How to take a deposit when someone books
Why a deposit stops empty appointments, how to ask for one on the services that need it, and what happens when somebody does not pay or does not come.
Checked 16 October 2026 About 3 minutes View as Markdown
The short answer
Set the deposit once, as a percentage or a fixed amount, then ask for it on the services that need it. Only the payment provider confirms the booking.
- A deposit is never more than the price of the service.
- The slot is held for 15 minutes while they pay, unless you change it.
- It goes into your own Stripe account. The platform takes 0%.
Why ask for a deposit?
An appointment that nobody comes to costs the whole slot: the time, and the customer who would have taken it. A deposit paid when somebody books makes not coming cost them something too, and pays for part of the empty hour when they do not come anyway.
Setting it up
- Connect your payment account. Deposits are charged into your own Stripe account, so payments has to be switched on and connected first.
- Set the deposit once. On the booking rules screen, choose a percentage of the price or a fixed amount. A deposit is never more than the price of the service, so a fixed amount above a cheap service's price takes the price. It is one figure for the whole business, and it stays on that screen while any service asks for a deposit, even when the business as a whole asks for none.
- Ask for it where it matters. Each service either follows the business's rule or says its own: nothing up front, a deposit, the full price, or a choice between paying now and paying in person. A consultation can be free to book while a long colour session asks for a deposit.
What the customer sees
They pick a free time on your website or your booking page, and the booking comes back waiting for payment, with a payment page to go to. The slot is held for them while they pay, 15 minutes unless you change it, and nobody else can take it.
The booking is confirmed when the payment provider says the money arrived, never because the customer came back from the payment page: that page proves they returned, not that they paid. Then the confirmation email goes out, with the time on your clock and a calendar file attached.
When they do not pay
If no payment arrives before the hold runs out, the slot is given back and offered to everybody again. The payment page can be opened again within the hold, so somebody who closed the tab by mistake has not lost the time.
When they cancel, or do not come
Nothing is refunded on its own. The deposit stays in your account until you decide: keep it, or refund part or all of it from the payments screen, with a reason that stays on the payment. The rest of the price is paid in person at the appointment, and the booking says how much that is.
Percentage or fixed amount?
A percentage grows with the service, so a short appointment asks for a little and a long one for more. A fixed amount is the same for every service, which suits a business whose sessions cost much the same, or one that wants the deposit to be an easy round number.
Either way, the platform takes 0% of it. You pay your plan and Stripe's own fees, and the rest is yours: see Payments and Bookings for everything around it.
Questions people ask next
Can I take the full price instead of a deposit?
Yes. Each service can ask for nothing up front, a deposit, the full price, or a choice between paying now and paying in person.
What happens to the deposit if they cancel?
It stays with you until you decide. Nothing is refunded on its own. Keep it, or refund part or all of it from the payments screen, with a reason that stays on the payment.
Is the deposit taken off the price?
Yes. The booking records what was paid to hold it and what is left to pay, which the customer pays in person at the appointment.
Can a customer book without paying when I ask for a deposit?
No. The booking waits for the payment, and is confirmed only when the payment provider says it arrived. If it does not arrive in time, the slot is given back.