Plenty of coaches start out without a real cancellation policy. There's a vague line on the website about "24 hours' notice where possible," and it never gets enforced. Being flexible feels like part of being kind. And bringing up money can feel like it makes you look more interested in the fee than the person.
Now picture a client who cancels four sessions in a row, each one the morning of. Every time, the coach says "no worries, let's rebook." By the fifth booking they're both pretending. The coach blocks the slot, half expecting the message. The client books it, half knowing she won't come. When they finally do meet, the most useful thing they could talk about is why she keeps cancelling.
That's why the policy isn't admin. It's part of the coaching.
Cancellations are information
When a client keeps moving sessions, something's going on. Maybe their week really is chaos. Maybe the work you're doing has got close to something uncomfortable. Maybe they've quietly stopped believing coaching helps and don't know how to say it.
If you rebook with a cheerful "no problem," you've decided not to look at that. You've also taught them that the commitment is soft. Coaching depends on people turning up for themselves, and you've just made it easier for them not to.
A clear policy, held gently, gives you a reason to have the conversation. "This is the third late cancellation. Per our agreement the session's charged, but I'm more curious about what's happening. Can we talk about it when we meet?" That's not punishment. It's noticing, which is the job.
What a good one says
It's short. Clients read it before the first session and you go through it together, out loud, which matters more than the wording.
Here's a simple version. Sessions moved with 48 hours' notice are rebooked, no charge. Inside 48 hours, the session is charged unless it's illness or a genuine emergency, and you trust them to tell you which it is. A no-show is charged. If you cancel late, their next session is free.
That last line changes how the whole thing lands. It shows the rule runs both ways. It isn't you protecting your income from them. It's both of us agreeing the hour matters.
Say it in the first session
The policy only works if you raise it before anything's gone wrong. Sending it in an email after someone has missed a session feels like a penalty. Explaining it at the start feels like part of the agreement.
Go through it in the intake call, right after you agree on goals. Something like: "One practical thing. Here's how rescheduling works, and here's why I hold to it. I'm keeping this hour for you, and the commitment is part of what makes this work." Most clients nod. A few push back, and that's useful to know early too.
Enforce it the first time
This is the hard part. The first time a client cancels at 9 a.m. for a 10 a.m. session, you'll want to waive it. They're apologetic, they had a work thing, they're a nice person.
Charge it anyway, kindly. "No problem, these things happen. As we agreed, I'll charge this one. See you on the 21st." If you waive it once, you no longer have a policy. You have an opening line for a negotiation.
The illness and emergency exception covers genuinely bad days. A boss moving a meeting isn't an emergency, and most clients know that even if they hope you'll let it go.
What tends to change
Fewer late cancellations is the obvious hope, but it isn't really the point. Sessions get better, because people turn up having decided to be there instead of fitting you in.
And for a client like the one with four cancellations, a charged session can be the moment she realises she's paying for something she keeps avoiding. That's a conversation worth having, whichever way she decides.
A policy won't do your coaching for you. But a fuzzy one quietly undermines the agreement your coaching depends on. Write it down, say it out loud, and hold it the first time.