Setting a deposit requirement

Guide 5 min read Updated: October 17, 2026

With a deposit, guests pay an amount online after you accept the appointment. It requires the Pro plan, a connected invoicing provider and online payments, and you tick per service which services ask for one.

Deposits help reduce no-shows: after you accept the appointment, the guest gets a payment link and pays an amount online. The booking exists before payment too; its details page shows “Deposit pending” until the guest has paid.

Prerequisites

Deposits need three things. If any of them is missing, the switch is locked, cannot be turned on, or the setting is saved but never takes effect on bookings.

Pro plan — deposits are a Pro feature. On Starter the switch is locked.
A connected invoicing provider — Billingo or Számlázz.hu. Without one, the switch does not turn on, and Bokko says: “To enable deposits, first connect a working invoicing provider (Billingo or Számlázz.hu).”
Activated online payments — a connected payment provider the guest can actually pay through. The Booking rules page does not warn when it is missing: in that case the deposit is not activated on submitted bookings.

Configure the deposit

Open the Booking rules page.
On the No-shows and payments card, turn on Request deposit.
Under Deposit type, choose Fixed amount (HUF) or Percentage (%).
Enter the deposit amount or percentage. It cannot be zero, and a fixed amount must also reach the payment provider’s minimum.
Optionally add a short Deposit description (up to 300 characters) that guests see among the booking conditions.
Changes save automatically. Then, on the Services page, open each service that should ask for a deposit and turn on Require a deposit for this service. If no service is ticked, a warning on the Booking rules page says that no booking will ask for a deposit.

On the No-shows and payments card, Request deposit turned on, with Deposit type, the amount and the Deposit description field below

In the service editor, Require a deposit for this service turned on, with its explanation

WarningA percentage deposit needs services with a fixed or “from” price. If a deposit service uses Custom pricing, no percentage can be calculated from it — Bokko tells you when saving; switch to a fixed deposit amount, or give the service a price.

WarningDeposits and the no-show fee are mutually exclusive: with a deposit turned on, the no-show fee cannot be turned on.

What the guest experiences

Guests already see the deposit rule in the booking conditions while booking. A service with a deposit can be requested no earlier than 2 hours ahead. After you accept the appointment, Bokko sends them a deposit payment link. The deposit is only recorded once payment succeeds — until then the booking shows “Deposit pending”.

WarningThe deposit payment deadline is normally 24 hours before the appointment starts. If you accept inside those 24 hours, the guest gets 60 minutes from acceptance, but never past the start. The deadline is never later than the payment link’s 7-day expiry. It is frozen at acceptance and is not pushed back by sending a new link; moving the appointment earlier can shorten it.

WarningIf the deadline passes with the deposit unpaid, Bokko cancels the booking automatically (the check runs hourly, so allow up to about an hour). The guest is notified, the slot is freed in your calendar, and any discount or pass session tied to the booking is restored. No money moves — on this path nothing was paid.

If the guest lost the email, you can resend the deposit payment link from the booking details. The new link works within the existing deadline — it does not extend it.

One amount, ticked per service

The deposit amount or percentage is a single rule that applies to every location. Which services ask for a deposit is ticked per service; different amounts per service are not available.

Refunds

You can refund a paid deposit from Bokko. When the money arrives depends on the payment provider. The steps are described in Refunding a deposit.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Request deposit switch locked or ineffective?

Which payment methods are accepted for deposits?

Where does the deposit amount go?

Can I set different deposit amounts for different services?

What happens if the guest never pays the deposit?

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