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No-show cost calculator
Missed appointments quietly drain a field business. Plug in your numbers to see what no-shows cost you every week and year — and how much requiring a deposit would put back.
Lost to no-shows / week
$1,200
4.8 missed jobs/week
Lost per year
$62,400
Recovered with deposits / week
$600
Recovered per year
$31,200
Cartoply can require a deposit or full payment before a job is confirmed — the most reliable way to cut no-shows.
Collect deposits free →Worked example
A residential service company averaging a $250 ticket and 40 booked jobs a week, with 12 out of every 100 appointments missed. Requiring a deposit at booking is assumed to cut no-shows in half — the middle of the 40–60% range reported in industry studies.
Inputs
- Average job value
- $250
- Bookings per week
- 40
- Current no-show rate
- 12%
- No-show reduction from deposits
- 50%
Results
- Missed jobs per week
- 4.8
- Lost to no-shows per week
- $1,200
- Lost per year
- $62,400
- Recovered with deposits per week
- $600
- Recovered per year
- $31,200
Twelve percent sounds survivable until it is priced: $62,400 a year on a $250 ticket. Halving it with a deposit requirement is worth $31,200 — recovered from jobs you already sold, at no extra marketing cost.
Run your own numbers in the calculator above — these figures are the tool’s output for the inputs shown.
Why no-shows hurt more than they look
A no-show is not just one missed job — it is a slot a paying customer could have taken, a tech sent out for nothing, and fuel and drive time spent with no revenue to show for it. Across a year, even a modest no-show rate adds up to real money, which is why a deposit at booking is one of the highest-leverage changes a home service business can make.
Pair deposits with automated reminders and easy rescheduling to push the rate down further. See how Cartoply handles payments and reminders, or try the booking capacity calculator to size your schedule.
Frequently asked questions
How much do no-shows cost a home service business?
It depends on job value and volume, but the math is simple: bookings per week × no-show rate × average job value. A shop doing 40 jobs a week at $250 with a 12% no-show rate loses about $1,200 a week — roughly $62,000 a year. Use the calculator above to plug in your own numbers.
Do deposits actually reduce no-shows?
Yes. Requiring even a small deposit gives customers a financial reason to show up or to cancel in advance so the slot can be rebooked. Published studies commonly cite a 40–60% reduction in no-shows when a deposit is required.
How big should a deposit be?
A common sweet spot is $20–$50, or 10–20% of the job value — large enough to create commitment, small enough not to deter booking. For high-value installs, a percentage works better than a flat fee.
How do I start collecting deposits?
Cartoply lets you require a deposit or full payment via Stripe before a booking is confirmed. Turn it on per job type, and the customer pays at the moment they book — no chasing invoices afterward.
Stop losing money to no-shows
Require a deposit at booking, send automatic reminders, and let customers reschedule in a tap. 14-day free trial, no card.
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