FeeSathi / Blog

How much to charge for tuition: a method, not a guess

Published 2026-10-09

Search "tuition fees per month" and you'll find confident numbers with no source. Real fees vary enormously by city, class, subject, board, batch size and the tutor's results. A number from someone else's city is not a price for you.

This guide gives you a method instead: four inputs you can actually find, and a way to combine them. We deliberately don't quote typical rates, because we haven't surveyed them and you shouldn't price from a guess.

Step 1: Find out what parents near you already pay

This is the most important input and the easiest to skip. Ask, politely and specifically:

• Two or three parents you already teach: "What did you pay for the same subject and class before?"
• Other tutors you trust, for the same class and batch size.
• Local listings and coaching-centre fee boards, noting class, subject, hours per week and batch size - otherwise the comparison is meaningless.

Write down a low, middle and high figure for the same kind of class you offer. That range, not a national average, is your market.

Step 2: Convert to a per-hour figure

Monthly fees hide how much teaching they buy. Divide by hours taught per month so you compare like with like.

Illustration only (made-up numbers): Fee ₹2,400/month · 3 classes a week · 1 hour each ≈ 12-13 hours a month ₹2,400 ÷ 12 ≈ ₹200 per student-hour

For a batch, also work out what the hour earns you in total: ₹200 × 6 students = ₹1,200 for that hour. That number is what decides whether a batch is worth running.

Step 3: Count your real costs and unpaid time

• Travel (for home tuition) - time and fuel both count.
• Preparation, test-making and checking copies.
• Material, printing, rent or electricity if you teach from a room.
• Weeks you don't earn: holidays, exam breaks, families who leave mid-term.

If your per-hour figure only looks fine before these, it isn't fine.

Step 4: Decide where in the range you sit

Reasons to sit higher: one-to-one or very small batches, senior classes or competitive-exam preparation, home visits, a track record you can show (results, years taught, parents who refer others). Reasons to start lower: new to the area, no references yet, very large batches.

Whatever you choose, write it down as a clear policy before the first class - what the fee covers, when it's due, and what happens with missed classes. Our tuition fee policy template covers this.

Raising fees for existing students

Give notice before the new month starts (many tutors use a full month), say what the new fee is and from which month, and never apply it to a month already due. A short, private message to each family works better than an announcement in a group.

A fee you never collect is not a fee

Pricing matters less than collection. A ₹2,000 fee paid on time beats a ₹2,500 fee chased for six weeks. FeeSathi shows who owes what and prepares a polite WhatsApp reminder with your UPI ID - free during the pilot.

General information only, not financial or tax advice.

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