Briefing · October 8, 2026

Headway’s $9.99 marketplace fee: what it covers and what it costs

Headway will deduct $9.99 from the payout for every session with a client who found a therapist through its marketplace, for as long as that client keeps seeing the therapist. Against the median Headway payout reported on this site for a 60-minute session (90837), $117.73, the fee is 8.5%. For a 45-minute session (90834), at a median of $77, it is 13%.

What Headway announced

Headway published the fee in a help article on October 1, 2026, alongside its fall release. The article states: "It's $9.99 per appointment and the same amount for every health plan." It adds that "it's deducted from your regular payout, one fee per session with a marketplace client. There's no separate bill."

The start date has already moved. The article originally gave October 8, 2026 for providers whose primary practice state is Virginia, Washington, Georgia, Ohio or Illinois, as quoted by Upheal on October 5. Headway edited the article on October 8. It now reads: "This will be introduced on a state by state basis starting November 2026, and reach every state by the end of 2026." Headway says providers will be notified at least 7 days before the fee starts in their state.

Which sessions carry the fee

Headway defines a marketplace client as one who "searched on Headway and booked with you from your Headway profile." That label is set when the client first books and does not change. Three terms matter most:

• It lasts. "The fee applies for as long as you see that client, not just their first session."
• It covers private pay. "It applies to both insurance and private pay sessions."
• Leaving the marketplace doesn't remove it. "Turning off your appearance only stops new marketplace clients from finding you. Clients who booked through the Headway marketplace on or after your start date stay marketplace clients, and their sessions still include the fee."

Headway lists these exemptions: sessions before the fee starts in a provider's state, clients a provider brings or adds, clients who book through a provider's direct link "wherever you've shared it (for example, your Psychology Today profile, website, or email signature)," clients who found the provider before the change, cancellations and no-shows, and health-system referrals. "It's never applied retroactively." The article names no cap.

A Headway spokesperson told Behavioral Health Business that the marketplace is opt-in and that opting out carries "no penalty." The help article states that a provider who takes new clients on Headway has marketplace appearance turned on, so in practice a provider has to switch it off.

What it costs, by the numbers

A marketplace client seen weekly for 45 sessions in a year would carry $449.55 in fees. Shorter sessions absorb a larger share, because the fee is flat. The Headway rate page shows reported payouts by payer and state.

Headway describes the fee as separate from contracted rates: "It isn't a change to your contracted rate, and there's no impact on what clients pay for care." For the therapist, the deduction still lowers take-home pay per session by the same amount.

Why Headway says it is charging

The help article says the fee supports "marketplace improvements, marketing, health system partnerships, support, and more." The spokesperson told Behavioral Health Business that Headway has about 90,000 providers and that "if we could do this without introducing a new fee, I'm sure we would have," and said Headway would not share expected opt-in numbers or fee revenue. The same outlet reported that therapists objected on social media and directly to the publication.

The rest of the fall release

The fall release pairs the fee with other changes:

• Lower private-pay fee. "Private pay fees recently dropped to 2.95% per session," with no fee when a client pays by bank account, per Headway's payout article. Headway does not state the previous rate.
• Annual chart review. "Once a year, we'll check a sample of your notes," with providers sharing up to ten notes within 30 days. The help article says it is required for every provider and that "an automated evaluation tool checks each note."
• Baseline assessments. Starting October 12, therapists will be asked to have every adult client complete a baseline assessment such as the PHQ-9 or GAD-7.

Who owns Headway

Health Care Service Corporation, the parent of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Texas and three other states, led the strategic portion of Headway's 2023 funding round, according to HCSC's own release. Illinois is one of the five states originally named for the fee's first wave. The company registry lists Headway's other investors.

What to check before the fee reaches your state

1. On each client's page, check whether Headway lists the client as a marketplace client.
2. Share your direct Headway booking link on your own profiles and website, since those bookings are exempt.
3. Decide whether to keep marketplace appearance on, knowing that switching it off later leaves existing marketplace clients' fees in place.
4. Watch for the 7-day notice for your state.

How to read this briefing

This briefing has several limitations. First, Headway changed the start date on the day of publication, and its terms may change again before the fee begins. Second, the payout medians are unverified community reports drawn from many states and payers, and they mostly predate the fee. Third, the fee's effect on any one therapist depends on how many clients arrive through the marketplace. Nevertheless, the terms are published by Headway itself, and every provider can see which of their clients the fee will reach.

Headway's terms are quoted from its help center and fall release, checked October 8, 2026. Rate figures are community reports. Corrections via the form.