Online tattoo deposits, taken at booking

A tattoo deposit is the payment a client makes to hold an appointment and cover the time you spend on their design. Taking online tattoo deposits at the moment of booking is the simplest way to protect your schedule.

With InkedIn Tools, the client picks a slot from your booking link and the deposit is charged right then. No screenshots of payment apps, no “I'll send it tonight.”

Deposits matter more in tattooing than in most appointment businesses. You may spend hours drawing a custom piece before the client ever sits down.

You block a full afternoon that you can't easily fill on short notice. A no-show costs you the drawing time and the chair time. A deposit puts something behind the appointment on both sides.

Why chasing deposits by DM breaks down

Plenty of artists still take deposits by sending a payment request in the DMs. It works until it doesn't. Payments arrive with no name attached. Clients say they sent it and you can't find it.

You hold a slot for someone whose payment never shows up, then turn away someone who would have. And every deposit lives in a different app from the rest of your money, which makes the end of the month messy.

There is no single right number. Shops set their own deposits based on session length, design work and demand. Below is what we see as common practice across shops. Use it as a starting point, not a rule.

• Flat deposit for small and medium pieces. Many shops use a flat amount, often somewhere in the range of $50 to $200, so clients know what to expect.
• Bigger deposit for longer sessions. Half-day and full-day sessions often carry a higher deposit because the chair time is harder to refill.
• A share of the quote for large custom work. Some artists take a percentage of the estimated price for big projects or multi-session pieces.
• Applied to the final price. Most shops count the deposit toward the total, often the last session of a multi-session piece.

What a tattoo deposit pays for

Be clear with clients about what the deposit covers. Usually it reserves your time and pays for the drawing. Saying that plainly at booking heads off most arguments later. It also explains why a deposit is usually not refunded when someone cancels at the last minute.

A good policy is short, written down and shown before the client pays. The points below reflect common practice in tattoo shops. They are general guidance, not legal advice. Your shop sets its own policy, and it is worth checking any local consumer rules that apply to you.

What a non-refundable tattoo deposit policy often includes

• Non-refundable, but transferable. Many shops keep deposits non-refundable while letting clients move the appointment once with enough notice.
• A notice window. A common choice is 24 to 72 hours. Reschedule inside the window and the deposit carries over. Cancel or no-show inside it and the deposit is kept.
• Late arrival rule. Say how late a client can be before the session is treated as a no-show.
• Design changes. Explain what happens if the client wants a full redesign after you have drawn the piece.
• When the shop cancels. If you need to cancel, most shops reschedule first or return the deposit.

Put the policy where clients will see it: on your booking page, in your confirmation message and in your reminder texts. With InkedIn Tools, the deposit is charged at booking and automated text and email reminders go out before the session, which keeps everyone on the same page.

When your shop uses InkedIn Tools with Revify Payments, the deposit taken at booking and the balance at checkout run on the same system. You can see what was paid up front and what is left without opening three apps.

Revify Payments is built for tattoo shops. It is $0/month with dual pricing: a posted cash price and a card price on every receipt, and the client chooses how to pay.

You get a free terminal while you process with Revify, next-day funding, tip prompts on screen and no long-term contract. Learn more on the tattoo payment processing page.

You also earn Monthly Cash-back of up to 0.75% of your card sales, paid monthly. Shops processing at least $10,000/month with Revify get InkedIn Tools at $0/month (details on pricing). See what that adds up to on the savings calculator.

If you are still picking a booking system, start with our tattoo booking app overview, then look at digital consent forms so the whole pre-session flow is handled before the client arrives.