Description

Headway’s $9.99 marketplace session fee starts rolling out in late 2026. This provider guide explains who pays, how the fee stacks over a caseload, and how Klarity’s free EHR, credentialing support, and own-NPI billing model compare.

Marketplace Session Fees in 2026: Headway’s $9.99 Fee and Where Klarity Fits

Last updated: October 8, 2026

Independent therapists, psychiatrists, and PMHNPs are comparing marketplace economics again. Headway introduced a $9.99 marketplace service fee on appointments with clients who find you through its marketplace. The fee applies for the life of that client relationship, not only the first visit (Headway help: marketplace service fee; Headway Fall 2026 updates).

This page is for clinicians who want the math, the exemptions, and a clear picture of Klarity’s offer: free EHR, marketplace demand, credentialing and billing support, and insurance billed under your own NPI at a flat 3.9% framing on Klarity product surfaces (Klarity EHR, join Klarity).

Apply to join Klarity if you want listing, EHR, and billing in one stack. Questions: joinklarity@helloklarity.com.

TLDR

• Headway charges $9.99 per appointment with a marketplace client (searched and booked from your Headway profile). The fee continues for every later session with that client, insurance or private pay (Headway help).
• Headway states the fee is not a change to your contracted rate and does not change what clients pay. It is deducted from your payout (Headway help).
• Rollout is state by state. Headway’s help center says introduction starts November 2026 and reaches every state by end of 2026, with at least 7 days’ notice by email and in-product banner before your start date (Headway help). Trade and clinician coverage has also discussed an earlier wave (including reports naming Virginia, Washington, Georgia, Ohio, and Illinois around early October 2026). Confirm your state’s date in Sigmund, not only in third-party posts (Behavioral Health Business; Zynnyme).
• No fee on: sessions before your state start date; clients you bring yourself or add in portal; clients who book via your direct link; clients who found you on Headway before the change; no-shows/cancellations where the session did not occur (Headway help).
• You can turn marketplace appearance off so new marketplace clients stop finding you. Clients already tagged as marketplace clients keep the fee on future sessions (Headway help).
• Same Fall 2026 package also flags annual chart reviews and outcome assessments (PHQ-9 / GAD-7 style baselines for talk therapists starting October 12, psychiatry and groups later) (Headway Fall updates).
• Klarity positions a free HIPAA-compliant EHR (50 states), marketplace matching, credentialing and billing support, own NPI, insurance billing framed at flat 3.9%, and join-us volume framing (often 20+ new patients/month for active providers; leading 100+; ~48 hours listed to first booking; 1000+ practices) (Klarity EHR, join-us).
• Neither model is free of economics. Headway’s $9.99 is a per-session, lifetime-of-client marketplace tax on tagged clients. Klarity’s 3.9% scales with insurance collections. Run both on your session mix before you switch stacks.

What Headway announced (primary sources)

The marketplace service fee

Headway’s provider help article defines the product change in plain language:

“We're introducing a $9.99 marketplace service fee on every appointment with a new client who finds you through our marketplace… The fee applies for as long as you see that client, not just their first session.”

Source: Understanding the marketplace service fee.

The same page states:

• Fee is the same amount for every health plan.
• Charged only on marketplace client sessions; zero marketplace sessions means zero fee.
• Applies to insurance and private pay sessions with marketplace-tagged clients.
• Deducted from regular payout (no separate bill).
• Client source is set on first booking link and stays fixed for that provider–client pair.

The Fall 2026 release page repeats the same $9.99 rule and points providers to review marketplace settings per health plan (Headway Fall 2026 updates).

What is exempt

Per Headway help (source):

Headway’s spokesperson told Behavioral Health Business the fee does not apply when clients book through a provider’s own Headway booking link after finding the clinician on Psychology Today, a personal website, or elsewhere (BHB coverage).

Opt-in / opt-out of marketplace appearance

Appearing on the marketplace is optional. Headway documents how to turn appearance on or off under Settings → New Clients Settings. Turning appearance off hides you from client search so new marketplace clients (and new fees) stop. It does not remove the fee from clients already tagged as marketplace clients (Headway help).

BHB reported clinicians can opt out of the new marketplace option and keep using the platform with their direct link, with no penalty per Headway’s spokesperson (BHB).

Rollout timing: use Headway’s notice, not rumor alone

Practical rule: treat your in-product banner and email as the date that binds your payout. Third-party articles help you anticipate pressure; they do not replace Sigmund.

