Illinois Gym and Subscription Cancellation Letter

Cancel a gym membership or an auto-renewing subscription in Illinois with a letter that builds in Illinois law, including Physical Fitness Services Act (815 ILCS 645). It runs in your browser; nothing you type is stored or sent.

Illinois rules checked against primary sources on October 21, 2026.

Everything you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent, saved, or added to the page address.

Only the reasons Illinois law addresses for this kind of contract are listed.

Illinois gym membership rules

The law: Physical Fitness Services Act (815 ILCS 645). Read the law

Who it covers: The law covers any business offering fitness services to the public, including exercise instruction, martial arts, self-defense training and use of fitness facilities, but government and nonprofit operators are exempt (except for the CPR and defibrillator rules).

  • Cooling-off period: You may cancel within 3 business days after the first business day after signing (a business day is any day the facility is open) and get all money back; if the facility was not yet open or you did not buy at an existing facility, you have seven calendar days. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(a)(1)
  • How the club must let you cancel: For the cancellations the act requires contracts to allow (the 3-business-day cooling-off, a move of more than 25 miles, death or disability), Illinois law requires the contract to provide for written notice sent by certified or registered mail to the contract address, online at the center's website if you signed up online, or to the email address in the contract if one was given. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(b)
  • Moving away: Illinois law requires fitness contracts to let a member cancel when the member's residence moves more than 25 miles from the center and the center does not designate a comparable center within 25 miles of the new home that will honor the contract; the member then owes only for the time before showing reasonable evidence of the move, plus any contract fee capped at the lesser of 10 percent of the unused balance or $50. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(a)(2)
  • Disability or illness: Illinois law requires fitness contracts to provide that a member whom disability leaves unable to use all the services owes only for the time before the disability began; the center may require reasonable evidence. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(a)(3)
  • Death of the member: Illinois law requires fitness contracts to provide that if the member dies, the estate owes only for the time before death; the center may require reasonable evidence. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(a)(3)
  • Club closes or moves: Illinois law requires contracts at a planned or under-construction center to let you cancel if the facilities and services are not available within 12 months of signing, or within 3 months of a date named in the contract if that is earlier, with all payments refunded within 30 days after the center receives your notice. Source: 815 ILCS 645/7
  • Military service: A person entering military service who receives orders to relocate for at least 90 days may terminate or suspend a gym or athletic club membership by written or electronic notice with a copy of the orders, effective the day notice is given (contracts entered on or after January 1, 2018). Source: 330 ILCS 63/13
  • Refund timing: Any refund owed to you or your estate must be paid within 30 days after the center receives the cancellation notice. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(b)

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Illinois Attorney General, Consumer Protection (File a Complaint)

Your details
The business

Use the cancellation address in your contract if it gives one; for a franchise gym, that is often your home club.

Leave blank to cancel immediately.

Check before you send:

  • Add the member name exactly as it appears on the account.
  • Add the business name.
  • Add the business mailing address (from your contract or the business website).

Your letter

[Member name]

[Your address]

October 26, 2026

[Business name]

[Business address]

Re: Cancellation of membership

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to cancel my membership, effective immediately.

Please stop all further charges to my payment method, refund any amount paid for a period after the cancellation takes effect, and confirm the cancellation in writing, including the date it took effect.

Please keep this letter with the account records. I am keeping a copy, with proof of the date it was sent.

Sincerely,

[Member name]

Before you send (not part of the letter)

  • Illinois: For the cancellations the act requires contracts to allow (the 3-business-day cooling-off, a move of more than 25 miles, death or disability), Illinois law requires the contract to provide for written notice sent by certified or registered mail to the contract address, online at the center's website if you signed up online, or to the email address in the contract if one was given. (815 ILCS 645/6(b))
  • Refund timing in Illinois: Any refund owed to you or your estate must be paid within 30 days after the center receives the cancellation notice. (815 ILCS 645/6(b))
  • Send it in a way you can prove: a method your contract or state law names, and keep a copy. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you a dated record.
  • If charges continue after the cancellation takes effect, you can dispute them with your card issuer or bank (see the timing rules on this page).
  • Complaints: Illinois Attorney General, Consumer Protection (File a Complaint), https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/File-A-Complaint/
  • This letter is a starting point you edit and send yourself. It does not cancel anything by itself, and it is not legal advice.

