No-Show Cost & Policy Builder
See roughly what no-shows and late cancels cost you each month, then build a plain, fair cancellation policy from your own choices and copy it into your booking page.
Last updated October 26, 2026 · Free · Nothing stored
How much do no-shows cost, and what should a no-show policy say?
Take your monthly appointments, multiply by your no-show share, add the late cancels you could not refill, and multiply by your average ticket. That is the revenue empty slots cost you each month. A fair no-show policy then says how much notice you need, how you hold the booking (card on file or deposit), what a late cancel or no-show costs, and when you will waive it.
The calculator defaults are placeholders we chose so the page shows a number on load. They are not industry benchmarks and we do not cite a no-show statistic, because the rate that matters is yours. Your booking system's appointment, no-show and cancellation reports give the real figures. The policy text is a starting draft, not legal advice.
Your book, your numbers
Default 80 · Our assumption. A round starting number, not an industry figure. Your booking system's appointment report for one normal week gives the real count.
Default 5% · Our assumption. Our assumption, not a sourced statistic. Count no-shows over the last month in your booking system and divide by appointments booked.
Default 5% · Our assumption. Our assumption. Count cancellations made inside your notice window (for example, under 24 hours) over a month and divide by appointments booked.
Default 25% · Our assumption. Our assumption. A waitlist, walk-ins or a quick text to regulars can fill some late gaps; those are not lost. No-shows are treated as unfillable because you find out at the start time.
Default $60 · Your number. Your number. Use average revenue per appointment from your POS or booking system report; $60 is only a placeholder.
Revenue lost per month
$1,820
About 30.3 empty appointments a month from no-shows and late cancels nobody filled.
Per year
$21,840
Monthly figure × 12.
From no-shows
$1,040
Per month, from 17.3 no-shows.
From late cancels
$780
Per month, from 13 of 17.3 late cancels left unfilled.
The working, with your numbers
- 80 a week × 52 ÷ 12 = 346.7 appointments a month
- × 5% no-shows = 17.3 no-shows
- × 5% late cancels × 75% not refilled = 13 empty slots
- (17.3 + 13) × $60 average ticket = $1,820 a month
Build your no-show and cancellation policy
Pick how you hold a booking, what a late cancel or no-show costs the client, and when reminders go out. The policy text updates as you choose, in plain words a client can read in under a minute.
Your rules
Default $25 · Our placeholder, not a recommendation. Set 0 for no charge.
Your policy, ready to edit
Cancellation and no-show policy
When you book, we set that time aside for you. If you need to cancel or move your appointment, please give us at least 24 hours' notice. You can reply to your reminder, call us, or use the link in your booking confirmation. There is no charge for cancelling or rescheduling with 24 hours' notice or more.
To confirm a booking we ask for a card on file. We do not charge it when you book, and we never charge it for anything except what this policy describes.
If you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice, or do not come to your appointment, we charge a fee of $25 to that card. We will tell you before we charge it.
Everyone's plans change sometimes. The first time it happens, we waive the fee. After that, the policy applies.
If you are ill or something genuinely urgent comes up, let us know as soon as you can and we will waive the charge.
We send a reminder 48 and 24 hours before your appointment, so you have time to change it if you need to.
If you are running late, please call us. We will do our best to fit you in, though we may need to shorten the service so the next client is not kept waiting.
Thank you for helping us keep our time fair for everyone.
The link holds only the numbers and options on this page. Nothing is sent to us.
Before you publish it
- This is a starting draft, not legal advice. Rules on deposits, cancellation fees and charging a stored card differ by state and country, and your card processor has its own terms. Check your local consumer law before you publish it.
- Get the client's agreement to the card-on-file terms at booking, for example with a checkbox in your booking system, and keep a record of it.
How the estimate is calculated
Weekly appointments times 52, divided by 12, gives a month. The no-show share of those are visits that simply did not happen. The late-cancel share are visits cancelled too late to rebook easily; the slots you do fill from a waitlist or walk-ins are taken out, because that revenue was not lost. No-shows plus the unfilled late cancels, times your average ticket, is the headline number.
What it leaves out
- The defaults are placeholders we chose, not industry benchmarks. Replace each one with a figure from your own booking system or POS before you rely on the result.
- It does not subtract fees or deposits you already collect, and it does not predict how much a new policy would cut no-shows.
- Revenue, not profit. A no-show still costs the staff time you paid for, but you also save the product you did not use.
- Some no-show slots get filled by a walk-in. If that happens often for you, lower the no-show rate to match.
Every assumption and its default
- Appointments booked per week
- 80
- Our assumption. A round starting number, not an industry figure. Your booking system's appointment report for one normal week gives the real count.
- Appointments where the client does not come
- 5%
- Our assumption. Our assumption, not a sourced statistic. Count no-shows over the last month in your booking system and divide by appointments booked.
- Appointments cancelled too late to rebook easily
- 5%
- Our assumption. Our assumption. Count cancellations made inside your notice window (for example, under 24 hours) over a month and divide by appointments booked.
- Late-cancelled slots you fill again
- 25%
- Our assumption. Our assumption. A waitlist, walk-ins or a quick text to regulars can fill some late gaps; those are not lost. No-shows are treated as unfillable because you find out at the start time.
- Average ticket per appointment
- $60
- Your number. Your number. Use average revenue per appointment from your POS or booking system report; $60 is only a placeholder.
How to cost no-shows and write a fair cancellation policy
01
Pull your booking numbers
From your booking system, take appointments per week, the share that were no-shows, and the share cancelled inside your notice window over one normal month.
02
Read the monthly cost
Enter how many late cancels you usually refill and your average ticket. The result shows lost revenue per month and per year, split into no-shows and late cancels, with the working shown.
03
Build and copy the policy
Choose card on file or deposit, the fee, the notice window, a first-time pass and the reminder schedule. Copy the text, check it against local consumer law, and add it to your booking page.
Common questions
Where do the default numbers come from?
They are round placeholders we picked so the calculator shows a result on load: 80 appointments a week, 5% no-shows, 5% late cancels, 25% of late slots refilled and a $60 ticket. None is a sourced benchmark, so replace each with your own figures.
Is the policy text legal advice?
No. It is a plain-language starting draft. Rules on deposits, cancellation fees and charging a stored card differ by state and country, and card processors have their own terms. Check your local consumer law before you publish it.
Should I use a card on file or a deposit?
A card on file is lighter for clients because nothing is charged unless the policy applies, but you have to charge it after the fact. A deposit is collected up front and comes off the bill, which suits long or high-value services. Either works if the terms are clear at booking.
Why offer a first-time pass?
Most clients who miss once are not repeat offenders. Waiving the first one keeps goodwill and makes the fee easier to defend when it does apply. You can switch it off in the builder.
When should reminders go out?
At least one reminder should arrive before your free-cancellation window closes, so the client can still cancel without a charge. The builder flags it if your first reminder comes too late.
Why are no-shows and late cancels counted differently?
With a late cancel you get some warning, so a waitlist or a quick text to regulars can fill part of the gap. A no-show is found out at the start time, so the calculator treats it as unfillable.
See it against your book
Bring the number. We will show how empty slots get refilled.
On a 30-minute demo we look at your no-show and late-cancel pattern, show the recovery agent offering a cancelled slot to clients who want an earlier time, in the booking system you already use, and tell you plainly if your volume is too low for it to be worth paying for.