GuidesFree template
Coaching cancellation policy template
A cancellation policy for life and business coaches, written in plain words: the notice a client gives, what a late cancellation or a no-show costs, and what happens to the deposit. Fill in the blanks, then have each client sign it before they pay.
Free until your first client pays you, then $19/month · no card to startUpdated
Cancellation policy
1. Your booking and deposit
When you book, you pay a deposit of [amount]. It holds your place in my calendar and counts toward the price of your [package or first session].
2. Moving or cancelling a session
You can move or cancel a session at no cost with at least [24] hours’ notice. Message me at [email or phone] and I’ll offer you another time.
3. Late cancellations
If you move or cancel with less than [24] hours’ notice, [the session counts as used / I charge half the session fee]. Once per [package], I’ll waive this for an emergency.
On this page
The policy
Copy it into a doc, or download the PDF. Everything in [brackets] is yours to choose. Pick a notice period you could actually fill a slot in: 24 hours if your calendar fills at short notice, 48 hours or more if it doesn’t.
Cancellation policy
[Your business name] · effective [date]
1. Your booking and deposit
When you book, you pay a deposit of [amount]. It holds your place in my calendar and counts toward the price of your [package or first session].
2. Moving or cancelling a session
You can move or cancel a session at no cost with at least [24] hours’ notice. Message me at [email or phone] and I’ll offer you another time.
3. Late cancellations
If you move or cancel with less than [24] hours’ notice, [the session counts as used / I charge half the session fee]. Once per [package], I’ll waive this for an emergency.
4. Missed sessions and lateness
If you miss a session without telling me, it counts as used. If you join more than [15] minutes late, we’ll use the time that’s left, and the session ends at its usual time.
5. Cancelling your package
You can cancel your [package] at any time by writing to me at [email]. If you cancel before your first session, I’ll refund what you paid except the deposit, which covers the time I set aside for you. After your first session, I’ll refund the sessions you haven’t used [minus the deposit].
[If you coach individuals in the UK or the EU:] You can also cancel within 14 days of booking for a full refund. If you ask me to hold a session within those 14 days and then cancel, I’ll refund what you paid minus the sessions we’ve already had.
6. If I need to cancel
If I have to move or cancel a session, I’ll tell you as early as I can and offer you another time. If none suits you, I’ll refund that session in full.
7. Refunds
I send refunds to the card you paid with within [5] business days of agreeing them. Your bank decides how soon it shows on your statement.
8. Questions and problems
If something isn’t right, write to me first at [email]. I’ll reply within [2] business days, and we’ll sort it out together.
9. Your agreement
By signing, you confirm that you’ve read this policy and agree to it.
Client name: ______________________________
Signature: ______________________________
Date: ______________________________
What each clause is for
Choosing your notice period and fees
The blanks are business decisions, so make them on purpose. Four that matter most:
- Notice period. Base it on how quickly you can refill a slot, not on what feels strict. A slot you can’t refill in a day makes 24 hours too short.
- Late cancellation cost. Counting the session as used is the simplest rule for a package. For single paid sessions, a partial fee, such as half the session, is gentler and easier to explain.
- No-shows. Treat a missed session as used, and say so. A grace period for lateness (10 or 15 minutes) heads off the borderline cases.
- The deposit. Decide whether it comes back if a client cancels before the first session. If you keep it, it should match a real cost, such as the slot you held or the prep you did. The coaching deposits guide covers amounts and wording.
Then apply it the same way to everyone. A policy you waive for some clients and enforce on others is hard to point to when one of them disputes a charge.
Make it count: shown before payment, signed by the client
A policy only helps if the client saw it and agreed to it before they paid. When a client disputes a payment as cancelled, the question under Visa’s rules (opens in a new tab) is whether your policy was disclosed, and accepted, before the payment. A page on your website they never opened doesn’t answer that. A copy they signed, with the time and the exact wording, does.
Step 1: Show it before checkout
The policy appears on the page where the client pays, before the payment button, in full rather than behind a link.
Step 2: Get a signature
The client types their full name to agree. In the US, the UK and the EU, a name typed with the intent to sign counts as an electronic signature.
Step 3: Keep the record
Keep the exact wording they signed, when they signed it and where from, with the payment it belongs to.
IntakePay does all three on every client link: paste your policy once, and each client reads it, types their name and pays the deposit on the same page. The signed copy stays with the payment, and if a client disputes it, IntakePay adds the signed terms to your response in Stripe as a draft. The chargebacks guide explains what else to keep.
Questions
Can I keep the deposit if a client cancels?
Usually, if your policy says so and the client agreed to it before paying. Keep the amount in proportion to what a cancellation costs you, such as a held slot or prep work: in the US and the UK, the law lets a business keep a reasonable deposit but not a sum that works as a penalty. In the UK and the EU, individuals who buy online can also cancel within 14 days for a refund.
Unfair contract terms guidance, CMA37 (Competition and Markets Authority, UK)(opens in a new tab)
Should a late cancellation cost the full session?
For a package, counting the session as used is the simplest rule and the easiest to explain. For a single session, a partial fee, such as half, is gentler. Whatever you choose, name the amount in the policy rather than leaving it to your discretion.
Do I need this if I already have a coaching agreement?
Not as a separate document: a good coaching agreement includes the same terms as one of its clauses. Many coaches still keep the cancellation policy on its own, because it’s the part clients actually read, and the part a bank asks about in a dispute.
Sources
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules, October 2026 (Visa)(opens in a new tab)
- Preventing disputes and fraud (Stripe docs)(opens in a new tab)
- Unfair contract terms guidance, CMA37 (Competition and Markets Authority, UK)(opens in a new tab)
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 29: the right to cancel (legislation.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
- The ESIGN Act’s definitions, 15 U.S.C. § 7006 (Cornell Law School)(opens in a new tab)
Keep reading
- Coaching agreement templateFree template · Thirteen plain clauses, from the program and fees to confidentiality, ready to copy or download
- How to take a deposit for coachingGuide · How much to ask for, when to take it, and how to word a deposit you keep if a client cancels
- How to prevent chargebacks as a coachGuide · Why clients dispute coaching payments, how to prevent it, and how to answer a dispute in Stripe
Have every client sign it before they pay
Paste your policy into IntakePay once. Every client link shows it, asks for a typed signature and keeps the signed copy with the payment.
Free until your first client pays you, then $19/month · no card to start