Why is a booking pending?
A pending booking is one where something you asked for hasn't happened yet. The time is reserved, but the booking isn't confirmed and won't show on your calendar until it is.
The booking tells you exactly what it's waiting for in a notice at the top of its page, and there are only three kinds.
Waiting for payment
The notice reads Waiting for payment: your client needs to make the required payment before the booking can be confirmed.
- Card payments usually settle in seconds. Still pending after a few minutes usually means the payment didn't go through, either an abandoned checkout or a declined card.
- Manual payments, like bank transfers, stay pending until you confirm them. Once your client reports one, the notice becomes Review payment (or Review payments for more than one) with a button straight to it. See Reviewing payment proof.
To move it on: confirm or record the payment when it arrives, or choose Confirm before payment from the three-dot menu if you're happy to go ahead. If it isn't going to be paid, cancel it.
Waiting on paperwork
The notice names what's missing:
| Notice | What's outstanding |
|---|---|
| Waiting for a signature | A contract your client hasn't signed |
| Waiting for a response | A questionnaire your client hasn't answered |
| Requirements still outstanding | More than one thing |
Bookings made on your booking page or from a proposal rarely sit here, because your client signs and answers before the booking is created or confirmed.
Two variants are about you, not your client:
- Your signature is needed. Your client has done everything and your countersignature is the last step. See Counter-signing and completing a contract.
- Scheduling needed. Your client has done everything, but there's no agreed date yet. Set one with Set schedule on the summary card.
To move it on: nudge your client to sign or answer, add your countersignature, or agree the date.
Waiting on you
The notice reads Ready for your confirmation: everything required from your client is complete, so confirm the booking when you're ready.
This is the only time Confirm booking appears as the main button. Click it, then Confirm booking again in the dialog to lock in the date. It won't confirm a booking with outstanding client steps. If the only thing missing is the required payment, use Confirm before payment in the three-dot menu. A missing signature or questionnaire answer can't be skipped.
Pending bookings can expire
If the booking needs payment, the deadline is on a timer. When it runs out, the booking moves to Expired and the time goes back on your booking page.
Expired is final. An expired booking can't be confirmed, even if your client pays afterwards. Open it and choose Create replacement booking to start a fresh one with the same contact and service filled in. See Unpaid bookings and held times.
Bookings that don't need payment don't expire on a payment deadline, and usually stay pending until you deal with them. The exception is a booking that still needs a date and has a deadline for your client's steps, which expires if they aren't done in time.
Finding pending bookings
- Your Home screen lists things that need attention.
- Bookings → All bookings filters on Pending.
- The Payment column shows where the money stands on each one. See Your bookings list.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't my pending booking on the calendar?
The calendar only shows confirmed and completed bookings. Once the pending booking is confirmed, it appears.
Can I confirm a booking before my client pays?
Yes. Choose Confirm before payment from the three-dot menu and give a reason. The invoice still shows the balance owed.
My client signed and paid. Why is it still pending?
Check the notice. It's probably waiting on your countersignature, a date, or your confirmation, all of which are steps on your side.
Will a pending booking hold the time forever?
No, not if the pending booking needs payment. A booking waiting on payment expires at its payment deadline and frees the time. A pending booking with no payment requirement holds its time until you confirm or cancel it.