Lite version
Deposit risk calculator
The deposit you keep is not the risk. The risk is the uncovered balance times the chance they never show.
Expected loss = (job − deposit) × no-show chance. The suggested deposit is the percent, rounded up to the next 5, that keeps that expected loss inside your comfort number.
Numbers stay in this browser. This is shop math, not tax, legal, or lending advice.
Start from a trade
Expected loss if they no-show
$96
- Deposit that fits your comfort: 65%
Moderate — tighten the deposit or confirm day-of
More shop math
- Break-even priceCheck a single service against the hourly pay you want. One price, not a whole menu.
- Cash gapProfit on paper still bounces a check if materials go out before the final payment comes in. This is a four-week sketch of that gap.
- Change orderScope that shows up after you start needs its own number before anyone keeps working. This prices the extra. It does not write the customer text.