A common approach is a fixed booking deposit or a percentage of the job. The right amount depends on the price, how often people cancel, and what you have to buy before the visit. There is no universal dollar figure, and this is not legal advice for your state.
Why take anything up front
- A card on file is a weaker promise than a paid deposit. The paid one filters no-shows.
- The time slot is capacity. Holding it for free means turning down someone else.
- Materials, permits, or a helper you book before the day should not sit entirely on you.
- The customer who pays is clearer about the scope, because they saw the total first.
Four ways to charge
Fixed amount
A $50 deposit on a local mount or a standard clean is easy to explain. Use it when most jobs are in a similar range and the deposit is enough to matter if they vanish. Do not use $50 if a no-show costs you a specialty mount, a half day, and parts you already bought.
Percentage
Twenty or twenty-five percent tracks the size of the job. A small clean and a whole-home install should not hold the same slot fee if the second one blocks the entire afternoon. Percentages feel fair when job totals vary a lot. They also look scary if you spring them at the end. Show the deposit next to the total before they pay.
Full payment
Fine for small, well-defined work: a single mount at a published price, a basic exterior wash. It is a bad surprise on a large install the customer still thinks of as “we’ll pay the tech.”
No deposit
Reasonable for a diagnostic you expect to convert on site, a relationship account, or a job you would not start without looking. It is expensive if your calendar fills with people who treat the appointment as optional.
A worked example
TV mounting. The configured job is $395 after size, wall, and cable concealment. You take $50 today and leave $345 for the day of the job. The customer should see all three numbers, not just “pay $50.”
If the job is $1,800 and you are ordering a mount and a bracket before you arrive, $50 does not cover that risk. A percentage, or a deposit that includes the materials, is the honest version. Say what happens to the deposit if they cancel. Do it in the checkout, not in a text the day before.
What to put in writing
- The full price, the amount due now, and the remaining balance.
- What the remaining balance is for, and when it is due.
- How far ahead they can cancel and what you keep.
- What you will not do for the quoted price.
Refund rules vary. Spell out your policy and have someone who knows your local rules look at it. A blog cannot do that for you.
Where it sits in the booking
The deposit works when it is the last step of a quote, not a separate invoice three days later. Configure the job, show the price, offer a time, collect the deposit, and the booking exists. MagicBooker can take a fixed deposit, a percentage, or the full amount on your Stripe account. The comparison of booking tools is in home service booking software. The quote setup is in how to add instant quotes.
If you want that sequence on the site you already have, create the checkout. Start with one service and a deposit amount you would actually keep if the customer cancelled the night before.