How do I handle student no-shows and last-minute cancellations?

Have a written cancellation policy and share it with the parent before lesson 1. A standard indie-tutor policy looks like:

• 24-hour cancellation rule. Cancel with at least 24 hours' notice or the lesson is charged in full.
• Make-up policy. One make-up lesson per month, scheduled within 2 weeks, otherwise forfeited.
• No-show fee. Full lesson charge after a 10-minute grace period.
• Sick exception. One clear, written exception for genuine illness with same-day notification — not vibes-based.

Enforce on the first incident. Parents test new tutors on this. If you waive the first late cancellation without comment, you'll waive every one and your calendar will become unreliable.

Operational tips:

• Sell prepaid lesson packages so no-shows auto-deduct from a balance, not from a new invoice.
• Send a calendar invite at booking and an automated reminder 24 hours and 1 hour before the lesson.
• For repeat offenders, switch them to a pay-in-advance-only arrangement.