Studio Deposit & Cancellation Policies: Complete FAQ
How to set deposits, cancellation windows, minimum booking length, and lead times for your recording studio in PunchIn — and why each rule protects your revenue.
Short answer: In Dashboard > Policies you set four rules that protect your time and revenue: a deposit percentage to confirm bookings, a minimum booking length, a cancellation window, and a minimum lead time. Clients see these terms at checkout and agree to them before paying.
Protecting your time and revenue is critical to running a profitable studio. Policies are how you do it without policing every booking by hand — you set the rules once and PunchIn enforces them on every reservation.
How do I require a deposit to book?
Go to Dashboard > Policies and set a global Deposit Percentage (for example, 50%). When a client books time, they must pay exactly that share of the total session cost upfront by credit card to confirm the slot. The deposit routes directly to your own Stripe account — PunchIn never takes a cut.
What percentage should you charge? Many studios use 50%: enough that a client won't casually no-show, but low enough that it's an easy yes. Set it to match your clientele and risk tolerance.
Can I set a minimum booking length?
Yes. In the Policies tab you can define the minimum number of hours a client must book (for example, 2 hours). This prevents clients from grabbing 30-minute slots that chop up your engineers' day into unsellable gaps and kill your room utilization.
How does the cancellation window work?
You define a cancellation window — say, 48 hours:
- If a client cancels before the 48-hour mark, they're eligible for a refund (issued from your Stripe dashboard).
- If they cancel within 48 hours of the session, the deposit is forfeit.
This policy is shown to clients clearly during checkout, so they agree to it before paying — no surprises, and far fewer disputes.
What is minimum lead time?
Minimum lead time prevents last-minute bookings. If you set lead time to 12 hours, a client viewing your page at 8:00 AM can't book anything before 8:00 PM that same day. This guarantees you and your engineers enough warning to prep the room, set up mics, and be ready — instead of scrambling for a session booked 15 minutes out.
How the four policies work together
| Policy | What it controls | What it protects |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit percentage | Upfront payment to confirm | Against no-shows and empty slots |
| Minimum booking length | Shortest bookable session | Against fragmented, unprofitable days |
| Cancellation window | When a deposit becomes non-refundable | Against last-minute cancellations |
| Minimum lead time | How far ahead clients must book | Your prep and setup time |
Set once, they run on autopilot for every booking — and because clients accept them at checkout, they're self-enforcing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I require a deposit to book a recording session?
Go to Dashboard > Policies and set a global Deposit Percentage. Clients pay that share of the session cost upfront by card to confirm.
Can I set a minimum booking length?
Yes — define the minimum number of hours in the Policies tab to prevent short, schedule-fragmenting slots.
How does the cancellation window work?
You set a window (e.g., 48 hours). Cancel before it and the client is eligible for a refund via Stripe; cancel within it and the deposit is forfeit. Terms are shown at checkout.
What is minimum lead time?
It blocks last-minute bookings. A 12-hour lead time means a client at 8:00 AM can't book before 8:00 PM that day.
What deposit percentage should a studio charge?
Many studios use 50% — enough to deter no-shows, low enough to stay an easy yes. Set any value in Dashboard > Policies.
Policies pair with engineer shifts and calendar sync to keep your studio full and conflict-free. Start a free 14-day trial.