Tuition Cancellation & Make-Up Policy (Free Template)
· 6 min read · By the TuitionCRM team
Last-minute cancellations are the quiet income killer for private tutors. A 4 PM cancellation at 3 PM is an hour you can't fill. A clear policy, agreed at the start, protects your income and makes awkward conversations unnecessary — you just point to what everyone agreed.
What a good policy covers
- Notice period for cancellations
- Sick days and emergencies
- Make-up lessons — when, how many, and how long they're valid
- School holidays and public holidays
- When you cancel — what the student gets
- Payment terms — when invoices go out and when they're due
Typical rules tutors use
| Situation | A common, fair rule |
|---|---|
| Cancel with 24 hours' notice or more | Free; offer a make-up lesson |
| Cancel with less than 24 hours' notice | Charged in full (or 50%), no make-up |
| Student is sick (with notice before the lesson) | Make-up lesson offered |
| No-show | Charged in full |
| Tutor cancels | Make-up lesson, or not charged |
| Public holiday | No lesson, not charged — or moved to another day |
| Make-ups | To be used within 4 weeks; 2 per term at most |
Pick rules you will actually enforce. A strict policy you never apply is worse than a gentle one you always do.
Copy-and-paste policy template
Adjust the numbers, then send it to new families before the first lesson:
- Lessons are held weekly at the agreed time. Fees are billed monthly on the 1st and are due within 7 days, by PayNow.
- Cancellations with at least 24 hours' notice can be made up within 4 weeks. Cancellations with less notice, and no-shows, are charged in full.
- Illness: if your child is unwell, please let me know before the lesson and we'll arrange a make-up.
- If I cancel, we'll arrange a make-up lesson, or the lesson won't be charged.
- Public holidays: no lesson and no charge, unless we agree to move it.
- Make-up lessons depend on available slots and are limited to 2 per term.
- Late payment: if fees are more than 14 days overdue, lessons will pause until they're settled.
Tracking make-ups without a spreadsheet
The policy only works if you know who's owed a make-up. Mark each lesson as attended, cancelled or a no-show, and keep make-up credits next to the student — not in your head.
Talking to parents about it
- Send it before the first lesson, not after the first problem.
- Frame it as fairness — "so every student gets their full time and slots stay fair for everyone".
- Be kind on the first slip. Waiving one late cancellation earns goodwill; enforcing the policy on the third is then easy.
Payment terms are part of the same conversation — see our guide to collecting fees with PayNow. And if you're reviewing your policy, it's a good moment to review your rates too.