divorce proceeding or employment claim connected to what you want coaching on? [Yes / No]
4. If you ever feel unsafe or in crisis, you agree to contact local emergency services or a crisis line ([your local number, for example 988 in the US]) rather than waiting for a coaching session. [I understand]

Section 9. Consent and agreement

1. I understand that coaching is a partnership focused on my goals, and that I am responsible for my own decisions and actions. [I agree]
2. I have read the coaching agreement and the privacy notice at [link]. [I agree]
3. I consent to [Your practice name] storing my answers on [name of your system] for the purpose of providing coaching, and I know I can ask for a copy or deletion at any time by emailing [your email]. [I agree]
4. Optional: I agree that anonymized themes from our sessions may be used for my coach's supervision or credential mentoring. [Yes / No]
5. Signature or typed name, and date.

Closing text: Thank you. I will read this before we meet on [date]. If anything changes before then, reply to your booking confirmation or message me in [app or email].

Why does each section of the intake form matter?

Each section either saves time in the first session or protects you and the client. The table below gives the purpose of each part and the answer patterns worth a second look before you meet.

If you want to score parts of the form automatically, for example the life areas ratings or the importance and confidence questions, our guide on how to automate coaching intake form scoring walks through it. For more question ideas by goal type, see 15 coaching intake form questions with practical examples.

What must life coaches add to a client intake form?

Life coaches need four additions most generic client intake forms leave out: a plain scope statement, a safety and referral path, rules for sensitive data, and anything your local law or credentialing body requires. The template above includes starter wording for each; here is how to finish them for your practice.

A scope of practice statement

Life coaching touches anxiety, relationships, money and health, so clients sometimes arrive expecting therapy. The ICF Code of Ethics asks coaches to be clear about the nature of coaching and to encourage clients toward other professionals when that serves them better. Put one sentence at the top of Section 8 and the same sentence in your coaching agreement. If you want a deeper look at where the line sits, read can a life coach help with anxiety.

A safety and referral plan

Decide before your first client what you will do if someone answers yes to the wellbeing questions. A workable plan has three parts:

• Read answers before the call. A yes on self-harm thoughts is a conversation for the opening minutes, not the last.
• Know your referral list. Keep two or three local therapists, the national crisis line (in the US, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) and a GP or doctor route for clients outside your country.
• Decide what pauses coaching. For example: active suicidal intent, a current eating disorder without clinical care, or substance use that affects sessions. Write this in your agreement so it is not a surprise.

A simple decision table keeps your response consistent from client to client. Adapt it with a clinician who knows your local services.

Sensitive data handling

Answers about mental health, religion, sexual orientation and health are special category data under the EU and UK GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Article 9), which needs explicit consent or another listed condition. The UK regulator's guidance on special category data is a readable starting point. In practice:

• Ask only what you will use. "Prefer to discuss" options let clients keep detail out of writing.
• Store the form in one place with a login, not in an email thread and a downloads folder.
• Say how long you keep records and how clients can ask for deletion.
• If you coach clients who are also patients of a clinician you partner with, clinical notes belong in a clinical system. Coachful, like most coaching platforms, is not HIPAA-certified and does not sign a BAA.

Local law and your own credential rules

Consumer law, cooling-off periods, age of consent for minors, and record retention rules differ by state and country. If you coach teenagers, add a parent or guardian consent section. If you are working toward an ICF credential, note whether the client agrees to anonymized supervision, as in question 35. For the credential side of the business, see life coach qualifications, skills and the law.

What does a completed life coach questionnaire look like?

Here is a filled example for a fictional client, shortened to the answers that shape the first session. Example only: the client, details and scores are invented.

Example: intake for "Dana R.", fictional client

About you: Dana R., she/her. Lisbon, Western European Time. Operations manager at a logistics company. Yes to text reminders. Heard about the coach on a podcast.

Why now: "I turned 40 in August and realised I have said 'next year' about leaving my job for five years. My manager just offered me a promotion and I felt dread, not excitement." A good Tuesday in six months: "I finish work by six, I am running a small side project in ceramics or teaching, and I am not checking email in bed." Coaching was not worth it if: "I am still exactly where I am and just better at explaining why."

Life areas (1 to 10): career 3, money 7, health and energy 5, partner 7, family 6, friends 4, growth 4, fun 3, home 6, purpose 2. Areas that would lift the rest: career and purpose. Leave alone for now: money.

Goals: (1) Decide whether to take the promotion by 15 December. (2) Test one idea for meaningful work outside the job. (3) Get back to seeing friends weekly. Smallest sign for goal 1: "I can say my reasons out loud without changing them halfway." Importance 9, confidence 4.

