No show policy: a template you can copy, and how to use it

It's 10:20 on a Tuesday and your 10:00 hasn't shown up. You call and it goes to voicemail. At 10:40 a text arrives: "So sorry, totally forgot, can I come Thursday?" That's the third one this month. You'd like to charge something, but nothing was ever written down, so you say "no problem" and rebook. The hour is gone either way.

A no show policy won't bring that hour back. It makes the next one less likely, and when one happens anyway you already know what to do. Below you'll find what a policy should include, a no show policy template to copy, how to set a no show fee, and how to tell clients about it before it matters, since that part does most of the work.

Why a no show costs more than the appointment

You lose the slot, and you also lose the person who would have taken it. Most booked businesses have someone who wanted that time and got turned away or pushed to next week. When the no show comes with no warning, there's no way to call that person in.

A late cancellation is the same problem in a smaller size. A cancellation a week out is easy to fill. One at 9 p.m. the night before usually isn't. That's why most policies treat the two separately: a cancellation window that gives you time to rebook, and a fee for anything inside it.

What a no show policy should include

A policy clients follow is short and specific. It should cover:

• The cancellation window: how much notice you need, in hours. Base it on how long a slot takes you to fill. A 30 minute trim is easier to fill than a four hour color service or a new-patient exam.
• What counts as a no show: not arriving at all, and usually arriving so late the appointment can't happen. Give the number of minutes.
• The fee: a flat amount, a share of the service price, or a forfeited deposit. Say which.
• How the fee gets collected: a card on file, a deposit taken at booking, or a charge added to the next visit.
• What happens after repeat no shows, for example, a deposit required on every future booking.
• Exceptions for emergencies, illness or bad weather. Say you'll use judgment, and then actually use it.
• How to cancel: a phone number, a reply to the reminder text, a link. Make cancelling easy. A policy that makes cancelling hard mostly produces more no shows.

No show policy template

Copy this, fill in the brackets, and cut anything that doesn't fit how you work.

Cancellation and no show policy

We hold your appointment time just for you, and when it goes unused we can't offer it to someone else. To keep scheduling fair for everyone, we ask for the following.

Cancelling or rescheduling. Please give us at least [24/48] hours' notice. You can call [phone], reply to your reminder text, or use [booking link].

Late cancellations. Cancellations made less than [24/48] hours before your appointment will be charged [amount or percentage of the service].

No shows. If you miss your appointment without notice, or arrive more than [15] minutes late and we can't complete your service, you'll be charged [amount or percentage of the service].

Payment. We keep a card on file to hold your appointment. It's charged only under this policy, and we'll let you know before we run it.

Repeat missed appointments. After [two] no shows, we'll ask for a [deposit / prepayment] to book future appointments.

Emergencies happen. If something unexpected comes up, call us. We'll always talk it through.

By booking, you agree to this policy. Thank you for helping us keep our schedule open for everyone.

Keep the version on your website and in your booking confirmation word for word the same. Clients notice when two versions disagree, and staff get stuck enforcing the stricter one.

Short versions for the places clients actually read

Nobody reads a full policy at checkout. Put a one-line version wherever the booking happens:

I have more wording for the confirmation and reminder messages in the appointment reminder templates post. The reminder matters most, because it gives the client a simple way to cancel while there's still time to refill the slot.

How much is a no show fee?

There's no standard number. You pick one that fits your prices and your clients, and it helps to think about it in one of three ways:

What matters most is that the fee is written down, that the client saw it before booking, and that you charge it consistently. A fee you waive for everyone except the one client you're annoyed with does more harm than having no fee.

Healthcare practices should check payer contracts first. Medicare lets physicians and suppliers charge Medicare patients for missed appointments, but only if the same policy and the same amount apply to non-Medicare patients too, and the charge is billed to the patient, never to Medicare. That comes from CMS's MLN Matters article MM5613 (checked September 30, 2026). Medicaid plans and commercial payer contracts can have their own rules, so read yours or ask your billing company before you add a fee. Fee rules and card-on-file practices can also depend on your state and your payment processor. This post isn't legal advice, so run your final wording by someone who knows your situation.

How to tell clients before it matters

A policy the client first hears about at the moment you charge them turns into an argument. The same policy seen three times beforehand usually never has to be enforced. The order I'd follow:

1. At booking: the short version next to a checkbox, or read aloud on the phone: "Just so you know, we ask for 24 hours' notice to cancel."
2. In the confirmation: one line, right after they book.
3. In the reminder: one line, together with an easy way to cancel.
4. For existing clients, once: a short text or email when you introduce the policy, with a start date a few weeks out. Give regulars a heads up before the first charge.

Steps 2 and 3 are the ones that slip when the desk is busy, which is why they're worth automating. Once the policy line lives inside the confirmation and reminder templates, every client sees it every time and nobody has to remember to mention it.

What a system can handle, and what it can't

The repetitive parts run fine on their own. That includes sending the confirmation and reminders with the policy line, taking C and R replies, freeing up a canceled slot and texting the next person on the waitlist, and flagging an appointment that nobody confirmed. Most booking software already covers some of this. The automated appointment reminders guide shows where to find those settings. When your tools can't do it, connecting them is the kind of work I build.

Charging the fee should stay with a person. Software can put the no show on a list with the policy and the card on file, but someone should look at it before anything gets charged. Maybe the client texted at 9:58 and the message sat unread. Maybe their kid ended up in the ER. Maybe they've been coming every month for eight years. A person makes that call, and when you waive the fee, say so out loud: "I'll waive it this time." That tells the client the policy is real and that you're being fair.

Conversations about repeat no shows stay human too. After the second one, a short, friendly call about moving to a deposit keeps the relationship intact in a way an automatic message won't.

Start with the free audit

If no shows keep eating your week, I offer a free 20 minute process audit. We'll trace one booking from the first call to the chair and find where it slips, whether that's the policy, the reminders, or the replies nobody sees. Book it here.