About Deposits
Deposits are upfront payments collected during the booking process to secure appointments and protect your clinic against late cancellations or no-shows. By requiring a financial commitment, you ensure your clinicians' time is respected and your schedule remains full.
What Deposits cover
Deposits allow you to collect a portion of the service fee before the client arrives for their treatment.
- Visual Tracking — Real-time badges on the calendar indicate if a deposit is Required (D!) or Paid (D).
- Automatic Recognition — Paid deposits are instantly credited against the final invoice total at the Point of Sale.
- Flexible Rules — Configure deposits at the location level, service level, and staff level. Staff-level deposit exclusions and deposit amounts are available in the My Team edit dialog and are included in live booking deposit calculations.
- Integrated Collection — Process payments automatically during online booking or manually from the POS.
What happens to a deposit
A deposit is restricted to the booking it was collected for. Depending on what happens to the booking, the deposit will follow one of five paths:
Outcome | What happens | Who can do it |
|---|---|---|
Booking completed | Deposit is applied to the final invoice automatically at checkout. | Any staff (automatic) |
Booking cancelled — credit | Deposit remains as restricted deposit credit linked to that booking. It is not general spendable Client Account balance and cannot be used freely for unrelated purchases or another deposit while it is still restricted. It is unlocked when it is applied to the linked appointment at checkout, moved with a rescheduled booking, refunded by an Admin or Manager where supported, or forfeited after the deposit expiry process. | Any staff |
Booking cancelled — refund | Deposit is returned to the client's original payment method when permitted by your business. This must be authorised by an Admin or Manager. Deposits paid through 2Pay may not be eligible for the original-method refund option; if the option is unavailable or the refund fails, release the deposit as client credit or follow your support escalation process. | Admin or Manager only |
Booking rescheduled | Deposit transfers automatically to the new booking. No action required. | Any staff |
No-show or late cancellation | Deposit is forfeited and recognised as business revenue only after the configured Deposit Expiry Period has elapsed. The system checks the booking after that window and forfeits the deposit automatically only if the booking is still Cancelled or No-show, the deposit was paid, and the deposit has not already been resolved through checkout, rescheduling, refund, or another action. | System (automatic, after expiry window) |
Default behaviour: When a booking is cancelled within your cancellation policy, the deposit is held as restricted deposit credit — not refunded to the card and not added to the client's general spendable balance. Restricted deposit credit is included in the client's Account Balance for tracking, but it is subtracted from their Available Balance until it is unlocked. The client can use it only when it is applied to the linked appointment or otherwise resolved according to your deposit workflow. If the client requires a refund to their original payment method, an Admin or Manager must process it separately where that option is supported.
Deposit Expiry Period
The Deposit Expiry Period is not a general timer for how long every deposit is held. It controls the automatic forfeiture job for cancelled or no-show bookings.
When a paid deposit remains restricted after the original appointment date, the system waits the number of days configured as the Deposit Expiry Period. After that window, it checks the booking. If the booking is still marked Cancelled or No-show, and the deposit has not already been used, refunded, or moved with a reschedule, the system automatically debits the restricted deposit balance and recognises the amount as business revenue.
If the deposit was never paid, or if the booking is later completed, rescheduled, checked out, refunded, or otherwise resolved before the expiry check runs, the automatic forfeiture does not apply.
Why it matters
Correctly managing your deposits ensures that:
- No-shows are reduced — Clients are more likely to attend appointments they have already partially paid for.
- Revenue is protected — Secure funds for high-value treatments before you block off the practitioner's time.
- Admin is streamlined — The system automatically calculates the remaining balance at checkout, reducing front-desk errors.
- Rebooking is easy — If a client reschedules, the deposit moves to the new booking automatically.
- Clients are treated fairly — Valid cancellations result in reusable credit, and refunds are available when genuinely required.
How it fits into your workflow
- Online Booking — If the service requires a deposit, clients must pay their deposit via the secure portal before their appointment is confirmed on your schedule.
- Calendar — Receptionists can see at a glance who has paid and collect outstanding deposits.
- POS — The deposit is applied automatically when you checkout a linked appointment.
- Client Profile — Stores a record of all paid deposits, released credits, and refund history.
- Cancellations — The system defaults to releasing the deposit as credit. Admin or Manager users also see the option to refund to the original payment method where supported.
- Rescheduling — When a booking is moved to a new date or time, the deposit stays linked. No manual action required.
Access and permissions
Action | Required role |
|---|---|
Viewing deposit status | All staff with Calendar access |
Collecting deposits | Receptionist, Operator, Manager, Admin |
Releasing deposit to client credit | Receptionist, Operator, Manager, Admin |
Refunding deposit to original payment method | Admin, Manager only |
Configuring deposit rules | Owner, Admin, Manager |