The glossary
No-Show Fee
A no-show fee is a charge applied when a client fails to attend a booked appointment without giving adequate notice, compensating the business for the lost time.
When a client books an appointment and simply does not arrive — without cancelling or rescheduling in advance — the salon loses the revenue from that slot. A no-show fee is a charge designed to compensate the business for that lost time and to deter the behaviour from happening again.
No-show fees are typically enforced in one of two ways. The most common method is to require a booking deposit at the time of booking: if the client does not attend, the deposit is forfeited rather than refunded. The second approach is to charge a fee after the fact — often used for regular clients who are trusted to book without a deposit.
Whether a no-show fee is enforceable depends on the contract, disclosure, amount, circumstances and law in the relevant jurisdiction. Acknowledgement and visibility are relevant but do not override consumer rights or guarantee enforceability. Obtain local legal advice for your policy.
Practically, many salons find that a clear, consistently applied policy — combined with pre-appointment reminders — reduces no-shows significantly without the need to frequently chase fees. The deterrent effect of a published policy is often as valuable as the fee itself.
On OpenChair, no-show protection works through the deposit system. If a client has paid a deposit and does not attend, the deposit can be automatically forfeited according to your policy. For clients without a deposit on file, you can manually record the no-show against their profile, which informs future decisions about whether to require a deposit from that client.
See it in OpenChair
Appointment RemindersCommon questions
Can I charge a no-show fee without taking a deposit upfront?
Yes, but it is harder to enforce after the fact than to forfeit a pre-collected deposit. If you choose not to require deposits, you can still charge a no-show fee by requesting payment before allowing the client to rebook — effectively making the fee a condition of future appointments. This approach works best for established clients with a track record.
What is a reasonable no-show fee for a salon?
Most salons charge between 50% and 100% of the missed service value as a no-show fee, or forfeit a pre-collected deposit that represents a similar proportion. The fee should be large enough to create a real deterrent — a $10 fee on a $120 service is unlikely to change behaviour — but not so large that it feels punitive to genuine emergencies.