Guide · Deposits
How to take tattoo deposits online.
The short answer: decide what the deposit covers, write the policy down, accept the request first, collect through a method that leaves a record, and track paid versus pending per booking. This guide walks through each step, whether you use booking software or a notebook.
Why this goes wrong
The problem is rarely the money.
It is the missing structure.
Most deposit pain comes from ordering and ambiguity, not from clients being difficult. Money is requested before the project is even reviewed. The policy lives in the artist's head. The payment link sinks into a chat thread. Paid and unpaid live in memory. Each of those is fixable with a decision, not a product.
Getting attention is only half the problem. The booking process has to turn that attention into complete, manageable tattoo requests, and the deposit step is where a request becomes a commitment.
Step by step
Seven steps to deposits
that run themselves.
Decide what the deposit is and what it covers
Pick a fixed amount or a rough share of the expected price, and decide what it reserves: your drawing time, the appointment slot, or both. Most artists deduct it from the final price. There is no universal number; it depends on your project sizes, your region, and how much preparation a piece needs.
Write the policy down before you ever ask for money
Three sentences beat a perfect legal document that only exists in your head: what the deposit reserves, what happens if the client reschedules (and with how much notice), and what happens on a no-show. Keep local consumer rules in mind, especially around refunds, and keep the policy visible wherever clients book.
Review the request before asking for the deposit
For custom work, look at the idea, placement, size, and references first, and only ask for a deposit once you have actually said yes. Asking before you review wastes the client's money and your refund admin when the project does not fit.
Pick how you collect the money
Anything with a record works: a payment link (Stripe, PayPal, or similar), a bank transfer with a reference, or a card payment inside your booking tool. Avoid methods that leave no trail. Cash deposits work in person, but online requests deserve an online method the client can complete in one step.
Send one clear payment message
When you accept the request, send the amount, the deadline, the payment method, and the policy in a single message or email. The client should never have to scroll a chat thread to find out how much and by when.
Track paid, pending, and overdue
Keep a simple list per booking: requested date, amount, due date, paid or not. Whether that is a spreadsheet or your booking tool, the point is that you never have to reconstruct payment status from a DM thread.
Apply the policy calmly when plans change
Reschedules and cancellations are normal. Because the policy was written and shared before money moved, you can point to it instead of negotiating from scratch, and decide the exceptions yourself.
Checklist
Your deposit setup
is done when:
- Deposit amount or formula decided
- Policy written: what it reserves, reschedule rules, no-show rules
- Policy visible where clients book, not only in your head
- Deposit requested only after you accept the request
- Payment method with a record (link, transfer with reference, or in-app card)
- One message with amount, deadline, method, and policy
- Paid and pending status tracked per booking
- Refund and reschedule handling decided before it is needed
Common mistakes
Five ways deposits
create their own chaos.
Asking for money before reviewing the request
If the project does not fit your style or schedule, you now owe a refund and an awkward message. Accept first, then ask.
A policy that only exists in your head
Unwritten rules turn every reschedule into a negotiation. Write it once, show it everywhere, apply it calmly.
Payment links buried in chat
A deposit link sent mid-conversation disappears under new messages. Send it as its own clear message with the deadline attached.
No record of who paid what
Memory is not bookkeeping. Every deposit should be findable later: amount, date, booking, method.
Treating the deposit like a guarantee
A deposit filters out casual bookings and compensates preparation. It cannot force anyone to show up, and promising yourself otherwise leads to bad policies.
When manual is enough
A notebook works,
until it does not.
A payment link, a written policy, and a tracking list cover a handful of bookings a month in one city perfectly well. Do that before you buy anything.
The manual setup starts leaking when volume grows, when you travel, or when several deposits are open at once: links get buried, statuses drift, and follow-ups depend on memory.
How this works in Inklee
Deposits attached
to the booking itself.
In Inklee the deposit is a step on the request you accepted: you set the amount, note, and due date, and the paid, pending, or overdue status lives on the booking. Clients can pay by card into your own Stripe account (Inklee keeps a 3% fee that covers card processing), or you track a deposit you collect your own way for free. Overdue deposits get an automatic follow-up email.
FAQ
Taking deposits online, answered.
01When should I ask for the tattoo deposit?
After you have reviewed and accepted the request, and before you invest serious drawing time or lock the date. Accept first, then ask: it keeps refund admin near zero.
02What payment methods work for tattoo deposits online?
Payment links (Stripe, PayPal, or similar), bank transfers with a clear reference, or card payment built into a booking tool. The common rule: the method must leave a record you can find later.
03What should a tattoo deposit policy include?
Three things: what the deposit reserves, the reschedule rules (how much notice moves the deposit to a new date), and the no-show rules. Keep local consumer law in mind, especially around refunds.
04Do I need booking software to take deposits online?
No. A payment link plus a written policy plus a tracking list works at low volume. Software becomes worth it when you are chasing several open deposits at once, or when travel and guest spots multiply the moving parts.
05Should the deposit be refundable?
That depends on your policy, the timing, and local rules. What matters most is that the client knew the answer before paying. Vague rules cause disputes; clear ones prevent them.
Next step: make the deposit
part of the booking.
Inklee ties the whole flow together: the request, your accept or pass decision, the deposit, and the reminder emails around the appointment.