# Past bookings and no-shows

> What happens to a CoreHue booking once the session date passes, and how photographers handle a client no-show, the deposit and any unpaid balance.

Source: https://help.corehue.co/docs/managing-bookings/past-bookings-and-no-shows/

There's nothing to close once a session is over. A confirmed booking stays **Confirmed** after its date passes, so it keeps a clean record of the job alongside its invoice, contract and gallery. The only time you need to step in is when a session didn't happen the way it was booked, like a client who never turned up.

## What happens after the session date

- **The status stays Confirmed.** CoreHue doesn't mark sessions as done, and there's no button to do it.
- **It stays on your list and calendar.** **Active bookings** on **Bookings → All bookings** includes past sessions, and the booking stays on your [calendar](/docs/managing-bookings/using-the-calendar) on the day it happened.
- **Booking reminders stop on their own.** They're timed before the session, so none go out afterwards.
- **Invoices carry on.** An unpaid balance stays open, and any payment reminders you set on the invoice keep working. See [Automatic invoice reminders](/docs/invoices/invoice-reminders).

Bookings you marked as complete before this change now show as **Confirmed** too. Nothing about them was lost.

## When a client doesn't turn up

There's no no-show status in CoreHue. Here's the cleanest way to handle one.

### First, check they were told

Open the booking and choose **Email history** from the three-dot menu. If the confirmation or a reminder wasn't delivered, your client may never have had the details. Better to know that before you assume anything. See [My client didn't get my email](/docs/messages/when-an-email-doesnt-arrive).

### Write down what happened

Bookings don't have a notes field, so use the contact. Open your client's page, go to the **Overview** tab, and add a note under **Contact notes**. Only you can see it. Write the date, how you tried to reach them, and what you agreed afterwards. If a deposit is ever disputed, this is the note you'll want.

### Then decide what the booking should say

| What you agreed | Do this |
| --- | --- |
| A new date | Click **Reschedule booking** on the summary card and pick the new time. See [Rescheduling a booking](/docs/managing-bookings/rescheduling-a-booking) |
| The session is off for good | Choose **Cancel booking** from the three-dot menu. Leave **Send cancellation email** unticked unless you want them emailed. See [Cancelling, restoring or deleting a booking](/docs/managing-bookings/cancelling-a-booking) |
| You'd rather keep it as it is | Leave it. A confirmed booking with a note on the contact is a perfectly good record |

Cancelling takes the booking off your active list and calendar. Payments already made stay recorded, and an invoice with money still owing is cancelled so nobody is chased for it.

## Sorting out the money

CoreHue doesn't charge or refund anything automatically here. Your cancellation policy decides what happens:

- **A deposit already paid** is usually kept, if your policy says so. Nothing to do: it stays recorded on the invoice, even if you cancel the booking.
- **An unpaid balance** is a judgment call. If you're letting it go, cancel the booking (which cancels the invoice with it) or cancel just the invoice. See [Editing, cancelling or deleting an invoice](/docs/invoices/editing-cancelling-and-deleting).
- **If the mix-up was on your side**, refund promptly. See [Refunding a payment](/docs/payments/refunding-a-payment).

## Fewer no-shows next time

- **Turn on booking reminders.** Most no-shows are forgetfulness, and a reminder the day before makes a real difference. Set them on each service in the **Confirmation and reminders** step. See [Booking confirmation and reminder emails](/docs/online-booking/booking-emails) (Plus and Pro).
- **Take a deposit.** People turn up to things they've paid for. See [Pricing, deposits and payment deadlines](/docs/online-booking/pricing-and-deposits).
- **Send the booking page.** It has the date, place and any meeting link in one spot, so your client isn't hunting through emails on the morning of the shoot.

## Frequently asked questions

### Where did Mark as complete go?

It was removed. Past bookings now stay **Confirmed**, so there's nothing to close after a shoot. Your bookings, invoices and history are all still there.

### Why are last month's sessions still in Active bookings?

Because **Active bookings** shows everything pending or confirmed, including sessions that have already happened. Use the **Date** column to sort them, or search for the client you're after.

### Is there a way to mark a booking as a no-show?

No, there's no no-show status. Record what happened in the contact's notes, then reschedule, cancel or leave the booking as it is.