A required deposit collects a partial payment from your client when they book. The remainder is owed at the appointment. Deposits are a strong tool for keeping no-shows down without forcing every client to prepay in full.
How you set it up
Deposits are configured per client type (new versus repeat) under Settings, Payments. You pick:
- Payment mode — pay in full, pay a deposit, or payment optional
- Deposit type — a flat dollar amount, or a percentage of the service price
- Amount — the dollar figure or the percentage
You can have different policies for new and repeat clients. A common setup is "new clients pay a deposit, repeat clients can pay at the appointment."
What the client sees
At checkout, the client sees their service price, the deposit amount being charged today, and the balance owed at the appointment. The Stripe card form collects the deposit; the rest is not charged until you mark the appointment complete (or process the remaining payment manually).
The receipt they receive afterward shows the same breakdown so there is no confusion about what was charged and what is still owed.
What happens when they cancel
What happens depends on your cancellation policy.
- Cancellation inside the window you allow (for example, more than 24 hours out): the deposit is refunded automatically in full.
- Cancellation outside the window (a late cancellation): the deposit is kept by default, in line with the policy the client agreed to at booking. You can override this and refund anyway from inside the booking detail screen.
- No-show: the deposit is kept. You can still refund manually if circumstances warrant it.
The refund flows through Stripe and lands back on the client's card. Stripe's processing fee on the original charge is not refunded by Stripe, so a refunded deposit is a small net loss to you on fees alone.
How the balance gets collected
When the appointment happens, you mark it complete from the dashboard. ApptOnly prompts you to charge the balance to the card on file, accept cash, or note another payment method. The full transaction (deposit plus balance) shows up as one booking in your records, with separate line items for the deposit and balance.
When required deposits make sense
- For new clients you have not worked with before.
- For high-demand slots that would be hard to fill on short notice.
- For services where the prep work happens before the appointment (you would lose materials, not just time).
When deposits do not help: regulars you trust, very low-cost appointments where the deposit feels heavier than the booking itself, or local-walk-in style practices where prepayment friction would push clients away.