Why am I getting "Email address already exists" when I add a client?
Work out which account is already holding the email address you're trying to use, and what to do in each case.
Every email address in Fitsly belongs to exactly one account. When you add a client — or change a pending client's email while resending their invitation — and the address is already registered, the save is rejected.
The fix depends on which account is holding the address. Work through these in order.
| Who holds the address | Fix |
|---|---|
| A client already on your roster | Resend their invitation, or reactivate them |
| A coach account (including yours) | Use a different email for the client account |
| A client of another coach | The client signs up with a different email |
The client is already on your roster
The most common cause is that the client already exists under your account, just not where you were looking. The Clients page opens on the Active filter, so pending and archived clients are hidden by default.
- Go to Clients and switch the status filter to All.
- Search by their email address — the roster search matches name or email.
- If they show as Pending, they already have an invitation waiting. Use Resend invitation on their profile rather than creating a second account.
- If they show as Archived, click Reactivate account on their profile instead of adding them again.
The address belongs to a coach account
Coach accounts and client accounts are separate account types, and each address can only be one of them. If the person you're adding also uses Fitsly as a coach — including yourself, if you're testing the client experience — that address is taken and can't be reused for a client account.
They need a second email address for their client account. Any address they control works; the two accounts stay completely separate.
The address belongs to another coach's client
An address that's registered as another coach's client is also unavailable. There's no way to move an account between coaches from the dashboard, so the client signs up with a different email address.
The same rule applies to package purchases: an email already registered as a coach, or as a client of a different coach, is blocked at the checkout form before payment. An address belonging to one of your existing clients isn't blocked — the purchase links to that client's account.
Change a pending client's email
You can correct the address on a client who hasn't finished signup yet:
- Open the pending client's profile and click Resend invitation.
- Confirm or change their email.
- Send.
The new address becomes their login, not just the destination for that one email. This only works while they're Pending. If another account already uses the address, the resend is rejected with "This email address is already in use by another account." — the same situation as above, worded differently.
Things to watch out for
- Capitalization never matters —
Sam@example.comandsam@example.comare the same address, so changing the case won't get you past the error. - Emails can be up to 256 characters, and first and last names up to 35 characters each.
Quick answers
Can I permanently delete a client to free up their email?
No. Archiving is the end state — it frees the client spot and keeps their data, but the account and its email stay. Reactivate the archived client instead of adding them again.