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How much should you be charging right now?

Every year without a rate increase is a quiet pay cut. This calculator shows your inflation-adjusted rate — what you should be charging today to hold the same purchasing power — and the annual revenue you've left on the table by not raising.

Your inputs
The result
Your inflation-
adjusted rate
current × (1 + i)yrs
$ 69 /session
vs. your $65 session rate +6%
Revenue at current rate rate × sessions × 48 weeks $74,880
Revenue at adjusted rate adjusted × sessions × 48 weeks $79,488
Annual revenue gap money left on the table each year $4,608
The number worth quoting

An $85 rate held 18 months at 4% inflation loses $5,760/year

That's the gap between revenue at the original rate and revenue at the inflation-adjusted rate ($90/session) over 48 working weeks at 24 sessions per week.

Updated quarterly · Q1 2026 · Sources: US BLS — CPI-U headline inflation 2022–2025 averaging ~4% YoY · IDEA Fitness Industry compensation surveys 2018–2024 · PTDC business audits — Jonathan Goodman, 2014–2023

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How this is calculated

The inflation-adjusted rate is the floor — the minimum you should charge today to hold the same purchasing power you had when you last raised. Anything beyond that is a value-based or market-based increase on top.

  1. 1
    Time since last raise
    years = months / 12

    12 months is the typical cadence in the industry. Anything past 18 months is a structural underpricing problem, not a delay.

  2. 2
    Inflation-adjusted rate
    current rate × (1 + inflation)^years

    Compounding matters — 4% for 1.5 years is ~6%, not 4%. At 24+ months the catch-up alone is meaningful, before any value-based increase.

  3. 3
    Annual revenue (at either rate)
    rate × sessions per week × 48 working weeks

    48 weeks accounts for typical holidays, sick days, and slow periods. Full-time trainers rarely bill 52 weeks per year.

  4. 4
    Annual revenue gap
    revenue at adjusted rate − revenue at current rate

    This is the dollar amount you've left on the table each year by not catching up. Multiply by years held for the cumulative hit.

Sources
  • · US Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index, all urban consumers
  • · PTDC — 'How to Raise Personal Training Rates Without Losing Clients' by Jonathan Goodman
  • · IDEA Fitness Industry — annual personal trainer compensation surveys

FAQ

How much should I raise my personal training rates?
The inflation-adjusted rate is the minimum floor — it just preserves your existing purchasing power. Stack three frameworks on top: (1) inflation catch-up (CPI × years since last raise), (2) market benchmarking (what local trainers with your certifications charge), (3) value-based (what you've added — new certs, programming app, results). Take the highest of the three. A 2+ year gap with a waitlist typically justifies 15–25% in one move.
How often should I raise my rates?
Every 12 months is the industry-standard cadence. Past 18 months you start to see the structural problem: inflation compounds, and a single 'catch-up' raise becomes large enough to feel disruptive to long-term clients. Smaller, annual increases land better than infrequent large ones.
What inflation rate should I use?
Use the most recent CPI-U number from the US BLS as your floor (running ~3–4% in 2024–2025), or your local equivalent. If you're in a high-cost metro where rent and gym leases have outpaced CPI, use a higher figure — your business costs aren't tracking the national average.
Will I lose clients if I raise rates?
Expect 5–10% attrition and accept it. Price-shoppers were already your highest-churn segment; freed slots typically fill at the new rate within 2–3 months. Trainers who refuse to raise rates lose income silently to inflation — much worse than the visible cost of a few client departures.
Can I share my result?
Yes — the URL updates with your inputs as you type. Copy the link from your browser address bar; opening it in another tab will hydrate the calculator with your exact numbers, and the social preview image will show the headline adjusted rate. No login required.
The full guide

When to Raise Your Personal Training Rates (and How to Do It Without Losing Clients)

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