Other Fall 2026 changes that affect ops load

From Headway Fall updates:

• EHR: Zoom-powered telehealth; session prep sidebar; private pay processing fee noted as 2.95% per session; scribe and free e-prescribe called out as coming.
• Annual chart reviews: sample of notes once a year against documentation standards; up to ten notes in 30 days when selected.
• Outcome assessments: starting October 12, talk therapists asked for baseline adult assessments (e.g. PHQ-9 or GAD-7) where clinically appropriate, plus one follow-up per client per year; psychiatry and groups later.

Fee math is only one part of platform cost. Documentation and assessment requirements change admin time even when the dollar line item is clear.

Simple math: what $9.99 does to take-home

Headway is correct that $9.99 is not a “rate cut” on paper. It is still money that never hits your account.

Illustrative take-home after the fee only (ignores any other platform margin on the insurer side):

Flat fees hit lower reimbursements harder. That pattern is why many therapists reacted publicly when the email landed (BHB; Zynnyme fee tables).

Lifetime cost of one marketplace client

Assume 40 sessions over a year with one marketplace-tagged client:

• 40 × $9.99 = $399.60 per client per year of weekly-ish care
• 20 marketplace clients × 40 sessions = 800 sessions × $9.99 = $7,992/year
• 25 sessions/week marketplace mix × 48 weeks = 1,200 sessions × $9.99 = $11,988/year

Only count sessions that Headway tags as marketplace. Direct-link and pre-change clients sit outside this column.

The “who found the client” edge case

Headway sets source by first booking link, not by who wrote the blog post or paid for the Google ad. Clinician coaches have flagged a common path: patient researches you on your site, then books the insurance-friendly Headway profile from search, and the platform tags the relationship as marketplace forever (Zynnyme). Headway’s own docs say sharing your direct link is the best way to keep self-sourced clients labeled as yours (Headway help).

What Klarity offers (claims whitelist only)

Klarity Health is a technology platform. Independent private practices provide clinical services. Klarity Health, Inc. does not provide medical services.

Free EHR + practice stack

From the live Klarity EHR page:

• Free to start; HIPAA-compliant; available in 50 states
• Zoom telehealth, patient messaging, text visits, e-prescribing, eFax, scheduling, documentation, charts, intake, practice marketing, insurance billing
• Patient pipeline through the Klarity Health marketplace described as part of the same product story
• Named voice on the EHR page: Britannie Bell

Marketplace + listing economics (join-us)

From live join Klarity:

• Framing vs “oversaturated” directories: active providers often 20+ new patients/month; leading providers 100+; about 48 hours listed → first booking; 1000+ telehealth practices across 50 states
• Free-to-list / pay-for-bookings style messaging on the hub; no-show protection and flexible insurance or cash-pay controls
• Apply → approve in 24-48 hours framing; start earning when availability opens
• Named volume story: Jamie Spitale, PMHNP-BC
• Contact: joinklarity@helloklarity.com

Credentialing, own NPI, billing

Provider-growth product framing (portal + strategy whitelist):

• Credentialing and billing support
• Insurance billed under your own NPI
• Insurance billing economics framed at a flat 3.9% (confirm current provider agreement at onboarding)

Deep dives already on the Klarity blog cluster:

• Insurance billing under your own NPI
• How long credentialing takes and what platforms handle
• Free EHR for independent providers
• How to start a PMHNP private practice in 2026

Side-by-side: marketplace fees and practice stack

Public pages only. Competitor prices change; verify before you sign.

Honest gaps:

• Klarity does not publish a public “$0 forever on every booking type” guarantee in the same sentence as Headway’s $9.99. Read the provider agreement for booking and billing fees.
• Headway does not publish every state’s exact start date on the help article body; it promises notice in product.
• Do not invent Headway’s pre-fee take-rate on the insurer side. Only cite what Headway publishes.

Decision framework for providers

1. Map your next 90 days of new clients by source

Split expected new starts into:

• Self-sourced (website, PT profile with your direct link, referrals)
• Platform marketplace search
• Health system / EAP

Only the marketplace bucket pays Headway’s $9.99 forever under current rules.

2. Price the lifetime fee, not the first session

A single weekly client for a year is roughly $400 in marketplace fees before you count holidays or higher frequency. Ten long-term marketplace clients is ~$4,000/year at 40 sessions each. Put that next to any EHR subscription you still pay outside Headway.