Tried: Two career books, a personality test, long talks with her partner. "Talking helps but we go in circles." No previous coach. Not currently seeing a therapist.

Coaching style: "Direct, please. I respond to deadlines." When behind: "I go quiet and hope nobody notices." Between sessions: in-app messages and a weekly check-in form.

Commitments: Weekday mornings before 8:30. Two to three hours a week. Travelling for work 10 to 14 November.

Scope and wellbeing: No to questions 28 to 30. Ticked the crisis line statement.

Consent: All ticked. Yes to anonymized supervision. Typed signature and date.

What the coach takes from this before session one: the real deadline is the promotion decision on 15 December, purpose scores lowest, confidence is less than half of importance, and the client has told you exactly how she disengages. A sensible plan is a direct style, a short weekly check-in that she cannot ghost quietly, and a session scheduled before her November trip.

How should you send and store a life coach intake form?

Send it from the same place you will run the coaching, so the answers sit next to the agreement, sessions and notes instead of in a separate inbox. The table compares common options. Vendor prices are as listed on each vendor's pricing page in October 2026.

A few notes on the other tools, from what each vendor documents. Paperbell covers booking, packages, contracts and a simple site, with no courses, community or habit tracking. Practice Better is built for wellness and nutrition practitioners and includes charting. Dubsado and HoneyBook are client-workflow CRMs for many kinds of service businesses, without programs, check-ins or courses. Satori focuses on scheduling, packages and contracts. Quenza focuses on worksheets and activities, and does not process client payments today. For a full comparison of form tools, see our list of the best intake form software for life coaches, and for paired form and signing tools, coaching intake and agreement software.

How do you run a life coach intake form in Coachful?

In Coachful the intake form is one step in a connected client journey: questions on booking, an agreement signed before the first call, then check-ins, habits, programs and invoices on the same client record. Here is how each step works and what the client sees.

Step 1. Add intake questions to your booking page

Coachful booking pages support intake questions on booking, availability rules, buffers, minimum notice and time-zone detection. Put Sections 1 to 4 of the template here for a discovery or first session, so a prospect answers the essentials while picking a time. Intake calls then appear on the Intakes page with totals, upcoming calls and conversion rate.

This short walkthrough shows the Intakes page and how booked intake calls are tracked:

Sessions sync both ways with Google, Apple/iCloud and Outlook calendars, and Coachful creates a built-in video room or a Zoom, Meet or Teams link. Clients get email reminders, plus SMS 24 hours before and WhatsApp one hour before once messaging is enabled.

Step 2. Send the coaching agreement before the first call

Sections 8 and 9 of the template belong next to your terms. Coachful sends coaching agreements with e-signature before the first call and stores the signed copy on the client record. If you need agreement wording, start from our life coach contract template or the coaching contracts page.

Step 3. What the client sees

Clients use one branded app: your branding inside the Coachful app. Their coaching hub shows the next session, tabs for programs, sessions, progress and documents, and anything you have asked them to complete before you meet.

Step 4. Read the answers on the client record

Intake answers sit on the client record alongside goals, check-ins, habits, notes, tags, payments and sessions. Each client shows a status of thriving, active, quiet or at risk, and Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, can brief you before a session from that live data. For a client like Dana, the briefing starts from what she wrote, not from memory.

Step 5. Turn intake answers into check-ins and habits

The coaching style and commitments sections tell you which check-ins to switch on. Coachful supports morning and evening check-ins, weekly goals, daily tasks, habits with streaks and goals with progress bars. A client who says "I go quiet when I fall behind" gets a weekly check-in so silence is visible early.

The habits a client agreed to in the first session appear in their app with progress toward the target:

Step 6. Enroll them in a program

If you run a 12-week package, enroll the client in a multi-week program with weekly goals and daily tasks. Group programs create a cohort group automatically on enrollment. Coachful includes more than 40 ready-to-film program templates if you are building your first one.

Step 7. Invoice through your own Stripe or Razorpay account

Payments run through your own Stripe Connect or Razorpay account: one-time, subscriptions, payment plans, coupons and refunds, with an invoice per transaction and manual invoices when you need them. Coachful charges a 0% platform fee; only Stripe or Razorpay processing applies.

What is Coachful, and who is it for?

Coachful is a coaching platform with booking, payments, contracts, program delivery with habits and check-ins, courses, a community, a website with funnels and email, and an AI assistant, under one login for you and one branded app for your clients. It is built for coaches who deliver programs rather than only sessions, solo coaches growing into a small team, and coaches replacing four to six separate tools. See the Coachful page for life coaches for the niche view.