Illinois gym membership cancellation law

Illinois regulates these contracts through Physical Fitness Services Act (815 ILCS 645) (815 ILCS 645/1 to 645/14, 330 ILCS 63/13). The rules below come from the statute text; each links to its source, and the first line says which contracts the law covers.

Illinois gym membership rules

The law: Physical Fitness Services Act (815 ILCS 645). Read the law

Who it covers: The law covers any business offering fitness services to the public, including exercise instruction, martial arts, self-defense training and use of fitness facilities, but government and nonprofit operators are exempt (except for the CPR and defibrillator rules).

  • Cooling-off period: You may cancel within 3 business days after the first business day after signing (a business day is any day the facility is open) and get all money back; if the facility was not yet open or you did not buy at an existing facility, you have seven calendar days. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(a)(1)
  • How the club must let you cancel: For the cancellations the act requires contracts to allow (the 3-business-day cooling-off, a move of more than 25 miles, death or disability), Illinois law requires the contract to provide for written notice sent by certified or registered mail to the contract address, online at the center's website if you signed up online, or to the email address in the contract if one was given. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(b)
  • Moving away: Illinois law requires fitness contracts to let a member cancel when the member's residence moves more than 25 miles from the center and the center does not designate a comparable center within 25 miles of the new home that will honor the contract; the member then owes only for the time before showing reasonable evidence of the move, plus any contract fee capped at the lesser of 10 percent of the unused balance or $50. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(a)(2)
  • Disability or illness: Illinois law requires fitness contracts to provide that a member whom disability leaves unable to use all the services owes only for the time before the disability began; the center may require reasonable evidence. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(a)(3)
  • Death of the member: Illinois law requires fitness contracts to provide that if the member dies, the estate owes only for the time before death; the center may require reasonable evidence. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(a)(3)
  • Club closes or moves: Illinois law requires contracts at a planned or under-construction center to let you cancel if the facilities and services are not available within 12 months of signing, or within 3 months of a date named in the contract if that is earlier, with all payments refunded within 30 days after the center receives your notice. Source: 815 ILCS 645/7
  • Military service: A person entering military service who receives orders to relocate for at least 90 days may terminate or suspend a gym or athletic club membership by written or electronic notice with a copy of the orders, effective the day notice is given (contracts entered on or after January 1, 2018). Source: 330 ILCS 63/13
  • Refund timing: Any refund owed to you or your estate must be paid within 30 days after the center receives the cancellation notice. Source: 815 ILCS 645/6(b)

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Illinois Attorney General, Consumer Protection (File a Complaint)

Illinois subscription and automatic renewal law

Illinois has a general automatic renewal law that applies to consumer subscriptions.

Illinois subscription and auto-renewal rules

The law: 815 ILCS 601/1 to 601/20 (Automatic Contract Renewal Act). Read the law

Who it covers: The Act covers written consumer contracts for products or services that renew automatically unless cancelled, but not business-to-business contracts, banks and credit unions, insurers, utilities under Article XXII of the Public Utilities Act, or contracts extended because the consumer changed the terms.

  • Cancelling online: A consumer who accepted an automatic renewal or continuous service offer online must be allowed to cancel exclusively online, for example by a ready-made termination email or a cancellation link. Source: 815 ILCS 601/10(b-5)
  • Required ways to cancel: A business making an automatic renewal offer online must provide a toll-free number, email address, postal address if it bills directly, or another easy cancellation mechanism, and the renewal notice must offer a cancellation mechanism in the way the consumer usually deals with the business. Source: 815 ILCS 601/10(b-5), (b)(ii)
  • Renewal reminders: For a free trial or promotional period of 15 days or longer the business must notify the consumer at least 3 days before the cancellation deadline, and for contracts of 12 months or more that renew for more than a month it must send written notice 30 to 60 days before the cancellation deadline. Source: 815 ILCS 601/10(a-5), (b)
  • Free trials: If the offer includes a free gift or trial, the business must say how to cancel and allow the consumer to cancel before paying. Source: 815 ILCS 601/10(a)(iv)
  • If the business breaks the law: A violation is an unlawful practice under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, though a business with written compliance procedures that made an error and fully refunds or credits the consumer avoids liability. Source: 815 ILCS 601/15; 601/10(c)

