Is the deposit based on the price before or after a coupon?

After. The deposit is calculated from the total after the coupon, with tax included.

Does Softalon take a commission on deposits?

No. Softalon charges 0% commission on bookings. Payment processing fees from your payment provider are separate.

Require a deposit

A deposit asks clients to pay part of the price online when they book. It helps cut no-shows for long or expensive services.

You can set a salon-wide deposit policy, and a different one for a single service.

Deposit types

Type	What the client pays	Example
None	No deposit
Fixed	A set amount. If it's more than the total, the total is used instead.	$20 on a $120 color service
Percentage	A share of the total, from 0 to 100. Rounded up to the nearest cent.	25% of $120 = $30

The deposit is calculated from the appointment's total, after any coupon and including tax. The total uses the price for the chosen team member and location, so a member price override changes the deposit too.

Which policy applies

If the service has a deposit policy other than None, it's used.
Otherwise the salon-wide policy from Settings › Payments is used.

Setting a service to None doesn't switch the deposit off for that service. It means the service follows the salon-wide policy.

Before you start

You need the Super Administrator or Owner role.
Set up at least one online payment method, such as Softalon Payments or Stripe. Deposits are always paid online. See Choose which payment methods clients see.

1
Step 1 of 2
Set the salon-wide deposit
Go to Settings › Payments. In the Deposit Policy card, choose a type. For Fixed or Percentage, enter the value. Click Save.
You will see:
The card keeps the type and value you chose after the page reloads.
2
Step 2 of 2
Set a deposit for one service (optional)
Go to Services, open the service, and open the Advanced tab. In Deposit Policy, choose Fixed or Percentage and enter the value. Click Save.

What clients see when a deposit applies

The client chooses between paying the deposit or the full amount online.
Offline methods, like paying at the salon, aren't offered for that booking.
Free services, and services without a price, never ask for a deposit.

If you have no online payment method, clients have no valid way to pay a booking that needs a deposit. For what happens after the client pays, see How clients pay when they book.

If something is off

Clients aren't asked for a deposit

Check that the service has a price above zero, that a policy other than None applies to it, and that the value is above zero.

I want one service without a deposit, but the salon has one

Setting the service to None keeps the salon-wide policy. Instead, set the salon-wide policy to None and add a deposit only on the services that need it.

Common questions

No. Deposits are paid online. Offline methods are hidden when a deposit applies.

Related guides

How clients pay when they bookWhat clients see at checkout: pay later, pay in full or pay a deposit, the Awaiting Payment status, and what happens if they don't pay.

Payment settings explainedWhat each card on Settings › Payments does: Softalon Payments, payment methods, deposits, invoice due date, currency and format.

Choose which payment methods clients seeTurn payment methods on or off, rename them, set their order and pick the default method clients see at checkout.