How to write your studio policies

A family cancels the morning of a lesson. Do they owe the fee? Can they book a makeup? Your studio policy should answer those questions before either of you needs to ask them.

Write down the decisions you can follow in practice. A generous makeup offer is hard to honor if you have no free slots; a late fee is confusing if families never received a due date.

Cancellations and missed sessions

Choose a notice period and explain how families should contact you. Then state what happens when they give enough notice and what happens when they don't.

Options include charging the full fee, charging part of it, or counting a prepaid session as used without offering a makeup. Describe the result directly. "Fees may apply" leaves the family uncertain about the bill.

Make a separate decision about illness and emergencies. You might waive a charge, offer a makeup, or decide case by case. State how families should notify you, including whether you need to hear from them by a particular time that day.

Makeup lessons

Your policy needs to fit the time you have available. You could offer makeups only when you cancel, allow a limited number for student absences, or exclude makeups for student cancellations.

If you offer a limited number, give the limit, an expiry period, and any availability conditions. For example, the policy generator lets you set makeups per semester and the number of days in which they must be used.

Explain teacher cancellations separately. Families need to know whether you'll reschedule, credit, or refund a session you cannot teach.

Payment dates and late balances

State whether you charge per session or bill monthly, and whether monthly bills cover past or upcoming sessions. Include the due date and accepted payment methods.

If you use late fees, describe the amount and when it applies. Check the requirements that apply where you operate. Also explain whether an unpaid balance can pause future sessions and how you'll contact the family first.

Card-on-file and automatic-payment arrangements depend on your payment provider and the payer's authorization. If you're sending invoices for families to pay themselves, describe that process instead. A written policy doesn't turn a payment link into an automatic charge.

Holidays and closures

Share the teaching calendar at the start of the year. Explain which days you're closed and how those closures affect the bill.

Flat monthly tuition can spread an agreed year's teaching across monthly payments, so the number of sessions may vary by month. Per-session billing changes with the sessions included. Make the calendar and pricing match the arrangement you've offered.

Share the policy before enrollment

Keep the document short enough to read in one sitting. Give families time to ask questions and keep a record of their agreement. When a rule changes, send the updated terms and start date rather than relying on a conversation at the door.

Use the studio policy generator to draft your choices, then review the wording for your studio before sharing it.

StudioKit lets you manage schedules, invoices, and payment records in one place. Start your free trial.