PMU Deposit and Cancellation Policy: What to Charge and Why
Take a deposit when a client books her procedure, a flat amount or a share of the price that covers part of the time you'd lose if she didn't come, and credit it toward her price. Then put your policy in writing and have her agree to it when she books: how much notice she needs to give to move or cancel, what happens to her deposit if she gives less notice or doesn't come, and what you do in a real emergency.
By Evan Marrone, cofounder, builds the system · Updated
Why studios take deposits
A PMU procedure takes a long block of your day, and it's hard to fill on short notice. When a client cancels the night before or doesn't come, that time is often just gone.
A deposit does two jobs. It asks her to commit before you set the time aside for her, and if she cancels late or doesn't come, it pays you for some of the time you held.
It also keeps things simple when plans change. When the rules are written down and she agreed to them, you're not deciding what's fair while she's upset.
Procedures and consultations are different
The procedure is the easy case. By then she's met you, seen your healed work and picked a date, so a deposit to hold that date feels normal.
Some studios take a small deposit for the consultation too, to protect that time the same way. The catch is that she hasn't met you yet, and asking her to pay first can stop some people from booking at all.
So weigh it before you add one. If missed consults are eating your days, try confirmations, reminders and easy rescheduling first. You can also keep the consult free and take the deposit when she books her procedure. If you do take one for the consult, keep it small and credit it toward her procedure.
Common ways to set it up
Pick one and use it for everyone who books the same service, so nobody feels singled out:
- A flat amount: the same deposit for every procedure. It's easy to say, easy to remember and easy to put on your price list.
- A share of the price: a bigger deposit for a bigger service, so it stays in proportion when your services are priced differently.
- Credited toward the procedure, with either one: the deposit comes off her price on the day, so it's part of what she pays, not an extra fee. Say that plainly, because "deposit" can sound like a charge on top.
How much to charge
Base it on the time you'd lose. Ask yourself what a no-show would cost you if you couldn't fill the time, and set the deposit to cover a fair part of that.
Keep it high enough that losing it would matter to her, and low enough that it doesn't put off someone who's ready to book.
Here's an example with made-up numbers, not any studio's prices. On a $700 procedure, a flat deposit might be $100, and a fifth of the price would be $140. Either way it comes off her price, so with the $100 deposit she pays $600 on the day.
Refundable or not, and moving her appointment
Refundable means she gets the deposit back if she cancels in time. Non-refundable means she can't get it back, though your policy can still let it move to a new date.
One middle ground: non-refundable, but it moves to a new date if she gives you enough notice. She doesn't lose it for planning ahead, and you're covered when she doesn't.
Plan for moves, not only cancellations. In the studios we work with, consults booked 5 or more days out were cancelled or moved more often than ones booked sooner, 61% against 46% (1,867 consults across 32 studios, appointments Jun 1 to Oct 13, 2026). Those are consults, and the count includes moves along with cancellations. It's a pattern, not proof that a deposit or a sooner booking would change it, but it shows how often plans change.
Decide each of these before your next booking, so nobody has to guess later:
- How much notice she needs to give to move or cancel, like two days, and whether her deposit moves with her when she gives it.
- How many times she can move it and keep her deposit. After that, ask for a new deposit.
- How late she can be before you have to reschedule, since a late start can cut into the time the procedure needs.
- What happens if she cancels with less notice or doesn't come. Say plainly whether she loses the deposit.
- What happens if you're the one who cancels. Her deposit moves to her new date, or comes back in full if she'd rather.
Put it in writing and say it at booking
A policy only works if she knew it before she paid. Go over it at the consult when she books her procedure: what the deposit is, that it comes off her price, how much notice she needs to give to move and what happens if she doesn't come.
Keep it to a few plain sentences. A page of small print reads like you expect her not to show. A short, clear policy reads like a studio that runs on time.
Then put the same policy where she'll see it:
- On your website or booking page, next to your prices.
- In the confirmation she gets when she books, short enough to read on her phone.
- On the form she signs, or the box she checks when she pays the deposit, so you have her okay in writing.
Check the rules where you work
Rules on deposits, refunds and cancellation fees vary by state, so check the rules where you work before you write your policy. If you're not sure, ask a local attorney or your state's consumer protection office. This guide isn't legal advice.
If you take deposits by card, your payment provider has its own rules on refunds and disputes too. A policy she agreed to in writing is what you'll point to if she ever disputes the charge.
Be fair with real emergencies
Life happens: a sick child, a family emergency, a fever the morning of her appointment. Decide ahead of time what you'll do, so you can answer her kindly and quickly.
One fair way: for a real emergency, move her deposit to a new date once, no proof needed. Asking for a doctor's note sours things, and if she's sick, you'd rather she stayed home anyway.
Being kind once doesn't undo your policy. If the same client cancels late again, you can hold to it, or ask for a new deposit before she books again.
Write down each exception you make, so every client gets the same deal.
Where Permanent Profits fits
Your deposit and cancellation policy is yours to set, like your prices. What we work on is the part before the procedure: bringing in leads, answering them fast and getting consults to show up.
We run your Facebook and Instagram ads for brows (microblading, powder and combo brows) or lip blush, and our AI texting assistant texts your new leads as your studio, day or night. It answers her questions, follows up when she goes quiet, sends reminders and books consultations onto your own calendar. You can read every conversation and step in any time.
It's $0 to start. For your first 45 days of ads, our only fee is $50 per consultation that shows up. Your ad spend goes straight to Meta on your own card, with a $500 minimum across the 45 days, and we suggest about $30 a day. Texts and calls pass through at carrier cost. At day 45, you decide. If you keep going, there's a one-time activation fee based on your results, then a small monthly amount plus a small fee for each consult that shows.
Questions artists ask
How much should a PMU deposit be?
Enough to cover a fair part of the time you'd lose if she didn't come, and not so much that it puts off someone who's ready to book. A flat amount or a share of the price both work. Whichever you pick, credit it toward her procedure and say so.
What is a good cancellation policy for PMU clients?
A short one she hears before she pays: how much notice she needs to give to move or cancel, what happens to her deposit if she gives less notice or doesn't come, how many times she can move and what you do in a real emergency. Check your state's rules before you use it.
Should a PMU deposit be refundable?
That's your call, within your state's rules. One middle ground is non-refundable but movable: she can't get it back, but it moves to a new date if she gives enough notice. If you're the one who cancels, move it or refund it in full.
Should I take a deposit for a consultation?
It's a tradeoff. It gives her a reason to come or to tell you she can't, but it asks for money before she's met you, which can stop some people from booking at all. Try confirmations, reminders and easy rescheduling first, or keep the consult free and take the deposit when she books her procedure.
What do I do when a client cancels at the last minute?
Follow the policy she agreed to, kindly, the same way you would for anyone. If it's a real emergency, move her deposit to a new date once. If it isn't, she loses the deposit as your policy says, and you can still offer her a new date.
Does my deposit policy need to be in writing?
Yes. Go over it at the consult, then put it on your website or booking page, in her booking confirmation and on the form she signs or the box she checks when she pays. A policy she agreed to in writing is what you'll point to if there's ever a dispute. Deposit rules vary by state, so check yours.
See if you qualify
Permanent Profits is run by Isabelle Marrone, a permanent makeup artist, and Evan Marrone. We work with one artist per area.
If you do brows or lip blush in the US and you'd rather have the ads and the follow-up handled for you, see if you qualify at offer.permanentprofits.co.