Photo Booth Cancellation and Refund Policy Template
Updated November 2026 · 4 min read
A fair photo booth cancellation and refund policy keeps a non-refundable retainer and scales what the client owes by how close to the event they cancel. A clear example schedule: cancel 60 or more days out and you keep only the 30% retainer; 30 to 59 days out, the client owes 50% of the total; under 30 days, the full total.
The policy also needs a rescheduling rule, what happens if you cancel, and what happens when weather or a venue closure stops the event. Post a plain-language version publicly and make sure its numbers match your contract exactly.
What should the cancellation schedule look like?
| When the client cancels | Client owes | Money already paid |
|---|---|---|
| 60 or more days before | Retainer only | Keep the retainer, refund anything above it |
| 30 to 59 days before | 50% of the total | Keep enough to reach 50%, refund the rest |
| Under 30 days before | 100% of the total | No refund; any unpaid balance becomes due |
Worked example on a $1,110 booking with a $333 retainer:
- Cancels at 75 days: you keep $333.
- Cancels at 45 days: the client owes $555, so $222 more is due if only the retainer was paid.
- Cancels at 20 days: the client owes the full $1,110.
Cancellation should be by written notice, email included, effective the day you receive it. Add a sentence that these charges are a reasonable estimate of income lost by holding the date, not a penalty, and have the client initial the table.
How should rescheduling work?
Rescheduling is where goodwill is won or lost. A workable rule set:
- One free reschedule if the client asks in writing at least 30 days before the original date, the new date falls within 12 months, and you are available. All payments move with them.
- Each extra reschedule carries a $100 administrative fee under the same conditions.
- Higher-priced day: moving from a weekday to a peak Saturday means paying the difference. Prices do not drop for a cheaper day.
- You are booked on the new date: it counts as a cancellation as of the request date unless they pick another open date.
- Requests under 30 days out count as a cancellation, but you may offer up to the full amount paid as credit toward one event within 12 months.
That last option costs you little and can turn a frustrated client into a future booking.
What if you cancel, or the weather does?
If you cancel for any reason other than force majeure, try to arrange a comparable booth company the client approves. If they decline, refund everything, retainer included, within 10 business days, and make that the client's only remedy.
If force majeure stops the event (severe weather, disaster, government order, venue closure, a power outage at the venue), move the booking to a new date within 12 months with payments transferred. If no date works, refund everything except the retainer and itemized non-recoverable costs, such as a custom printed backdrop already produced. An attendant's illness is not force majeure when you can reasonably send a substitute.
How should travel fees and refunds be handled?
Never charge travel you have not incurred, and refund any travel fee already paid when the client cancels 7 or more days out. Send refunds to the original payment method within 10 business days, and say so in the policy so clients are not left guessing.
Keep the public version short enough to read on a phone. It belongs on your website, in proposals and at the bottom of invoices, with one line saying the signed agreement controls if anything differs. The client-facing wording for the retainer itself is covered in the deposit and retainer policy guide.
What mistakes make cancellation policies fail?
- Keeping everything at any distance. Keeping 100% when a client cancels a year out reads as a penalty and may not survive a challenge. Tie the tiers to how hard the date is to rebook, and confirm your schedule with a local attorney.
- Calling the retainer refundable anywhere. Proposals, invoices and receipts must all say non-refundable.
- Mismatched numbers between the website and the contract.
- No reschedule path, which turns every postponement into a cancellation fight.
Sample excerpt (public version): "You can move your event once at no charge if you ask at least 30 days ahead, we're available on the new date, and it's within 12 months of your original date. Your payments move with you."
Questions operators ask
Can I keep the full payment if a client cancels months ahead?
You can write that, but it invites disputes and may be treated as a penalty rather than a fair estimate of your loss. A tiered schedule that keeps only the retainer far out is easier to defend and easier for clients to accept.
Is a smaller guest count a cancellation?
No. Fewer guests does not change the booking unless the client asks to change the package. Handle it as a written change, with any price adjustment at your discretion.
Should I refund a client who gets sick?
Under force majeure wording like the example here, client illness is not covered. The reschedule rule and the late-request credit are the humane tools, and they still protect the date you held.
Where should the cancellation policy live?
In three places: the signed rental agreement, a public policy page on your website, and a summary or link on every proposal and invoice. All three must use the same numbers.