Tutoring fee increase: how much notice to give parents

Is there a legal notice period for a tutoring fee rise?

We have not found a UK law that fixes how much warning a private tutor must give before raising fees. What does exist is a general rule about fairness in consumer contracts, and it applies to the terms you write.

That means the practical answer sits in your own paperwork. If your agreement says fees are reviewed each September with one term's written notice, you follow that. If it says nothing, you are relying on goodwill and on whatever the family reasonably expected when they started.

Whether a particular family is a consumer in law depends on the facts, and a tutor who contracts with a business or a school may be in a different position. If a large sum or a dispute is involved, take advice.

Put a fee review rule in your terms

Schedule 2 to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is a list of consumer contract terms which may be regarded as unfair. It includes a term that has the object or effect of enabling the trader to alter the terms of the contract unilaterally without a valid reason which is specified in the contract.

Section 62 of the Act says an unfair term of a consumer contract is not binding on the consumer, and that a term is unfair if, contrary to the requirement of good faith, it causes a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligations to the consumer's detriment. Being on a list is not the end of the matter, because fairness is judged on all the circumstances.

The practical lesson is to say in advance, in plain words, when and why you may change your fee, how you will tell the family, and what notice they will get. A clause such as 'fees are reviewed once a year and any change takes effect from the start of a term, with written notice at least one term in advance' is clear and easy to follow.

How much notice is reasonable?

This is professional judgement, not a legal rule. Many tutors give the family enough time to decide whether to continue before a new term or exam season begins, and avoid changing a fee in the middle of a prepaid block.

Longer notice suits longer commitments. A family paying termly in advance needs a full term's warning. A family paying weekly may only need a few weeks. Whatever you choose, write the same period in every agreement so that you treat families consistently.

Avoid raising a fee during the weeks before an exam. If a pupil is mid-course, consider holding the old fee until the course ends and apply the new one to new bookings.

What a fee change notice should say

Send the notice in writing, not in passing at the end of a lesson, and keep a copy. A short letter or email is enough as long as it covers each of these:

• The current fee and the new fee, per lesson or per block.
• The date the new fee starts.
• The clause in your agreement that allows fee reviews.
• How lessons already paid for are treated, so no one pays twice.
• What the family can do if they would rather not continue, including the date of the last lesson at the old fee.
• A short reason, if you want to give one. It is not required, but it helps.

Keep the tone professional and the record clean

A fee rise is easier to accept when it is announced calmly, in good time and without apology or pressure. Thank the family, state the change, and offer to answer questions. For ideas on timing and wording, see our post on raising your tutoring rates.

Ask the parent to acknowledge the notice by reply or by signing a copy. If a family later says they were never told, a dated acknowledgement settles the question.

What a fee change notice should record

A preview of our free Tutoring Fee Change Notice. The complete, print-ready version is sent to you by email.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 62: requirement for contract terms and notices to be fair, legislation.gov.uk
• Consumer Rights Act 2015, Schedule 2: consumer contract terms which may be regarded as unfair, legislation.gov.uk
• Unfair contract terms explained, GOV.UK