Free tool for artists

Deposit policy generator

Pick the deposit, the notice you need and whether a client can move once for free. You get a line for your bio and a longer version for the wall and the booking confirmation.

Deposit as

Notice to cancel for a full refund

Moving the date

For your Instagram bio

£50 deposit to book, it comes off the price. Move your date once with 48 hours' notice. Cancel late or no-show and the deposit is kept.

135 of 150 characters

For the wall and the booking confirmation

Deposit. A £50 deposit holds your date and pays for the drawing time before it. It comes off the final price on the day. Cancelling. Cancel more than 48 hours before your session and the deposit comes back in full. Cancel inside 48 hours, or do not turn up, and the deposit is kept: that is the drawing done and a session that could not be filled. Moving your date. You can move your date once, free, with at least 48 hours' notice. The deposit moves with you. A second move, or one with less notice, counts as a cancellation. If I cancel. If I have to cancel or move your session, you get the whole deposit back, however late.

Plain words, not legal advice. The policy only holds if the client saw it before they paid, so put it where they book.

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Common questions

How much should a tattoo deposit be?

The law sets no figure. CMA guidance says a deposit kept in full should not normally be more than a small percentage of the price, and the bigger it is compared with the price, the harder it is to justify keeping all of it. Studios publish deposits of about £50 to £100, or 20 to 50% of the estimate. A deposit sized to the drawing time and the first session is the easiest to defend.

Can I keep the deposit if the client cancels?

When the client is at fault and the policy was clear before they paid, keeping what the cancellation actually cost you is more likely to be fair: the drawing done and a session you could not fill. If you refill the slot, Which? says administrative costs are likely to be all you can hold back. If you cancel, the client gets the whole deposit back.

Does the deposit come off the final price?

Yes. A deposit is part payment, so the balance on the day is the price minus the deposit. Say so in the policy, send the policy before the client pays, and keep a copy of what each client agreed to, because it is that version that applies.

The law behind this is in our guide to tattoo deposits and our guide to no-shows and cancellations. See what no-shows cost you with the no-show calculator.

Where this comes from

The pages the guide reads, checked on 30 October 2026.

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