Cancellation and no-show policy generator
A cancellation policy tells clients how much notice to give, what late cancellations and no-shows cost, and how deposits work. Pick your business type, adjust the numbers, and copy the version you need.
Your policy
Cancellation and No-Show Policy
Use these settings in Calendefy
- Cancel up to
- 24 hrs
- Reschedule up to
- 24 hrs
- Late cancel fee
- $42.50
- No-show fee
- $85
- Deposit
- $25
- Refund policy
- Booking page version
Deposits need Pro or Annual and your own Stripe account.
Late-cancel and no-show fees are sent as an invoice link, not charged to a saved card.
Set up in CalendefyWhat a good cancellation policy covers
Notice window: how many hours before the appointment a client can cancel or reschedule without a fee.
Late cancellation fee: what a client pays when they cancel inside the notice window.
No-show fee: what a client pays when they miss the appointment without telling you.
Deposit: what is paid at booking, whether it is refunded or moved to a new time, and when it is kept.
Late arrivals: how long you wait before shortening the service or treating it as a late cancellation.
How to cancel: the link, number or email clients should use.
Deposit, booking fee and cancellation fee
Deposit: paid when the client books and applied to the service price.
Booking fee: a separate charge for booking that is not applied to the service price.
Cancellation or no-show fee: charged only when the client cancels late or misses the appointment.
Where to put your policy
Booking page: the short version, shown before the client picks a time.
Confirmation and reminder texts: the text message version with your cancel link.
Website, intake form or contract: the full policy.
Questions
A no-show fee is a charge for a booked appointment the client misses without cancelling. It pays for time that usually can't be offered to someone else at the last minute. Businesses set it as a flat amount or a share of the service price in a written policy clients see before booking.
A late cancellation fee applies when the client cancels, but with less notice than your policy asks for. A no-show fee applies when the client doesn't come and doesn't tell you. Many businesses charge less for a late cancellation because the client did give some notice.
Many appointment businesses ask for 24 or 48 hours. Choose the window in which you could realistically fill the slot again: longer services, custom prep or travel can justify more, such as 72 hours or a week for a photo session. Each business sets its own window.
In many places it is generally allowed when the client agreed to a clear written policy before booking. Rules vary by location and industry, for example for healthcare or insurance-billed services, and card network rules apply when you charge a card. This is not legal advice; check the rules where you work.
Show the short version on your booking page before clients pick a time, repeat it in confirmation and reminder messages, and keep it to a few plain sentences. In Calendefy, each service's deposit and fees are shown on the booking page and on the client's booking link.
No. When you mark a no-show or a late cancellation, you can add the fee to an invoice in one step, and the client pays it from a link. It does not charge a saved card. Deposits are collected at booking on the Pro or Annual plan with your own connected Stripe account. Calendefy takes no booking commission; Stripe processing fees apply.