ESA letter pricing

Our pricing is kept simple so you know the cost before you book. Each option comes with an evaluation by a licensed therapist over phone or video and, when an ESA is the right call, a signed ESA letter delivered as a PDF.

• ESA letter for housing, up to 2 animals: $129
• ESA letter for housing, 3 or more animals: $199
• College housing ESA letter for dorms and student residences: $129
• Booking and evaluation: free unless a letter is approved

Booking doesn't require payment. Once your short evaluation (5 to 10 minutes) is done, the therapist decides whether an ESA letter is clinically appropriate. If so, you pay and get your letter, usually that same day.

If the therapist doesn't think an ESA letter fits your situation, you aren't charged. We think that's the fair way to handle a clinical decision, because you shouldn't pay for a letter you don't receive.

Some websites sell ESA plans that renew automatically each year or bundle in registrations, ID cards and vests. We don't. There's no membership and nothing renews on its own.

Those add-ons have no legal effect anyway. There's no government ESA registry, and a housing provider deciding an accommodation request is looking for reliable information from a therapist, not a certificate or badge.

Your fee covers the clinical work and the letter itself.

• A private evaluation by phone or video, conducted by a licensed therapist
• Review by a physician, Andrew Patel, M.D., before letters are signed
• A signed ESA letter as a PDF, usually issued the same day
• A letter that shows who the therapist is, their license type and number, the state that licensed them and the date
• Email support at support@esalettertherapist.com

California law (AB 468, Health and Safety Code 122318) requires a client relationship of at least 30 days and a clinical evaluation before a practitioner provides documentation for an emotional support dog. Because of this, California clients follow a slightly different path.

After your first evaluation, you receive a same-day letter of intent that you can share with your housing provider. Around day 30, you have a follow-up, and if the therapist still finds it appropriate, your ESA letter is issued. The price is the same $129 for up to 2 animals or $199 for 3 or more.

If you have more than one animal that helps with your symptoms, the therapist will consider each one during your evaluation. A letter covering 1 or 2 animals is $129. A letter covering 3 or more is $199.

Bear in mind that a request covering several animals may get closer scrutiny from a housing provider. Under guidance HUD released on May 22, 2026, an untrained emotional support animal isn't presumed to be a reasonable accommodation and each request gets an individual look, and the agency dismissed complaints that involved large numbers of claimed ESAs.

The letter is only one part of what an animal costs. Food, veterinary care, vaccinations, licensing where your city requires it, grooming and supplies all add up over a year, and so can repairs if your animal damages a rental.

The Joint Statement that HUD and the Justice Department issued in 2004 allows a provider to bill tenants for actual damage their animal does, as long as that's how it normally handles damage. Setting money aside for this in advance helps the accommodation go smoothly and keeps things friendly with your landlord.

If cost is a barrier to mental health care more broadly, community clinics, campus counseling centers and some employers' assistance programs may offer low-cost support alongside, or instead of, an ESA.

When you compare services, look past the headline price. Ask whether you'll actually speak with a licensed therapist, whether you pay if you're not approved, whether the price renews, and whether the letter shows a real license number you can check.

Be wary of any service that promises approval or acceptance. A therapist can't honestly promise a letter before evaluating you, and a letter can't guarantee your landlord's answer. Fees for the animal itself are also separate. Under current federal guidance, housing providers may be allowed to charge pet fees for untrained ESAs, though some states limit this.