How to take deposits on service calls, and when not to

Every owner who has sent a truck to a locked house thinks about deposits. Then they think about the customer who hung up because the booking page asked for a card, and they leave it alone. Both instincts are right. The question is which loss is bigger for a given kind of job, and that is arithmetic, not a policy you copy from someone else.

What a deposit actually protects

A deposit is a partial payment taken when the job is booked and applied to the final invoice. It protects against two things:

1. The no-show or late cancel. The truck rolls, or the slot sits empty because it was held for someone who never meant to keep it.
2. The special-order risk. You buy a part, a unit or materials for a specific job, and the customer walks.

It does not protect against a customer who shows up and refuses the quote. That is what a diagnostic fee or trip charge is for. Keep the two separate in your head and in your policy.

The no-show arithmetic

Start with what an empty slot costs you. It is not the ticket. It is the margin you would have made, plus the cost of a wasted truck roll if the tech drove there, plus anything you bought for the job.

Expected loss per booking = No-show rate × Cost of an empty slot

Now the other side. Asking for a card at booking makes some customers leave. Call that the drop-off rate.

Expected cost of asking = Drop-off rate × Margin per booking

A deposit is worth it for a job type when the first number is bigger than the second.

Here n is the no-show rate for that job type, L is the cost of an empty slot, d is the share of customers who drop off when asked for a card, and M is your margin per booking. All the values above are made up to show the method. Measure your own: no-show rate from the last six months of bookings, drop-off rate by trying a deposit on one job type for a month and comparing completed bookings.

The pattern that usually falls out is simple. Short, common, cheap-to-reschedule calls rarely justify a deposit. Long slots, special orders, far-away jobs and peak-season days often do, because an empty slot there cannot be refilled the same morning.

Which jobs tend to justify a deposit

• Long blocks. A half-day or full-day job leaves a hole you cannot fill with a walk-in call.
• Special-order equipment or materials. Any job where you spend money before the visit.
• Far-away addresses. The drive is sunk cost if nobody answers the door.
• Peak dates. In July for HVAC or December for snow work, an empty slot is a slot someone else would have paid for.
• First-time customers booking online. You have no history with them yet.

Which jobs usually should not

• Maintenance agreement members. They already pay you. Asking for a deposit tells them you do not trust them.
• True emergencies. Speed matters more than protection, and a customer with water on the floor is going to be home.
• Commercial accounts on terms. They pay on invoice under an agreement. A card at booking does not fit how they buy.
• Small diagnostic calls. A trip charge or diagnostic fee does the same job with less friction.

How much to take

Size the deposit to the loss you are insuring, not to a round number. For an install with special-order parts, the parts cost is a natural floor. For a long labor slot, the margin on the slot is a reasonable ceiling.

Check your state rules first. Some states limit up-front payments on home improvement work. As of October 2026, California's Contractors State License Board says a down payment on a home improvement job cannot be more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Rules differ by state and job type, so check with your state licensing board or an attorney before you set amounts.

Writing the policy

A deposit policy is four sentences. Put them on the booking page and in the confirmation text.

1. What it is for. "A deposit holds your appointment and is applied to your invoice."
2. How much. A fixed amount or a percent, by job type.
3. When it is refundable. For example, refundable if you cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours ahead.
4. When it is kept. For example, kept if nobody is home at the arrival window, or for cancellations inside 24 hours.

Then follow it. A policy you waive every time someone complains teaches customers that it is optional.

Two things reduce the need for deposits at all. Reminder texts the day before catch the customer who forgot. A narrow arrival window means fewer customers give up and leave the house. The field service pricing guide covers how deposits, trip charges and diagnostic fees fit together in a price list.

Taking the deposit at booking

The cleanest moment to take a deposit is the moment the customer picks a time, because that is when they commit. CrewLink takes deposits at booking by card, through Stripe, for the services you set to take one. The remaining balance goes on an invoice with a card pay link after the job. Card payments are at most 2.9% plus 30 cents, as listed on the pricing page. The deposit only works if the time it holds is one a tech can actually reach, which is the other half of keeping a booking.

Common questions

Is it normal to charge a deposit for a service call?

For short repair calls, many companies use a trip charge or diagnostic fee instead. Deposits are more common on long installs, special-order jobs and peak-season bookings, where an empty slot or unused parts cost real money.

Should a service call deposit be refundable?

Usually yes, with notice. A common structure refunds the deposit for cancellations with at least 24 hours' notice and keeps it for no-shows and late cancellations. Write the rule down and apply it consistently.

How much deposit should I take for a home service job?

Size it to the loss it covers: the cost of special-order parts, or the margin on a long slot. Check state limits first; California, for example, caps down payments on home improvement jobs as of October 2026.

Do deposits reduce no-shows?

A customer who has paid has a reason to be home, so deposits tend to help. How much depends on your customers and job types. Run a one-month test on one job type and compare your no-show and booking numbers before and after.