A cancellation policy tells FrontDesk what to do when a client cancels late or does not show up. Set it once and it applies everywhere a visit can be cancelled or missed.
Set the policy
Go to Settings → Billing → Payment methods and find the Cancellation and no-show policy card. Pick the location if you have more than one, switch Policy on, set the fields, and click Save policy.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Late cancellation window | Hours before the start inside which a cancellation counts as late (0 to 168; 24 by default). 0 turns late fees off. |
| Late cancellation fee | No fee, Flat amount, % of the visit fee, or Full visit fee, with the amount or percentage. |
| No-show fee | The same four choices, for a visit the client missed. |
| Charge the card on file right away | Take the fee from the client's card as soon as it applies (only for clients with a saved card and autopay on). Otherwise it sits on their balance. On by default. |
| Waive the first missed visit | Forgive each client's first late cancellation or no-show. |
| Late changes from the portal | Allow, with the fee, or Not allowed online. |
| What clients see | The policy text shown in the portal. Leave it blank and a plain-English summary is generated from the settings. |
Charging cards needs Stripe connected and a card on file for the client.
What happens when a visit is cancelled late or missed
The policy runs on every path: a staff member changing the status, a group roster change, a client texting to cancel, the AI cancelling on the phone, the client cancelling or moving a visit in the portal, and the Setup Assistant.
- The fee is calculated from the visit's fee and the policy, unless the client is exempt or the waiver applies.
- A charge is added to the client's account, described as a late cancellation fee, a no-show fee, or a late change fee.
- If automatic charging is on and the client has a card, the card is charged and the client gets a Stripe receipt. The appointment records what happened: charged, on the balance, card failed, or waived.
- For a group session, this happens per client when you set their attendance in Manage clients; the editor's fee preview is for one-to-one visits.
Waive or exempt
- One visit, before it happens. When you save a late cancellation or no-show, the appointment editor previews the fee ("No-show fee $150.00 will be charged to Visa ending 4242", or "will be added to the client's balance") with an Apply fee switch. Turn it off and give a reason to waive it; the reason is kept on the visit.
- One visit, afterwards. The editor shows what happened. While the fee sits on the balance or the card was declined, a Waive button reverses it with a reason. If the card was already charged, refund the payment from the Payments page instead.
- One client. On the client's Billing profile, switch on the policy exemption with a note. Long-standing clients and hardship cases go here.
- Everyone's first time. The first-occurrence waiver in the policy.
The client's view
In the portal the policy text shows above upcoming visits. Cancelling inside the window opens a dialog that names the fee and how it will be collected ("charged to your Visa ending 4242" or "added to your account balance"); the confirm button reads "Cancel and pay $50.00" and stays off until the client ticks that they understand. Outside the window the dialog says no fee applies. Moving a visit inside the window works the same way with a late-change fee, unless you set late changes to "not allowed online", in which case the dialog explains the window and offers to cancel instead.
Good to know
- The fee shows in the client's charges, in their balance, and in the financial reports like any other charge.
- No-shows are counted per provider on the Bookings and Financial reports.
- Not yet: a separate notice to the client beyond the Stripe receipt, and different fees per service.