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Illinois Attorney General, Consumer Protection (File a Complaint)

Federal rules that still apply

No. The Federal Trade Commission finalized a "click to cancel" rule in 2024, but on July 8, 2025 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated it because the agency skipped a preliminary regulatory analysis the FTC Act requires (Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, No. 24-3137 (8th Cir. 2025)). The vacatur brought back the original 1973 rule, which covers only "prenotification" plans such as product-of-the-month clubs, not gym memberships or most subscriptions.

In March 2026 the FTC asked for public comment on a new negative option rule. An advance notice is an early step: it does not create any new obligation for businesses. (FTC press release, March 11, 2026)

Federal law still reaches subscriptions sold online. For subscriptions sold online with automatic charges, federal law (ROSCA) requires clear disclosure of the terms, the consumer's express informed consent, and simple mechanisms to stop the recurring charges. (15 U.S.C. 8403). For gym memberships signed in person, the cancellation rules come from state law and your contract.

If they keep charging you

If a business keeps charging you after a cancellation took effect, you can dispute the charge with the company that issued your card or holds your account. For a credit card, a written billing-error notice must reach the card issuer, at the address it gives for billing errors, within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the charge. (12 CFR 1026.13(b)) For a debit card or bank transfer, an oral or written error notice must reach the bank within 60 days after it sent the statement that first shows the charge. (12 CFR 1005.11(b)(1)(i))

For automatic debits from a bank account, you can also stop future payments. You can tell your bank to stop a preauthorized electronic payment from your account, orally or in writing, at least three business days before the payment is scheduled. If you call, the bank may require written confirmation within 14 days, and an unconfirmed oral stop order then lapses. (12 CFR 1005.10(c)(1)-(2))

Your copy of the cancellation letter and your proof of the date you sent it are the evidence for a dispute. The regulations define which errors these procedures cover and the card issuer or bank investigates, so send the dispute promptly and in writing.

You can also report a business that will not let you cancel to your state attorney general (each state page lists its complaint office), to the Federal Trade Commission, or, for a problem with a card or bank dispute, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

What this tool does not do

  • It does not cancel anything for you or contact the business. You send the letter yourself.
  • It cannot read your contract. A statute may exempt your club or plan (for example by price, length, or type of business), and your contract may give you more rights than the statute.
  • It does not tell you whether you owe a fee, a buyout, or the rest of a contract term. Those depend on your contract and the facts.
  • It covers state statutes and the main federal rules only. City rules and court decisions can add to them.
  • It is legal information, not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a cooling-off period for gym memberships in Illinois?

You may cancel within 3 business days after the first business day after signing (a business day is any day the facility is open) and get all money back; if the facility was not yet open or you did not buy at an existing facility, you have seven calendar days. (815 ILCS 645/6(a)(1))

Can I cancel my gym membership in Illinois if I move?

Illinois law requires fitness contracts to let a member cancel when the member's residence moves more than 25 miles from the center and the center does not designate a comparable center within 25 miles of the new home that will honor the contract; the member then owes only for the time before showing reasonable evidence of the move, plus any contract fee capped at the lesser of 10 percent of the unused balance or $50. (815 ILCS 645/6(a)(2))

How do I cancel a gym membership in Illinois?

For the cancellations the act requires contracts to allow (the 3-business-day cooling-off, a move of more than 25 miles, death or disability), Illinois law requires the contract to provide for written notice sent by certified or registered mail to the contract address, online at the center's website if you signed up online, or to the email address in the contract if one was given. (815 ILCS 645/6(b))

Does Illinois have a click-to-cancel law?

A consumer who accepted an automatic renewal or continuous service offer online must be allowed to cancel exclusively online, for example by a ready-made termination email or a cancellation link. (815 ILCS 601/10(b-5))

Sources

Illinois rules checked against official sources on October 21, 2026.

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