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What is Headway for therapists?
Headway is a platform that lets you take insurance without your own contracts. It credentials you under its own agreements with insurers, then bills the insurer and the client and pays you.
- Headway says it credentials providers "through its own payer agreements, which are separate from any carrier relationships you may have independently." Your own contracts do not carry over to Headway. [2]
- Credentialing with Headway is free. Headway says approval takes from 3 weeks to 4 months, depending on the state and insurer, and that you re-credential about every 3 years. [1][2]
- You sign Headway's standard Provider Agreement when you join, and Headway says you can end it at any time. [1]
- Its help center lists Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield (in select states), Cigna, Oscar, Oxford, UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Headway does not work with out-of-network benefits. [10]
- Headway says its agreements do not work with PSYPACT, and it does not support incident-to billing. [2][7]
How does Headway make money?
Headway keeps a share of each insurance payment, and it does not publish how much. It also keeps 2.95% of private pay sessions, and from November 2026 charges $9.99 a session on clients who find you through its marketplace.
- Headway says it keeps "a small percentage of session payments" and that the amount varies by health plan and billing code. It says it sets your rate first, then decides what it can keep, and that on lower-paying plans it does not always earn money on a session. [3][4]
- For private pay sessions it keeps 2.95% of your rate, with no fee when the client pays by bank account. [9]
- The $9.99 marketplace fee starts state by state from November 2026 and is deducted from your payout. Our guide to the fee covers who pays it and what it adds up to. [11]
How much does Headway pay therapists?
Headway does not publish its rates. It says earnings vary by license type and location, and it shows each provider their own rates by insurer, state and billing code.
- In Headway's provider portal, Sigmund, your rates are under Settings, then Billing, then See rates, or under Rates and Agreements in your initials menu. [3]
- Before you join, your Practice Consultant shares rate information during intake. Once you are on Headway, its "Add more plans" tool shows the rates you would earn with plans you are not on yet. [2]
- Headway's provider page says therapists "earn an average of $27K more per year compared to credentialing on your own." It does not say how it measured this. [1]
When does Headway pay you?
Twice a month, on the 15th and on the last day of the month, for sessions you have confirmed. A session confirmed in the first half of the month is paid at month end; one confirmed in the second half is paid on the 15th of the next month.
| You confirm the session | You are paid |
|---|---|
| On the 1st to the 15th | On the last day of that month |
| On the 16th to the last day | On the 15th of the following month |
| More than 30 days after the session | Not at all: confirmation closes after 30 days |
- Your first payment can take up to 60 days after credentialing, while insurers add you to their systems. [5][2]
- Payouts go by direct deposit through Stripe, and may take a few days to reach your bank. [5]
- Some Headway marketing pages say it pays "every two weeks". The help center's schedule above, the 15th and the last day of the month, is the specific one. [5][4]
What happens if a claim is denied or clawed back?
Headway says it pays you whether or not the insurer pays, and promises to protect you from clawbacks. Its own help center lists cases where pay can be held or taken back.
| Situation | What Headway says |
|---|---|
| The insurer denies a claim | Headway absorbs the risk; you keep your pay |
| A documentation review finds reckless disregard of policy or law, or willful misconduct | Remedies may include withholding payment or clawing back past payments; Headway calls this a last resort and says it will discuss it with you first |
| Medicare Advantage notes do not meet standards | Claims are not sent and pay is held until corrected notes are approved |
| A private pay or bill-elsewhere client does not pay | Headway is not responsible for the payment |
| You charge a cancellation fee | Paid to you once it is collected from the client |
- Headway's promise and its exceptions both appear on its own pages: "If a claim is denied, we absorb that risk, not you." [4][7][8][9][5]
- Behavioral Health Business reported on October 19, 2026 that a new provider agreement Headway sent, then paused, would have let it take back payments when services did not meet billing or documentation requirements. Our provider agreement guide follows that story. Single source[14]
- We have not seen the full agreement. If yours differs, the signed copy controls.
What do clients pay on Headway?
Clients pay their insurance cost share, such as a copay, coinsurance or deductible, and no platform fee. Headway charges them the day after you confirm the session.
- The amount shown is Headway's estimate, and it can be corrected later if the insurer's answer differs. [6]
- When insurance pays nothing toward a session, the client owes what Headway calls the full cost of care: the rate agreed between Headway and the insurer. [10]
- Headway's client FAQ says most clients pay between $20 and $50 a session. It does not show how that figure was worked out. [13]
- Headway says the marketplace fee does not change what clients pay. [11]
Does Headway take Medicare or Medicaid?
Only some plans. Headway accepts select Medicare Advantage plans and select Medicaid managed care plans in some states. Its help center describes Medicare Advantage only, not Original Medicare.
- For Medicare Advantage clients, Headway requires about 90 minutes of training a year and its own Medicare note templates. [8]
- Clients with Medicare or Medicaid cannot be seen as private pay or bill-elsewhere clients through Headway. [9]
- Leaving Headway takes 30 to 60 days, depending on whether you are credentialed with Medicare Advantage. [12]
Can you see private pay clients on Headway?
Yes, at a rate you set, for clients whose insurance Headway does not take or who ask not to use it. Headway keeps 2.95% of the rate, or nothing when the client pays by bank account.
- You can bill private pay through Headway, or mark a client "bill elsewhere", in which case Headway neither pays you nor charges the client. [9]
- A client who has in-network insurance but chooses not to use it on Headway cannot submit an out-of-network claim for those sessions. [9]
- The $9.99 marketplace fee applies to private pay sessions with marketplace clients too. [11]
Sources (14)
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Every source behind this guide, with the label we gave it and the date we read it.
Verified Official and primary sources
- [1]Headway, For providers. Free credentialing, the agreement, "no ongoing costs", the $27K claim. Read October 22, 2026.
- [2]Headway Help Center, Credentialing with Headway. Its own payer agreements, timelines, rates at intake, PSYPACT. Read October 22, 2026.
- [3]Headway Help Center, Rates and agreements. Where to see your rates; the share Headway keeps. Read October 22, 2026.
- [4]Headway, Where Headway's earnings come from. How Headway sets rates and its share; denial risk. Read October 22, 2026.
- [5]Headway Help Center, Getting paid. Payout dates, first payment, Stripe, cancellation fees. Read October 22, 2026.
- [6]Headway Help Center, How Headway bills clients. When clients are charged; estimates and corrections. Read October 22, 2026.
- [7]Headway Help Center, Headway-initiated billing and documentation reviews. When pay can be withheld or clawed back; no incident-to. Read October 22, 2026.
- [8]Headway Help Center, Working with Medicare Advantage on Headway. Medicare Advantage plans, training, templates, held pay. Read October 22, 2026.
- [9]Headway Help Center, Private pay and bill elsewhere. Private pay rules and the 2.95% fee. Read October 22, 2026.
- [10]Headway Help Center, Using insurance on Headway. Insurers accepted, Medicaid, out-of-network, full cost of care. Read October 22, 2026.
- [11]Headway Help Center, Understanding the marketplace service fee. The $9.99 fee, its start, and what clients pay. Read October 22, 2026.
- [12]Headway Help Center, Managing your account. How long leaving takes. Read October 22, 2026.
- [13]Headway, Frequently asked questions (clients). What clients typically pay, per Headway. Read October 22, 2026.
Single source One report each
- [14]Behavioral Health Business, Headway Issues, Then Retracts New Clinician Contracts After Backlash. The paused agreement and its take-back term. Read October 22, 2026.