Your cancellation policy
To cancel or move a lesson at no cost, please let me know at least 24 hours before it starts.
Lessons canceled less than 24 hours before they start are charged at 100% of the lesson price.
If you miss a lesson without letting me know, it is charged at 100%. If you join late, the lesson still ends at the usual time.
If I have to cancel, we'll find a new time for the lesson at no extra cost.
Flexible, standard or strict: which policy fits you?
Pick the tier that matches how easily you can fill a gap. The fuller your schedule, the more notice you can ask for.
- Flexible: free changes up to 12 hours before, late cancellations charged at 50%, no-shows in full. Good while you're still building your student list.
- Standard: free changes up to 24 hours before, late cancellations and no-shows charged in full. A clear default for most private tutors.
- Strict: free changes up to 48 hours before, everything later charged in full. For full schedules where a gap is hard to fill.
What cancellation rules do Preply, Tutorful, MyTutor and Wyzant use?
All four let students cancel for free with enough notice and charge for late cancellations. The notice goes from 12 hours on Preply to a maximum of 36 hours on Wyzant.
| Platform | Free to cancel | With less notice |
|---|---|---|
| Preply | 12 h or more before | Lesson charged, the tutor is paid |
| Tutorful | 24 h or more before | Tutor charges 0%, 50% or 100% (50% if they don't choose within 24 h) |
| MyTutor | More than 24 h before | Lesson charged, refund only if the tutor agrees |
| Wyzant | Set by the tutor, 36 h at most | Optional fee, never more than the lesson |
If your students come from a marketplace, they already know these rules. Asking your own students for 24 hours' notice won't surprise them.
What goes into a cancellation policy?
Five points cover almost every case: notice, late cancellations, no-shows, what happens when you cancel, and packs if you sell them.
- Notice: how many hours before the lesson a student can cancel or move it at no cost.
- Late cancellations: how much you charge when the notice is shorter, as a percentage of the lesson.
- No-shows: what happens when a student doesn't turn up and doesn't tell you.
- Your cancellations: whether you offer a new time or don't charge the lesson.
- Packs: when they expire and whether unused lessons carry over.
What counts as a no-show?
A no-show is when a student doesn't turn up or join the call and doesn't let you know. Set a wait time and write it in your policy.
10 minutes, 15 minutes or half the lesson are the usual wait times. After that, the lesson counts as given and is charged like a no-show. If your student turns up late, the lesson still ends on time.
Cancellation policy for music teachers
Music lessons follow the same rules, plus one: recitals, concerts and exams move lessons around, so families should tell you in advance.
Pick Music lessons in the generator and your policy adds a line about recitals and exams. If you teach children, send the policy to the parent who pays, not only to the student.
Keep your policy and your payments together
With SmartCookie, students book with your link and pay by card or Bizum, and lesson packs count down on their own. Try it for 14 days, no card needed.