Short answer

A nail salon appointment deposit policy should name the services that require a deposit, say the deposit applies to the ticket, and state the cancel window before the time is confirmed. You choose the amount. This is a sample you edit, not a fee we set, and not legal advice. AIVA can read the finished policy on the phone. That is $200 one-time. Get AIVA — $200. The public book, including Google Reserve, is Calendar at $20/month. Get Calendar — $20/mo. Calendar does not answer calls.

Copy-ready appointment deposit policy

Replace every bracket. Delete the lines you do not mean. Post the finished version where a guest can see it, and train AIVA on that same text.

Sample — edit every bracket. Not legal advice.

Appointment deposit policy for [Salon name].

We take a deposit to hold these appointments: [full set, acrylic, long fill, or the services you list]. A regular polish visit [does / does not] require a deposit.

The deposit is [your amount]. It is applied to your service total when you arrive. It is not an extra charge on top of the ticket.

Please cancel or reschedule at least [your window] before the start time if you want the deposit [released / refunded — pick the rule you will actually follow]. Inside that window, we may keep the deposit.

We say this before the appointment is final: on the phone, on our booking page, and on Book Online in Google.

Questions: [shop phone].

How to fill the brackets

Start with the services that hurt when the chair stays empty. On a nail salon floor that is usually a full set, acrylic, or a long fill. A fifteen-minute polish is a different decision. If you only want the deposit on first-time guests, write that. If every full set requires it, write that. AIVA will not invent a split you did not store.

Leave the dollar amount as your number. We do not publish a required deposit on this page. The online booking page recommends $10–$20 on first-time bookings as a starting point some shops use. You can ignore it. Whatever you pick, the booking page and the phone have to match. Stripe’s standard processing charge, from that same booking page, is 2.9% + 30¢ per deposit transaction. That is Stripe’s fee, not a Bukkii monthly plan.

The window is the part guests argue about. Pick a number of hours you will enforce on a Saturday, not a number that sounds strict and then gets waived every time. The sibling page for late cancels and no-shows is cancellation policy for a nail salon.

Say it on every channel

A deposit mentioned after a no-show feels like a penalty. A deposit mentioned while the slot is still open is a booking rule. Use the same sentence in three places: the booking page, Book Online on Google, and the phone. The Google button is Google Reserve and, for the nail listing, Google Reserve for nail salons. The book under that button is the online booking calendar.

When the guest calls instead of tapping, the ask belongs in the same conversation as the time. That is nail salon deposit booking and the AI receptionist that takes deposits. Setup detail — Stripe, texts, and which tech can take the service — is deposits, SMS, and tech routing.

Who collects it

On the phone, AIVA states your rule and texts the payment link so you do not pass a card over a client’s hands. She is $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. Included usage on the AI Receptionist card is 100 voice minutes and 1,500 SMS. Hear her at (215) 791-6766.

Calendar holds the public slot and Google Reserve. It is $20/month. Unlimited staff. Unlimited customers. It does not answer the phone and it does not run the AI deposit conversation. Pricing lists no-show / AI deposit on the AI Receptionist side for that reason.

The deposit is not a new register. SimplePOS, Square, Vagaro, or the drawer you already use can still close the ticket. We do not claim a sync into those systems. See keep your nail salon POS. If the next chair is color or a long cut rather than a full set, the adjacent page is deposit for a hair appointment — the offers at the bottom of that page are still Bukkii for the salon.

Related guides

Two offers: AIVA on the phone, Calendar on Google

The policy is yours. AIVA is the voice that says it when you cannot pick up. Calendar is the book that should show the same sentence, including Google Reserve.

AIVA — the phone layer — $200 one-time

AIVA is the AI receptionist for inbound calls. She answers the shop number, books the service, and texts the appointment. $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. Get AIVA — $200. Hear her at (215) 791-6766.

Calendar — the booking layer — $20/month

Calendar is the booking website plus Google Reserve — the Book Online button on Google Maps. $20/month. Unlimited staff. Unlimited customers. It does not answer the phone. Choose it when the public book and Google are what you need, and you are keeping the POS you already have. Get Calendar — $20/mo. Both cards are on pricing.

FAQ

What should a nail salon appointment deposit policy say?

Name the services that require a deposit, state the amount you chose, say the deposit applies to the ticket, and say how far ahead a guest must cancel for you to release it. Say the rule before the time is final. This page is a sample you edit, not legal advice.

How much should the deposit be?

This template leaves the amount blank on purpose. There is no universal dollar on this page. The online booking page recommends $10–$20 on first-time bookings as a starting point you can ignore. The figure in your policy is yours, and it should match what the phone and the booking page both say.

Who says the deposit policy on the phone?

AIVA, the AI receptionist, can state the policy you trained and text a payment link. AIVA is $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. Calendar is $20/month for the booking website and Google Reserve. Calendar does not answer the phone, so it does not recite the policy on a call.

Does the deposit replace my POS?

No. The deposit holds the chair. The register you already use can still close the ticket and apply the deposit to the service. We do not claim a native sync into Square or another POS.

Should gel polish and a full set use the same rule?

Usually no. A short polish visit and a two-hour set are not the same empty hour. Many shops require the deposit on full sets, acrylic, and long fills, and leave a quick polish alone. Write the split in the policy so AIVA does not invent one.

Is this template legal advice?

No. It is a plain-language sample for a nail salon to edit. It is not a state-board form and it is not a lawyer’s document. Have someone who knows your city look at the cancel window before you post it as your rule.