ICF Coaching Log: What Counts as Coaching Hours and How to Log Them (Template)

Coaching hours required for ACC, PCC and MCC

The experience requirement is the same whichever application path you take (Level 1/Level 2 or Portfolio). ICF lists it as follows:

Hours only count once you have started your coaching education — ICF defines that as any course of at least 30 hours, at least 24 of them focused on the ICF Core Competencies. Not sure which credential to aim for? See ACC vs PCC and the ICF certification guide.

What ICF counts as a coaching hour

ICF's definition is narrow on purpose: a full 60-minute session, held in real time, with a client who hired you specifically as their coach — not as their consultant, trainer or manager. Shorter sessions count proportionally. Four kinds of client qualify:

Paid vs pro bono

Paid hours include coaching the client pays for in any amount, barter (including coaching exchanged for coaching), internal coaching that is part of your job, and third-party coaching where an organization hired you. Pro bono hours are coaching you donated or volunteered at no cost. Pro bono hours count toward the total, but you still need the paid minimum (75, 450 or 2,250).

Group and team coaching

Each person in a group or team counts as a separate client toward your client minimum, but the hours are not multiplied: one hour with 15 people is one hour on your log. Groups larger than 15 count only if a co-coach is present, and then the time is split between the two coaches.

What does not count as coaching hours

• •Mentor coaching and coaching supervision
• •Reviewing assessments with clients
• •Coaching inside a training program with classmates, trainers or mentors
• •Coaching your own direct reports
• •Training, teaching, workshops and facilitation
• •Hours completed before your coaching education started
• •AI practice sessions — no client, no hours

Practice with classmates is the most common mix-up. ICF excludes coaching done within a training program with students, trainers or mentors; it only counts if you coach real clients outside the classroom, separate from your training credits. Mentor coaching is a separate requirement with its own records — see ICF mentor coaching explained.

What your ICF coaching log must contain

ICF provides a free client coaching log template but does not require you to use it. Whatever format you choose, ICF's support article lists the information to track for each individual client:

• •client name;
• •contact information;
• •start and end date of the coaching relationship;
• •number of paid and pro bono coaching hours.

ICF's template page adds whether the client was an individual or a group. For a group or team, list the name and email of one participant rather than everyone. For coaching delivered inside an organization, ICF accepts a letter of verification from an authorized contact there instead of individual names, covering your role, the organization's confidentiality policy, hours coached, number of clients and the period.

ICF coaching log template

Copy these columns into a spreadsheet. One row per client relationship (or per group engagement); update the hours as sessions happen. The example row uses invented data.

Example row is fictional. "Consent recorded" is our addition, not an ICF field, but it makes the consent requirement easy to prove. Add a totals row for paid, pro bono and recent (last 18 months) hours.

Practical logging tips

1. 1

   Log weekly, not at application time

   Reconstructing 100 or 500 hours from old calendars is where errors creep in. Ten minutes every Friday keeps the log audit-ready.

2. 2

   Record exact minutes, convert at the end

   ICF counts partial hours proportionally (30 minutes = 0.5 h). Log real durations rather than rounding every session up to an hour.

3. 3

   Track the 18-month window

   ACC needs 25 and PCC 50 hours within 18 months before you apply. A running total of recent hours stops a late surprise.

4. 4

   Keep evidence behind each row

   Invoices, contracts, calendar entries and consent emails are what you would draw on if selected for an audit.

5. 5

   Keep mentor coaching separate

   Mentor coaching never goes on the client log. Track it in its own record with dates, format and your mentor's credential.

6. 6

   Label barter and internal work clearly

   Both count as paid. A short note on each row avoids second-guessing when you total your paid hours.

ICF coaching log FAQ