You've had a policy in your head for years. "Just give a heads up." "Don't leave a person hanging twice." It works until someone leaves you hanging twice, and then you're typing an awkward text at 9pm and wondering if you're allowed to be annoyed.
A written policy fixes that. It's not about being strict. It's about not having to decide, every single time, how mad you are.
Below are three ready-to-use versions, a few lines on what to put in (and leave out), and how to roll it out without making your regulars feel accused.
What a good cancellation policy actually says
Five things. That's it.
- The window. How much notice you need. 24 hours is the common default for short services. Longer services, or days that book out fast, can justify 48.
- What counts as "late." Anything inside the window, and a no-show.
- What happens. Pick one consequence you'll really follow through on.
- How to cancel. Make it one tap or one text. If cancelling is hard, people just don't show.
- Where it lives. On your booking page, in the confirmation, and wherever you take bookings. A policy nobody saw isn't a policy.
Leave out: legal-sounding paragraphs, a list of exceptions, and anything you wouldn't say to a client's face. If it reads like a lease, nobody finishes it.
Version 1: the friendly one (for a regular-heavy book)
Use this if most of your clients are people you know.
Notice what it doesn't have: a fee. A fee is a choice you make, not a requirement. Plenty of solo pros skip it for regulars and save it for strangers, and the pros we've read from describe exactly that split. More on it in Regulars Get Grace. Strangers Don't.
Version 2: the firm one (for new clients and busy days)
If you use a fee, fill in a real number and collect it the way you already take payment. Say it clearly, say it before they book, and apply it the same way every time. The number matters less than the consistency.
Version 3: the short one (for a booking page footer)
Twenty words. If your booking page has room for nothing else, this still does most of the job, because it tells people the cancel window exists and that someone else is waiting for the slot.
Picking the window
Don't copy a number. Ask what you'd need to refill the slot.
- If you can usually fill a last-minute opening by text or Instagram story the same day, 12 to 24 hours is plenty.
- If your slots take days to fill, or your service runs long, go 48.
- If a late cancel is a bigger loss on Saturdays than on Tuesday afternoons, you can say that. "48 hours for Fridays and Saturdays" is a perfectly normal rule.
If you rent a booth or suite, check whether the owner already has a house policy. Yours should sit inside it, not fight it.
How to roll it out without a fight
The announcement is where most people stall. Writing a policy means telling the people who pay your rent that it exists. So don't make it a big deal. Make it a footnote that's good for them.
To existing clients: "Quick note: 24 hours' notice for changes is now in writing, so your time can go to someone else if you can't make it. Nothing changes for you, you're always good."
To new clients: let it show up in the booking confirmation and let the reminder repeat it. They never knew a world without it.
Then enforce it once, kindly, and people get the message. Word travels.
Make the cancel as easy as the no-show
This one gets skipped. If cancelling means finding your number, writing a message, and waiting for a reply, skipping it starts to look easy.
The fix is to let them cancel in one reply. A canceled slot you hear about at 9am is one you can still fill by 2pm. A slot you hear about after it's already empty is a loss. We wrote more about that in No-Show Protection Without Taking Deposits.
Write yours in about two minutes
Our free no-show policy generator writes a policy for your trade, the announcement message for your regulars, and a reply to send after a no-show. The words are free. No signup unless you want it as a designed card.
Where Morningside fits
Morningside is a booking link, $7.99 a month, no commission and no marketplace. Clients who opt in to texts get a confirmation, then reminders 24 hours and 2 hours before by default. They can reply C to confirm or CANCEL to cancel, and a canceled time opens back up on your booking page right away.
When someone doesn't show, you mark the no-show, and if they opted in to texts, they get a link to pick a new time. Leave a stranger unmarked and they get nothing.
What it doesn't do: it doesn't take deposits, hold cards, or charge no-show fees. It's booking only. If you want a fee, you'll collect it your own way. You can see your booking page take a real booking before you make an account.
Questions people ask
How much notice should a cancellation policy require?
24 hours is the usual starting point for short services. Go to 48 if the service is long or your slots take days to refill. Pick the number based on how long it takes you to refill a spot.
Is a no-show fee required?
No. A fee is one possible consequence, not a requirement. Many pros skip it for regulars and use it for new clients, or use a booking restriction instead.
Where should the policy go?
On your booking page, in the confirmation message, and in the reminder. Anywhere someone books or gets reminded.
Should regulars and new clients get the same policy?
The written policy can be the same. How you apply it is up to you. Most pros give a regular one free pass and apply it strictly to people they don't know.