Guide
Deposits: how much, when, and what the law says
By Connor McAuley, Founder
Updated
Sources checked
UK clinic deposits and no-show fees: fair amounts, clear terms, direct losses, refunds and cancellation-right checks before setting your booking policy.
At a glance
UK clinic deposits and no-show fees need fair, clear terms and a reasonable basis for any amount retained or charged. There is no universal safe deposit percentage or notice window. Assess direct losses, steps to refill the appointment and any applicable cancellation rights before deciding the refund. This is general information, not a decision on an individual dispute.
General guidance. Check local requirements.
I build booking software, which means I have to separate what a payment setting can do from what an owner is entitled to charge. A no-show button can trigger a payment. It cannot decide whether the clinic’s term is fair.
This guide covers UK consumer bookings and the questions to settle before choosing a deposit or no-show fee. It keeps the existing deposit-refund URL because setting the amount, collecting it and deciding a refund belong in the same policy.
Decide what the payment is for
Explain whether the payment reserves an appointment, pays for a consultation or contributes towards treatment. Show the total price, the amount paid now and the balance due. Avoid using “booking fee” as a label for money you intend to keep regardless of what happens.
A deposit and a later no-show charge also need to fit together. Ask the reviewer of your terms to check the combined amount and the circumstances in which you would collect it.
| Policy decision | Evidence to use | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit amount | Appointment price, purpose and likely direct loss | Choosing a percentage because another clinic uses it |
| Notice window | How bookings arrive and whether a cancelled slot can be refilled | Treating a notice window as a legal safe harbour |
| Late cancellation or no-show | Fair agreed term, actual circumstances and loss | Charging the full price automatically in every case |
| Refilled appointment | Replacement booking and remaining direct costs | Recovering the same loss twice |
| Clinic cancels | Reason, work supplied and applicable rights | Applying the patient’s cancellation rule to your own cancellation |
There is no universal safe percentage
Neither a familiar deposit percentage nor a 24 or 48-hour notice window settles fairness. The CMA’s consumer guidance says cancellation charges must reflect direct losses and businesses must take reasonable steps to reduce those losses. It also says non-refundable deposits should be a small percentage of the price.
Use your own appointment patterns to estimate the likely loss. Check whether a slot is commonly refilled, what costs you avoid when treatment does not happen and what costs you have already incurred for that booking. Keep the basis of the calculation with the policy.
The amount collected upfront and the amount you can retain are separate questions. A large advance payment does not create a right to keep the entire sum when the patient cancels.
A no-show fee still needs fair terms
Section 62 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes unfair consumer terms non-binding. Fairness looks at the balance of rights, good faith and the circumstances when the term was agreed. A patient ticking a box does not remove that test.
The clinic should be able to explain the fee and when it applies. If you keep a deposit and charge a further amount, consider both together. A cancellation or no-show is not permission to collect any amount the system allows.
Lost profit is not automatically excluded from a direct-loss calculation: the CMA expressly includes it as a possible loss. That does not justify taking the full treatment price in every case. Savings and reasonable efforts to refill the slot matter.
If the slot is refilled, record that and reassess the loss. If it is not, record the steps taken and the remaining basis for the charge. These are useful facts for a refund review, not a guarantee of the outcome of a dispute.
Explain it before taking payment
Section 68 of the Consumer Rights Act requires written consumer terms and notices to be transparent. The CMA’s business guidance also explains why important terms need prominence and an opportunity to understand them.
Put the payment and cancellation information where the patient makes the booking. Use the same wording in confirmations. Keep a dated copy of the version shown rather than relying on the current policy page to prove what was agreed months ago.
Describe how to cancel, how you calculate any charge and how the clinic handles its own cancellation. A patient should not have to search old social posts to find a rule that affects their money.
Adapt that policy with a legal reviewer before placing it in your booking system. Check the booking and payment screens as well as the document.
Online bookings need a separate cancellation-rights check
For a qualifying distance service contract, regulation 30 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 sets a cancellation period ending 14 days after the day the contract is entered into. Do not apply that rule to every clinic service without checking the scope.
Regulation 27 excludes contracts to the extent they concern the supply of a medicinal product by administration by a prescriber, or under a prescriber’s prescription or directions. A booking involving botulinum toxin raises a specific scope question. It does not follow that the clinic’s entire service menu is excluded.
Regulation 28 also contains an exception for certain services related to leisure activities on a specific date. This guide does not establish that an aesthetic appointment qualifies. Ask for advice on the actual contract rather than treating a dated appointment as enough.
Where cancellation rights apply and the service is to start during the period, regulation 36 sets conditions for an express request to start early and proportionate payment for services supplied. Losing the right after full performance also requires the relevant acknowledgement. Choosing a date alone should not be used as a substitute for checking those conditions.
Keep the classification and booking-flow decisions with your legal review. Do not let a payment setting select the legal answer.
Keep the refund decision on the record
When a patient cancels or misses the appointment, check the policy version, how it was communicated and whether any statutory right applies. Then review the actual booking and the loss before deciding how much to refund or charge.
Write a plain explanation that identifies the relevant term and calculation. Keep messages, any replacement booking and the refund record together. Offer a transfer if that is appropriate and the patient wants it, but do not force credit where a refund is due.
If the clinic decides not to provide treatment following an assessment, refer the decision to the responsible practitioner and review the financial position separately. Booking terms should not create pressure on a patient to proceed.
The January playbook shows how deposits fit diary planning. It does not change these legal checks.
FAQ
Can I charge a no-show fee?
A UK consumer booking needs a fair, clear term and a reasonable basis for the amount. Check any deposit already retained, direct losses, mitigation and applicable cancellation rights before charging.
Is a non-refundable deposit always non-refundable?
No. The label does not make an unfair term binding or remove statutory rights. Review the wording, booking circumstances and amount that can fairly be retained.
Is 50% a lawful clinic deposit?
There is no universal percentage that this guide can approve. Consider what the payment is for, the overall terms and the loss calculation with a legal reviewer.
Do all online aesthetic bookings have a 14-day cooling-off period?
No blanket answer is safe. Qualifying distance service contracts normally have that period, but the Regulations contain exclusions and exceptions, including for certain medicinal-product supplies. Check each relevant booking type.