What deposit should a lash tech charge for a full set?

For full sets priced between $120 and $200 (a deposit of $50 to $75 is appropriate, roughly 30 to 40 percent of the service fee. For full sets priced above $200 (specialty styles, experienced techs in premium markets), 25 to 30 percent of the service fee scales appropriately. New clients should pay the full service fee at booking for their first appointment.

Can a lash tech require a deposit for just new clients and not regulars?

Yes (and many do. Stating this openly) 'New clients are required to prepay their first appointment', is professional and widely accepted. Once a client has visited and demonstrated reliability, transitioning them to a standard deposit or card-on-file structure is a natural relationship progression that clients typically appreciate as a sign of trust.

What if a client claims an allergic reaction to get out of the cancellation policy?

A genuine allergic reaction is a medical situation and should be handled outside your standard cancellation policy, refund the deposit and refer the client appropriately. False allergy claims are uncommon but possible. If you suspect a client is fabricating an allergy to avoid a cancellation fee, you may use your judgment, but applying the exception charitably is generally the right call, the reputational cost of incorrectly applying the policy to a genuine medical situation exceeds the cost of occasionally extending the exception to a bad-faith claim.

Lash Tech Cancellation Policy: Free Template for 2026

A lash tech cancellation policy needs to account for the appointment-length tier that most beauty policies don't address: the difference between a 45-minute fill and a 3-hour volume full set is not just duration, it's the difference between a slot that can plausibly be filled on short notice and one that almost certainly cannot. Your policy should reflect that.

Below is a complete template with separate terms for full sets, fills (and new client bookings) ready to adapt to your studio.

Cancellation policy template (full version)

Short version (for booking page and confirmation messages):

"A deposit is required at booking to hold your appointment. Full sets: $[amount] deposit, 48-hour free cancellation. Fills: $[amount] deposit, 24-hour free cancellation. New clients: full service fee required at booking for first appointment. Late cancellations and no-shows forfeit the deposit. To cancel: [contact method]."

Full version (for studio intake form or client agreement):

"Appointment policy , [Your name/studio name]

Full set appointments: A deposit of $[amount] is required at booking. Full sets may be cancelled or rescheduled free of charge with at least 48 hours notice. Cancellations within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment or no-shows will result in the deposit being retained.

Fill appointments: A deposit of $[amount] is required at booking. Fills may be cancelled or rescheduled free of charge with at least 24 hours notice. Cancellations within 24 hours or no-shows will result in the deposit being retained.

New client policy: First-time clients are required to pay the full service fee at the time of booking. This amount is applied toward your service, there is no additional charge at your appointment. Once we have worked together, you will move to our standard deposit structure for future bookings.

Rescheduling: The deposit transfers to the rescheduled appointment when rescheduling occurs within the free-cancellation window. Rescheduling requests made after the cancellation deadline are treated as late cancellations, the deposit is retained, and a new deposit is required for the rescheduled appointment.

Repeat no-shows: Clients who no-show more than once will be required to prepay the full service fee for all future appointments. [Your name] reserves the right to decline future bookings from clients with repeated no-show history.

Allergic reactions: If you experience an allergic reaction to lash adhesive or products, please contact [your name] immediately. Genuine allergic reactions are not subject to the standard cancellation policy. Please consult a physician if you experience a reaction.

Artist cancellations: If [your name] must cancel your appointment for any reason, you will receive a full refund of your deposit or the option to rebook at no additional deposit charge."

Where to display the policy

The policy must appear in three places to be consistently defensible: on your booking page before payment is made, in the confirmation message sent after booking, and in the 48-hour reminder before the appointment.

For clients who book through Instagram DMs or by phone rather than through your booking page, send the policy in writing before collecting any payment: "Before I send the deposit link, here's my cancellation policy: [summary]. Does that work for you?" The client's affirmative response creates a documented acknowledgment even without a formal checkout flow.

If a client disputes a retained deposit, your booking confirmation showing the policy terms at the time of payment is your primary evidence. Booking systems that display the policy during the checkout flow and include it in the confirmation email create this documentation automatically, which is why using a dedicated booking tool rather than a text message or Instagram DM for all transactions is worth the minor overhead.

Social media bookings: closing the documentation gap

Many lash techs book primarily through Instagram, accepting DM bookings without a formal checkout flow. This is common and not inherently problematic, but it creates a documentation gap when disputes arise. A client who booked via DM can claim they never agreed to a cancellation policy, and without a booking record showing they acknowledged the terms before paying, the dispute is harder to resolve.

The solution doesn't require abandoning DM bookings. After the initial DM inquiry, send the client a booking link that includes your cancellation policy in the checkout flow. The DM conversation books the intent; the booking link collects the deposit and the documented agreement. This creates the record without removing the personal touch of a DM-based client relationship.

Handling deposit disputes

Lash clients occasionally file card disputes over retained deposits, especially when they felt the policy wasn't clearly communicated before they paid. The outcome almost always depends on one thing: can you show the client saw the policy before completing payment? A booking system that displays the cancellation terms during checkout and includes them in the confirmation email creates this documentation automatically.

When a dispute is filed, provide the card issuer with the booking confirmation showing the policy terms and the client's payment timestamp. Clients who agreed to the terms at checkout have limited grounds for a successful chargeback. Clients who booked informally via DM with no documented policy agreement are harder to defend, which is exactly why every booking should complete through a link that shows the policy before payment is collected.

The repeat no-show client

A lash client who no-shows twice is taking up real estate in your appointment book, blocking a 2 to 3 hour slot that a reliable client could fill, without delivering revenue. After the second no-show, the conversation is worth having directly: "I want to keep working with you, but I can't continue holding full-set slots that go unused. Going forward, I'll need the full service fee at booking. If that works for you, I'd love to get you back on the calendar."

Clients who accept full prepayment and follow through become some of your most reliable appointments, they've already paid, so they show. Clients who decline self-select out of your book. Either outcome improves your schedule. The direct conversation, while uncomfortable, is worth having after two no-shows from the same client.

GrabMySlot is free to start. You pay 3% plus Stripe's standard payment processing fee only when you collect a deposit. Set up your booking page in under five minutes at grabmyslot.com.