Cancellation policies that stay kind and clear

A good cancellation policy is short, specific and applied the same way every time. Clients can accept almost any reasonable rule if they understand it before they book.

Decide what you need to protect

Your policy exists to protect your time and income, and to be fair to clients with real emergencies. Write down which of those matters most to you before you pick any numbers.

Keep it to two sentences

• How much notice you need to cancel or move a session.
• What happens if that notice isn’t given.

For example: “Please give at least 24 hours’ notice to change a session. Sessions cancelled later are charged at the full fee.” Choose the window that works for your calendar.

Show it at the right moment

Put the policy on your booking page, repeat it in the confirmation and keep the wording identical. People remember what they saw at the point of booking.

Leave room for real life

Emergencies, illness and family crises happen. Decide in advance how you’ll handle them, such as one free reschedule, so you’re never improvising a response to someone who is struggling.

Let software do the reminding

A paid booking, a short hold on unpaid slots and a reminder before the session handle most of the policy automatically, so you rarely have to raise it yourself.