Know what to collect at booking.

The vocabulary

Booking fee, deposit, or retainer.

• A deposit is an advance part payment. In many states an advance payment is presumed to come back unless the writing says otherwise, so the contract language does the real work.
• A retainer pays for availability. It keeps the date or the slot yours and is usually treated as earned when received.
• A booking fee reserves the date. It is typically framed as not refundable, disclosed up front. The full comparison, with the refund and contract consequences, is in our deposit, retainer, and booking fee explainer.
• The other sense of the word. Some platforms call their per job cut a booking fee too; that one comes out of the vendor’s pocket and the fee calculator prices it over a year.

Worked example

A $2,000 booking, three ways.

• The 30% default. $600 at booking reserves the date and $1,400 falls due as the balance. This is the split BookNox quotes by default for most services.
• The wedding schedule. Four payments of $500: 25% at booking, then three equal milestones. That is the model our wedding planner contract guide walks through, and the preset above reproduces it.
• The 50% version. $1,000 at booking and $1,000 later, the common pattern for web design projects and event beauty work where the vendor front loads the effort.
• What collecting costs. Taking the $600 deposit by card costs about $17.70 at Stripe’s standard 2.9% plus 30 cents rate; the Stripe fee calculator runs any amount in either direction.

FAQ

Common questions.

What is a booking fee?

Two things share the name. What a client pays a vendor to reserve a date, which is this calculator's sense, and what some booking platforms charge the vendor per job. The first belongs in your contract and your prices; the second comes out of your pocket and has its own calculator.

Is a booking fee the same as a deposit?

In everyday use they overlap, and vendors mix the terms constantly. The useful distinction: in many states a deposit is presumed refundable unless the writing says otherwise, while a booking fee is usually framed as not refundable. Courts generally read the written terms over the label, so the contract language matters more than the word you pick.

How much should the booking payment be?

30% is the default BookNox quotes for most services and a common level across event work. Wedding planning often uses four equal payments of 25%. Web design and event beauty work commonly ask 50% up front. The right number covers your real costs if the date cancels.

When should the balance be due?

Commonly due on receipt or net 7, timed to land before the event date so no money changes hands on the day. Whatever the signed contract says governs; the invoice should repeat it.

Is a booking fee taxable when I receive it?

Generally yes for the cash basis accounting most solo vendors use: money you receive and expect to keep is income in the year it arrives, even though the work happens later. This is general information, not tax advice; your accountant can confirm the treatment for your books.

In BookNox the deposit is not a separate invoice at all: the client signs and pays it inside the quote page, and the balance schedule is already on the document. How payments work explains the direct charge model.