3. Decide whose NPI and TIN you want long term

If you plan to leave a platform in 12-24 months, ask which contracts and which patient relationships travel with you. Klarity’s public story emphasizes own NPI billing and independent practice. Headway’s value has long been network access through its contracting model. Those are different exit paths.

4. Count admin load, not only fee lines

Headway’s Fall package adds chart review and assessment expectations (Fall updates). Klarity’s EHR page emphasizes one workspace for charting, e-Rx, billing, and demand (EHR). Pick the ops model you can staff.

5. Run a two-stack pilot carefully

Some clinicians keep Headway for existing caseload (often exempt from the new fee) while listing elsewhere for new demand. Two EHRs create double documentation. If you dual-run, pick one system of record on day one.

When staying on Headway (with eyes open) can still make sense

• Most of your calendar is pre-change or direct-link clients, so the $9.99 column stays small.
• You rely on Headway’s payer contracts and weekly/bi-weekly payment rhythm more than on open marketplace search.
• You turn marketplace appearance off and only share your direct link.
• You accept annual chart review and assessment workflows as the cost of the network.

When evaluating Klarity is a better next step

• You are a psychiatrist, PMHNP, or multi-specialty independent clinician who wants claims under your NPI and a free EHR seat (own-NPI guide, EHR).
• You want marketplace demand while credentialing packets crawl (credentialing timelines).
• You are launching or leaving employment and need listing + ops in one place (PMHNP private practice guide).
• You prefer percentage-of-collections insurance economics (3.9% framing) you can model from revenue, rather than a flat per-session fee that does not shrink when reimbursement is low.
• You prescribe and want e-Rx and safety tooling in the same login story (SafePractice).

Related Klarity reading

• Klarity vs Alma for psychiatrists and PMHNPs (publish when E goes live; draft exists in provider-seo set)
• Zocdoc vs Klarity for prescribers
• Free EHR for independent providers
• Join Klarity hub
• Klarity EHR

FAQ

Does Headway charge $9.99 on every client?

No. Headway limits the fee to clients who find and book you through the marketplace on or after your state start date. Direct-link, self-added, pre-change, and non-occurring sessions are exempt per Headway help.

Is the fee only on the first visit?

No. Headway states it applies for as long as you see that client (help; Fall updates).

When does my state start?

Headway’s help center describes a November 2026 start wave and full coverage by end of 2026, with ≥7 days’ notice. Confirm the banner and email in your account. Do not rely only on social posts.

Can I turn off the marketplace and keep Headway?

Yes for new marketplace discovery. Existing marketplace-tagged clients still carry the fee on future sessions (help).

Does Klarity charge a $9.99 session fee?

Klarity’s public EHR and join pages do not describe a Headway-style $9.99 lifetime marketplace session fee. Join-us uses free-to-list / pay-for-bookings language; insurance billing is framed at flat 3.9%. Always confirm the current provider agreement.

Will Klarity guarantee 20+ patients a month?

Join-us says active providers often see 20+ new patients per month and leading providers 100+. That is marketing framing, not a personal guarantee. Specialty, state, availability, and profile quality matter.

Where do I apply to Klarity?

Provider lead form. Email joinklarity@helloklarity.com.

Conclusion

Headway’s $9.99 marketplace fee is a clear, per-session cost on a defined slice of demand: clients who discover you through Headway search after your state goes live, for every visit thereafter (Headway help). Providers who live on marketplace volume will feel it; providers who already fill the calendar from direct links may not.

Klarity’s public offer is a different stack: free EHR, marketplace listing, credentialing and billing support, and own-NPI insurance economics at a flat 3.9% framing (EHR, join-us). Use this page to model fees, then read both agreements before you move panels.

Create a provider account on Klarity.

Disclaimer: Educational comparison for clinicians. Not legal, tax, billing, or employment advice. Headway and Klarity features, fees, and rollout dates change; verify on primary vendor pages and your signed agreement. Coverage and payer rules vary by plan. All professional services are provided by independent private practices via the Klarity technology platform. Klarity Health, Inc. does not provide medical services.

Primary sources cited:
Headway marketplace service fee help · Headway Fall 2026 updates · Behavioral Health Business · Zynnyme fee analysis · Klarity EHR · Join Klarity