Headway’s Marketplace Fee: A Referral Cost Worksheet

A referral channel’s price makes more sense when you identify the event that triggers a charge. A subscription can be due with no inquiries. A per-appointment charge can recur after the first meeting. Neither tells you how many people will contact you or whether the channel suits your practice.

If you already use Headway, use the worksheet below to estimate its announced marketplace charge separately from other costs. Then compare a directory subscription only for the discovery task it provides. This is a planning exercise, not a forecast of clients, earnings or savings.

What Headway has announced

Headway’s October 8, 2026 guidance announces a $9.99 deduction per completed appointment with qualifying new marketplace-sourced clients. It continues beyond their first session, including insurance and private-pay appointments. The announced rollout starts in November 2026 and is due to reach all states by year-end. As of this article’s October 13 source check, that rollout is upcoming.

Headway exempts provider-added clients, first bookings through the provider’s direct link, and clients who found the provider before the change. Canceled appointments and no-shows are also excluded. Source is set at the initial booking with that provider; later switching links or hiding the marketplace listing does not remove an existing qualifying client’s fee. Headway says the charge does not change contracted rates or client prices. Confirm your notice and current guidance before budgeting.

Count appointments, then add the other costs

Use a blank business worksheet. Keep client names and counseling details out of it.

• Planning period: The calendar month and the applicable start date, if announced for your account.
• Chargeable appointments: Expected completed appointments subject to the fee, excluding appointments and sources the policy exempts.
• Marketplace amount: Chargeable appointments multiplied by $9.99. Mark the amount as an estimate until you reconcile the actual deduction.
• Other expenses: Separately list subscriptions, payment charges, software costs and anything not included in this fee calculation.

Ten qualifying completed appointments would mean $99.90 in marketplace fees alone: 10 × $9.99. Ten inquiries would not support that calculation. Nor would ten appointments that fall within an exemption.

A hypothetical month with mixed sources

This is an invented business example, not an FFT counselor’s performance or a suggested caseload.

Suppose a practitioner expects 18 completed appointments after their applicable start date. Eight are with exempt clients. The remaining ten qualify for the marketplace fee. Their estimate is $99.90, not 18 × $9.99. Their later reconciliation should use the account’s actual classifications and deductions.

If the same practitioner separately subscribed to FFT Growth at the regular $16.79 monthly price, the combined amount for these two line items would be $116.69. That total excludes other costs and does not establish the practitioner’s eligibility for FFT, client volume, savings or profit. Adding a channel does not change existing Headway source classifications.

Put FFT in the correct column

On the current FFT plan page, regular Growth is $16.79 monthly or $179.88 annually upfront. Premier is $39.99 monthly or $428.46 annually upfront. These are software subscriptions, not charges for counseling sessions. Annual equivalents are not monthly payment plans. Eligible offers have separate terms; this worksheet uses regular prices.

When Premier processes session payments through a connected Stripe account, FFT’s payment fee is 1%, capped at $10 per counselor per UTC calendar month. Stripe charges are separate. Include this line only when that payment workflow is actually used; a Growth directory subscription is not a Premier payment charge.

FFT provides a Christian counselor directory and practice software, not Headway’s insurance credentialing or billing arrangements. Headway has its own licensing and credentialing requirements. An FFT listing or Christian counseling credential does not establish eligibility for Headway or state mental-health licensure. Current FFT discovery is Christian counselors; its licensed-therapist track remains dormant.

Finish with a decision you can revisit

Record the source date, assumptions and one unanswered cost question. Compare what each service actually does before choosing to add, retain or stop paying for it. If your existing arrangement meets the task, an additional subscription may add no useful value.

For FFT’s prices, billing commitments and setup conditions, explore counselor plans and tools. FFT does not promise inquiries, appointments, clients or revenue. Counselors remain independent and responsible for their services and listing claims.

Source check: October 13, 2026. Fee policies can change; check current terms before making a purchase.

AI-assistance disclosure: This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed against the linked primary sources and FFT’s platform boundaries.