Therapy cancellation policy template (UK)
A clear cancellation policy protects your income and the therapeutic relationship. Here is what UK consumer law allows you to charge, how to word it, and a template you can adapt.
By the NoteSono team · Last reviewed · 9 sources checked
The short answer
Most UK therapists ask for 24 or 48 hours' notice and charge part or all of the session fee for later cancellations and missed sessions. That is convention: neither the law nor BACP sets a notice period.
What the law does require is that the fee is fair. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 it should reflect the loss you actually suffer, and the client must have agreed to it clearly before the work began. A free template is below.
What UK law says about cancellation fees
Most private clients are consumers, so your cancellation terms are covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Schedule 2 lists terms that may be unfair, including those requiring a consumer who cancels or fails to turn up "to pay a disproportionately high sum in compensation", and terms the client had "no real opportunity of becoming acquainted" with before agreeing.
The Competition and Markets Authority's guidance on cancellation charges says a fee is more likely to be fair when it reflects your genuine estimate of the loss caused by the cancellation, after deducting what you save or can recover by filling the slot.
What that means in practice
- Charging the full fee for a no-show, or for cancellation a few hours before, is usually easy to justify: you cannot fill the time.
- Charging the full fee for cancellation several days ahead is harder to justify, because you could offer the slot to someone else.
- If you do refill the slot, waiving the fee keeps you on safe ground.
- The policy must be given to the client, in writing, before therapy starts. A policy they first see on an invoice is not one they agreed to.
The 14-day cancellation right for online and phone bookings
When a client agrees to therapy at a distance, for example by booking online, by email or by phone, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give them 14 days to cancel the contract. Regulation 36 says you must not start providing the service within that period unless the client expressly asks you to.
If they ask you to start sooner and then cancel within the 14 days, they pay a proportionate amount for the sessions they have already had. If you did not get that express request, or did not tell them about their right to cancel, they may owe nothing for sessions in that period.
A simple fix
Contracts made face to face at your practice premises are not covered by this 14-day right.
Choosing your notice period and fee
| Approach | How it works | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours, full fee | Simple. Clients understand it. | Practices with a short waiting list who rarely refill same-day slots |
| 48 hours, full fee | Gives you a realistic chance to offer the slot to someone else | Most solo private practices |
| Sliding scale | For example 50% within 48 hours, 100% within 24 hours or no-show | Therapists who want the fee to track their real loss more closely |
| Committed slot | The client pays for their weekly slot whether or not they attend, with a set number of holiday weeks | Long-term and psychodynamic work, where the slot is held open |
BACP's contract toolkit leaves the notice period blank for you to fill in, and suggests stating whether a regular weekly slot is charged regardless of attendance and how many weeks' holiday a client can take without charge.
Think about exceptions in advance. Many therapists waive the fee for hospital admission, bereavement or emergencies, or allow one or two illness cancellations a year. Saying so in the policy is kinder, and makes the charges that remain easier to defend.
Charging a saved card
If you save clients' cards and charge missed session fees automatically, the card networks treat those as merchant-initiated payments. Stripe says you need the client's agreement covering, at a minimum:
- their permission for you to take payments on their behalf
- how often payments may happen
- how the amount is worked out
Keep a record of when each client agreed. The template below includes optional wording for this. Without it, a client can dispute the charge with their bank and you are likely to lose.
Insured and funded clients
Insurers and employee assistance programmes set their own rules. Bupa tells recognised therapists not to send invoices to its customers at all. AXA Health's terms of recognition have allowed a cancellation charge to the member only where you have a reasonable written policy they were told about in advance, capped at AXA's fee schedule. Check your agreement with each funder before charging an insured client anything.
See our guide to registering with Bupa and AXA.
Free cancellation policy template
Adapt this to your practice, then give it to clients with your contract before the first session. Replace everything in highlighted brackets.
This policy usually sits inside your therapy contract. See our therapy contract template.
Talking about it with clients
Fees for missed sessions can become part of the therapeutic material. A few habits help:
- Go through the policy in the first session rather than leaving it in the paperwork.
- Apply it consistently. Exceptions for one client and not another are hard to explain.
- When you charge, say so plainly and early, rather than letting it appear on an invoice weeks later.
- If a pattern of missed sessions appears, talk about the pattern, not only the fee.
Common questions
Can a therapist charge for a missed session in the UK?
Yes, if the client agreed to a clear cancellation policy before therapy began and the fee is fair. A fee that reflects the loss you actually suffer, such as the full fee for a no-show you could not fill, is usually fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
What notice period should a counsellor ask for?
24 or 48 hours is the most common. No law or professional body sets a figure. 48 hours gives you a better chance of refilling the slot.
Can I charge the full fee for a late cancellation?
For a no-show or a cancellation so late you cannot fill the time, usually yes. For cancellations with more notice, a smaller fee, or waiving it if you refill the slot, is easier to justify as fair.
Do I have to give clients 14 days to cancel?
If the contract was made at a distance, for example by online booking, email or phone, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give the client 14 days to cancel. You can start sooner if they expressly ask you to, and they then pay for sessions they have had.
Can I charge Bupa or AXA clients for missed sessions?
Only within the insurer's rules. Check your terms of recognition. Bupa tells therapists not to invoice its customers; AXA has allowed a capped cancellation charge where a written policy was given in advance.
Sources
Checked on 19 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on a figure.
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, Schedule 2 — consumer contract terms which may be regarded as unfair
- CMA: Unfair contract terms guidance (CMA37)
- CMA advisory letter on cancellation charges (2016) — genuine pre-estimate of loss
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the cancellation period
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
- Stripe: save payment details for future payments — what a card-on-file agreement must cover
- BACP contract discussions toolkit for private practice
- Bupa mental health and wellbeing network for therapists
- AXA Health terms of recognition for psychotherapists and psychologists — may since have been updated
This guide is general information about UK consumer law and professional guidance, not legal advice. If you are unsure whether a term is fair, take advice from a solicitor or your professional body's legal helpline.