The short answer
Pick the subjects and grades you know best, check your local business rules, and get your own background check so parents can see it. Price above the $20.84 median hourly wage for employed tutors, because you also pay for travel, preparation and taxes, and sell packages of sessions. Collect everything from the parent, not the child, with an intake form, a booking form, a signed agreement and a progress report after sessions.
The numbers
| What employed tutors earn | $20.84 an hour (median, May 2025)US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
|---|---|
| Top 10% of tutor wages | $38.67 an hour or more (May 2023)US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Tutoring center price, one-to-one | $75 an hour (one center, 2024)Education Next |
| Your own FBI record check | Request it online through eDOFBI |
| Business license | Set by your city or countySBA |
| Tax on side income | File once you net $400 in a yearIRS |
US figures, checked on . Rules change by state and city, so check yours before you rely on them.
1 Decide what and who you'll teach
Pick the subjects and grade levels you know best, and decide whether you'll tutor in person, online, or both.
Narrow wins: "middle school math" or "SAT reading" is easier to explain and easier for a parent to say yes to than "all subjects". Most tutors work part time (BLS), which suits evenings and weekends around a day job.
Online sessions cut travel and widen the area you can serve. In-person sessions are easier to find locally, and only in-person businesses can have a Google Business Profile (see step 5).
2 Register, insure and get your background check
Check your local business rules, consider professional liability insurance, and get your own background check before you meet families.
Structure and license. A sole proprietorship is easy to form but leaves you personally liable; an LLC protects you "in most instances" (SBA). Licensing is set locally, and zoning rules "can still apply even to home-based businesses" (SBA). Most states don't license private tutoring, but rules change if you replace school instead of adding to it, so check your state if you teach homeschoolers.
Insurance. Professional liability "protects against financial loss as a result of malpractice, errors, and negligence" (SBA). If you tutor at home, ask your insurer about a home-business rider.
Background check. Parents will ask. You can request your own FBI Identity History Summary online through eDO, and show it to families who ask. The CDC's guidance for anyone working with children stresses clear rules for how adults and children interact and safe settings (CDC); in practice, that means a parent at home for in-person sessions and sessions in shared rooms.
3 Collect information from parents, not children
Have a parent fill in every form, and ask only for what you need: the child's first name and grade, not their date of birth.
FERPA, the school records law, applies to schools and colleges that receive Department of Education funding (Department of Education), so it generally doesn't cover a private tutor. COPPA does matter online: it covers personal information collected online from children under 13, and needs a parent's consent first (FTC).
The simple way to stay clear: every form is filled in by a parent. Our intake form says so at the top and asks for the child's first name and grade only.
In the kit
Tutoring student intake form
Filled in by the parent: grade, subjects, goals, learning needs and when the student is free.
Try the form →4 Set your rates and sell packages
Charge more than the employee wage, because you cover travel, preparation and taxes yourself, and sell packages so students come regularly.
Employed tutors earn a median of $20.84 an hour (BLS), and the top 10% earn $38.67 or more (BLS). A tutoring center profiled by Education Next charged $75 an hour one-to-one and $60 in small groups (Education Next). Independent tutors usually sit between those, depending on the subject and the area.
Packages keep students coming every week. Our agreement form uses an example of $50 for one session, $180 for four and $425 for ten, with a 24-hour cancellation rule. Change them to yours.
In the kit
Tutoring parent agreement
Package, cancellation rule, who's present, recording consent and the parent's signature.
Try the form →5 Find your first students
Tell parents you know and local schools, and if you tutor in person, set up a Google Business Profile with your service area.
Google Business Profiles are for businesses that meet customers in person; online-only businesses can't have one (Google). If you travel to students, hide your home address and list up to 20 areas you serve (Google).
If you plan to meet in a public library, ask about its rules on paid tutoring in study rooms first. Send interested parents the booking form: it asks the subject, date, time, length and what to work on.
In the kit
Tutoring session booking form
Parents ask for a session: subject, date, time, length and what to work on.
Try the form →6 Send a progress report after sessions
A short report after each session or each month shows parents what they're paying for, and gives them a reason to keep booking.
Fill in the progress report on your phone after a session: what you covered, how well it's clicking, the homework and what's next. The parent gets it as a tidy email, and you get a copy.
In the kit
Tutoring progress report form
You fill it in after a session and the parent gets a tidy report by email.
Try the form →The whole kit, free
We built these 4 forms for a tutoring business. Each comes with the emails that go out after someone fills it in. Add them all to your workspace in one go, then change anything by telling the agent.
- Tutoring student intake formFilled in by the parent: grade, subjects, goals, learning needs and when the student is free.
- Tutoring parent agreementPackage, cancellation rule, who's present, recording consent and the parent's signature.
- Tutoring session booking formParents ask for a session: subject, date, time, length and what to work on.
- Tutoring progress report formYou fill it in after a session and the parent gets a tidy report by email.
Free to start. Unlimited submissions. No card.
Questions
Do I need a license to be a tutor?
Usually not a tutoring license, but your city or county may require a general business license, and zoning rules can apply to home businesses. Rules change if tutoring replaces school attendance, so check your state if you teach homeschoolers.
How much should I charge for tutoring?
Employed tutors earn a median of $20.84 an hour (BLS, May 2025), and one tutoring center charged $75 an hour one-to-one. Independent tutors usually charge between the two, and more for test prep and advanced subjects.
How do I get a background check as a tutor?
You can request your own FBI Identity History Summary online through the FBI's eDO service, then show it to families who ask.
Does FERPA apply to private tutors?
FERPA covers schools and colleges that receive Department of Education funding, so it generally doesn't cover a private tutor. If you collect information online from children under 13, COPPA can apply, so collect it from parents instead.
Do I need an EIN to tutor?
Not as a sole proprietor with no employees: you can use your Social Security number. An EIN is free from the IRS once you need one.
What forms does a tutoring business need?
A student intake form filled in by the parent, a session booking form, a parent agreement with rates, cancellation rules and recording consent, and a progress report you send after sessions. All four are in the free kit on this page.