Salon cancellation policy guide: Examples and free template
Protect your time and income with a clear cancellation policy. Get tips and sample wording for writing yours, then see how to share and enforce it with clients.
When a client cancels the morning of their appointment, your salon cancellation policy decides whether you can charge for the empty slot. The decisions below help you set a notice window and fees you can enforce.
Why is a salon cancellation policy important?
A fair but firm cancellation policy puts your expectations in writing before clients book. Once clients agree to it, the policy does three jobs for your business:
It sets expectations before the appointment.
It gives you grounds to charge a late-cancellation or no-show fee.
When wording your salon’s cancellation policy, be clear and conciseso it leaves no room for misunderstanding. Be fair, because an overly strict policy can frustrate clients or deter them from booking. Be firm with definitive, enforceable language, and skip phrases like “we ask” or “please allow,” which clients can read as optional.
Ask yourself the following questions when writing your salon cancellation policy:
1. How much time is needed to fill a canceled appointment?
Among hair salon businesses in Mangomint’s benchmark, 74% have a configured self-cancellation cutoff, the point after which clients can’t cancel online themselves.
Choose your window based on how quickly you can refill an opening or notify your waitlist. Then match your online self-cancellation setting to the window stated in your policy.
2. Should there be a cancellation fee?
Decide if you want to recoup some of your losses by charging a fee for late cancellations. This can be a fixed fee or a percentage of the service price. Consider the cost of an unused time slot for the duration of the service.
3. What happens if a client no-shows or reschedules last minute?
You get to decide how no-shows and last-minute reschedules are handled. You might set a higher fee for no-shows than for late cancellations, because a no-show leaves you no notice to rebook the slot. Again, this can be determined by how quickly you can fill the opening with last-minute appointments such as walk-ins.
Additionally, you need to decide at what point a late client is considered to be a no-show. To set a grace period, consider the length of the appointment and how a late start would affect the clients booked after it.
Salon cancellation policy examples
Adapt any of these sample policies for your salon:
For appointments canceled or rescheduled within 24 hours of the appointment time, we charge 50% of the service total. “No-show” appointments will be charged 100%.
For appointments canceled within 24 hours or “no-show” appointments, we charge 100% of the service total.
For appointments canceled or rescheduled within 24 hours or “no-shows”, we charge 50% of the service total.
For appointments canceled within 24 hours of the appointment time, we charge a $25 fee. For "no-show" appointments, we charge 50% of the service total.
Download the salon cancellation policy template
Start from our template and adjust the notice window and fees to fit your business. Download our free template as a Google Doc.
How to communicate your cancellation policy
During booking
Share your cancellation policy while clients book, so they see the terms before they commit to a time. Mangomint online booking can display your policy and require clients to accept it before they book. For example, My Little Beautique books through Mangomint online booking, and its website policy page spells out its card requirement and cancellation fees.
Clients who call to book should agree to your policy too. With Express Booking™, your team starts the booking and the client finishes it from their phone:
Your team enters the client’s first name and phone number.
Your team adds the service the client is booking.
The client gets a text link to review their appointment details.
The client adds a card and accepts your policy to complete the booking.
After booking
Repeat your cancellation policy in your appointment notifications. Mangomint includes your policy in various automated emails and text messages, so clients see it again after they book.
For appointments that require a form, add your cancellation policy at the end. Require clients to acknowledge it with a toggle or signature field (or both). This works well for client intake forms and hair extension contracts.
Your website
Detail your full cancellation policy on your website. Provide a link for clients to view the page upon booking and prompt your clients to visit the page in your appointment notifications.
How to enforce your salon's cancellation policy
Charging a fee can feel awkward, especially when you’re worried about upsetting a regular. It gets easier when the client has already agreed to your policy at booking and seen it again before the appointment. Here’s how to set that up.
Clearly state your cancellation policy during booking
Require clients to accept your policy before a booking is complete, so you have a record of their agreement. Mangomint online booking keeps records of policy acceptance.
Express Booking™ stores the exact policy a client accepted. It also collects their IP address and device model, and you can use that information as evidence in a payment dispute. Our expert interview shares ways to take the awkwardness out of enforcing your policy.
Make sure to remind clients
Send appointment reminders and give your clients notice of your cancellation policy at least once more before the minimum cancellation timeframe.
Require a card-on-file, deposit, or prepayment to reserve an appointment
If your booking system allows you to require a card-on-file in order to book, take advantage of that feature. This makes it easy to enforce your policy without having to go back and forth later. Alternatively, you can require a deposit at booking and use this as your cancellation fee. If you require full prepayment of the service at booking, refund the client in accordance with your policy.
For a reference point, 33% of the hair salons using Mangomint require a deposit on services booked online. Use it as context alongside your own services and clients. In Mangomint online booking, you can require a cardonfile or require a deposit for specific services.
Charge or invoice the client for the canceled appointment or "no-show"
Charge or invoice your client according to your policy, and send a receipt that shows the fee. In Mangomint, mark the appointment as a late cancellation or no-show, then charge the cancellation fee at checkout. If it makes sense, offer the client a way to reschedule.
Software features that can help manage salon cancellations
A few more Mangomint tools help before and after a cancellation. You can:
Send your policy in Integrated Forms and collect the client information you need whenever an appointment is booked.
Text callers an Express Booking™ link so they can add a card and accept your policy.
Block specific clients from online booking, such as someone with a pattern of no-shows.
Get Intelligent Waitlist alerts when a cancellation opens a spot that may fit someone on your list (one client’s cancellation, another client’s lucky break).
Mangomint can also help you fill your waitlist and open appointment slots. Our guides show you how to:
Mangomint gives you the tools to share your cancellation policy at booking and enforce it at checkout. Book a live demo to see how it works, or start a free trial. We’d love to show you around.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a salon cancellation policy include?
Cover the terms a client needs to know before booking:
Your notice window for cancellations and reschedules.
Your late-cancellation fee.
Your no-show fee and when a late arrival counts as a no-show.
Your card or deposit requirement, if you have one.
Your process for canceling or rescheduling.
How much notice should a salon require for cancellations?
There’s no single standard notice window. Choose one based on how quickly you can refill an opening, and set your online self-cancellation cutoff to match. In Mangomint’s hair salon benchmark, 73.5% of businesses have a configured cutoff, but the window length is yours to set.
What’s the difference between a cancellation fee and a no-show fee?
A cancellation fee applies when a client cancels or reschedules inside your notice window. A no-show fee applies when a client misses the appointment without notice or arrives later than your grace period allows. You might set the no-show fee higher, since a no-show leaves no time to rebook the slot.
Should a salon require a deposit?
It depends on your services and how much an empty slot costs you. Mangomint’s benchmark data for hair salon businesses shows 33.0% require a deposit for at least one live service booked online. A deposit taken at booking can double as your cancellation fee, and Mangomint can require one for specific services in online booking.
Josephine Hulburd Schultz is the Marketing Manager at Mangomint. With a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, she focuses on transparent and impactful marketing that empowers salon and spa owners to grow their businesses and succeed. Fun fact: Josephine is obsessed with testing out new curly hair products and trying out unique nail art.
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