What it does not do: Coachful is not HIPAA-certified and does not sign a BAA, so it is not for clinical record-keeping or insurance billing. It has no PayPal and no permanent free plan, and the client app ships under the Coachful listing with your branding rather than your own App Store account. Plans are flat monthly, lower plans cap the number of clients and Pro is unlimited (current plans: Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients; Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients; Studio: $199/month with unlimited clients). Monthly plans cancel in one click, and you can start with a free trial.

Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. From Create, the "We'll build it for you" option lets you describe what you want built, such as a form or worksheet, a website, a funnel, a program or an email sequence, and attach up to 8 reference links and 10 files. The Coachful team builds it inside your own account, usually within about 24 hours. Nothing gets invented: no fake credentials, testimonials or prices, and gaps are left for you to fill. You could send this intake template with your notes and get it built as a form. Read more about the free white-glove service.

What are the most common intake form mistakes?

The most common mistake is asking too much: a 70-question form that a motivated client abandons halfway. The rest are about timing, storage and follow-through.

• Asking for things you will never read. If a question does not change how you run session one, cut it or move it to a later check-in.
• Sending it after the first session. The point is preparation. Send it with the booking confirmation, and set the due date at least 24 hours before you meet.
• Skipping the wellbeing questions because they feel awkward. They protect the client and you. Phrase them calmly and give a "prefer to discuss" option.
• No plan for a yes. Asking about self-harm without a referral route is worse than not asking. Write the plan first.
• Storing answers in email. Health and personal details spread across inboxes, downloads and phones are hard to protect and hard to delete on request.
• Using a generic client intake form. A form written for accountants or salons misses why-now, life areas and scope, the questions that matter most to life coaches.
• Never looking at it again. Repeat the life areas rating at the midpoint and the end. The before-and-after is the clearest result a client can see.
• Mixing intake with the contract. Keep the questions and the agreement as separate documents with separate consent, so a client can update answers without re-signing terms.

For a process view of reviewing and updating your form over time, see how to create a coaching intake form, and if your onboarding includes more than one form, our client onboarding form guide covers the order. To generate a first draft tailored to your niche, try the intake form generator.

Is this intake form legal or medical advice?

No. This template is a practical starting point, not legal, medical or financial advice. Privacy, consumer and record-keeping rules vary by state and country, and the right wording depends on who you coach and where.

Have a local lawyer review your intake form and coaching agreement together if you coach minors, work across borders, collect health or mental health information, or partner with clinicians. Ask a licensed clinician to review your wellbeing questions and referral plan if your coaching often touches anxiety, grief, trauma, eating or substance use. If you are unsure whether data you collect counts as sensitive, check with your national data protection authority or a privacy specialist.

Frequently asked questions about life coach intake forms

How long should a life coach intake form be?

Aim for 15 to 20 minutes, which is roughly 25 to 40 questions with several multiple-choice items. The template above has 36, and you can drop Section 7 or parts of Section 5 for short packages. Shorter forms get completed; longer ones get skimmed.

When should I send the intake form?

Send it right after booking and ask for it at least 24 hours before the first session. That gives you time to read the wellbeing answers and plan, rather than reading them live on the call.

What is the difference between an intake form and a coaching agreement?

The intake form collects information about the client and their goals. The coaching agreement sets the terms: fees, cancellation, confidentiality, scope and how either side can end the work. Keep them as separate documents, and have both completed before the first session.

Is this life coaching intake form template free to use?

Yes. Copy it, change it and use it in any tool. Replace the bracketed items, remove questions you will not use, and have it reviewed for your local law before you rely on the consent wording.

Should a life coach ask about mental health on an intake form?

Yes, briefly. Coaching is not treatment, so you need to know whether a client is in crisis or receiving care for the same issue. Ask in plain language, offer "prefer to discuss", and have a referral plan ready before you ask.

Can I use the same form for discovery calls and paying clients?

Use a short version for discovery calls (Sections 1, 2 and 4) and the full version once someone has bought. Prospects rarely complete a long form before they know whether you are a fit.

Where should I store completed intake forms?

In one system with a login, ideally the same place you keep session notes and the signed agreement. Avoid leaving copies in email attachments, and set a retention period you can explain to clients.

Can Coachful hold health information from intake forms?

Coachful is GDPR-ready and stores intake answers on the client record, but it is not HIPAA-certified and does not sign a BAA. Use it for coaching information; keep clinical records in a clinical system.

What is Coachful's free white-glove service?

It is a build service included on every Coachful plan. You describe what you want, such as an intake form, website, funnel or program, attach references, and the Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. It does not include recording videos, logo design or ad management.

How often should I update my intake form?

Review it every six months or after every ten new clients. Remove questions whose answers you never used, and add any question you found yourself asking in every first session.