How to Write a Camp Refund and Cancellation Policy

A refund policy is the page families skip until something goes wrong. Then it's the only page that matters. A clear one settles most requests in a single email and gives you something to show a card issuer if a family files a chargeback.

This guide covers what to include, sample language you can adapt, and the payment and consumer protection basics behind it. Consumer protection law varies by state, so check with your state consumer protection office or a lawyer before you finalize your terms.

What should a camp refund and cancellation policy include?

A complete policy answers seven questions before a family asks them:

1. Deposit: how much is non-refundable, and what it covers.
2. Cutoff dates: when a cancellation gets a full refund, a partial refund or nothing.
3. Credits vs refunds: when you give cash back and when you give account credit.
4. Illness and medical: what happens if a child is sick or injured.
5. Your cancellations: what families get if you cancel a session or a day.
6. Weather and emergencies: what happens when you close or move activities indoors.
7. Transfers: whether a family can switch weeks, sessions or children.

Add how to request a refund (one email address or form), how long refunds take to process and that refunds go back to the original payment method.

How much should a camp deposit be, and should it be non-refundable?

Set the deposit to cover what you spend to hold a spot before the session starts, and make it non-refundable. That usually means staff scheduling, materials ordered per child and payment processing you won't get back. Stripe, for example, says it doesn't return the processing fee on the original charge when you refund a card payment, so a full refund costs you money.

Keep the deposit proportionate. A deposit that keeps most of a family's money when they cancel months out is the kind of term that turns into a complaint. State the amount in dollars, not just "a deposit," so there's no argument later.

What cutoff dates should a refund policy use?

Use dated tiers tied to when your costs become fixed. The closer the session, the less you refund, because you've already hired staff and bought supplies for that child.

Here is one example structure. The dates and percentages are illustrations, not industry standards. Set yours from your own costs.

When the family cancels (example)	What they get (example)
More than 30 days before the session	Full refund minus the deposit
14–30 days before	50% refund or full credit
Fewer than 14 days before	Credit only
After the session starts	No refund or credit

Write the actual calendar dates for each session on your registration page, not only "30 days before." Families read dates. They don't count backward.

Should I give refunds or credits?

Offer credit as the default for late cancellations and cash refunds for early ones. Credit keeps the family and the revenue, and it's cheaper for you than a cash refund. Make credits useful: let them apply to any session or class, and give them a clear expiration date. Put both rules in writing.

Don't force credit on a family when you're the one who cancelled. That's where policies start to look unfair, and where disputes start.

How should I handle illness and medical cancellations?

Offer a partial refund or credit for illness with a doctor's note, and say so in the policy. CDC guidance for organizations recommends adopting flexible cancellation or refund policies for customers who are sick. A policy that punishes a family for keeping a sick child home rewards them for sending that child to camp.

Spell out the medical rules separately from your refund tiers:

• Missed days: whether you prorate, credit or make up missed days for illness.
• Documentation: whether you need a doctor's note, and for how many days.
• Return to camp: CDC's current guidance for respiratory viruses says people can return to normal activities once symptoms are improving overall and they've been fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. State your own return rule and point families to it.
• Injury: what happens if a child is injured at camp and can't finish the week.

What happens if I cancel a session?

Give a full refund or the family's choice of a full refund or credit. If you cancel, the family didn't get what they paid for. The FTC's guidance on the Fair Credit Billing Act lists charges for things that "weren't delivered as agreed" among the billing errors credit card holders can dispute.

Say how much notice you'll give if you cancel for low enrollment, and set a minimum enrollment date in advance. Cancelling a week before start is a much smaller problem than cancelling the morning of. For more on minimums, see how to fill empty spots in classes.

How should a camp handle weather cancellations?

State that weather days are not refunded when you move activities indoors or shorten the day, and say what you do when you close entirely. Most families accept weather rules when they're written down in advance.

Cover these cases:

• Lightning and storms: the National Weather Service says the only completely safe place in a thunderstorm is inside a safe building or vehicle, and to wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out. Say that you follow this and that delays aren't refunded.
• Heat and air quality: say who decides when outdoor activity stops and where kids go instead.
• Full closures: say whether you give a credit, a make-up day or a prorated refund when you close for a whole day.

Can families transfer to another week or child?

Allow transfers with notice, and charge a small fee if transfers cost you admin time. Transfers are the cheapest way to keep a family who can't make their original week. Set limits: transfers only into sessions with open spots, a deadline before the original session starts, and whether siblings can take a spot.

What consumer protection rules apply to refund policies?

Several federal rules shape what your policy can say, and states add their own. The basics:

• Disclose it before purchase. Show the full policy before a family pays, not after.
• Follow your own policy. If you promise a refund, give it. A policy you don't honor is worse than no policy, and it's the first thing a family will quote in a dispute or complaint.
• Don't ban negative reviews. Under the Consumer Review Fairness Act, form-contract terms that restrict customers' reviews or penalize them for reviewing are void, and businesses can't offer contracts that include them.
• Make recurring billing easy to cancel. If you bill monthly for ongoing classes, the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act requires a simple way to stop recurring charges. In 2025, the FTC settled with education company Chegg over a cancellation process it said was confusing; Chegg agreed to pay $7.5 million.
• Check your state. Some states have their own rules on refunds, deposits and auto-renewal. Your state attorney general or consumer protection office is the authority.

How do chargebacks affect my refund policy?

Your policy is your main evidence in a chargeback, so write it and present it with that in mind. When a family disputes a charge with their card issuer, the money is pulled from your account right away, and you have to prove the charge was valid.

What Stripe's documentation says about disputes:

Fact	What it means for you
Cardholders typically have 120 days from payment to dispute	For future services, Stripe says the window usually starts on the service date, not the payment date. A spring payment for an August camp can be disputed in the fall.
You usually have 7 to 21 days to respond	Keep your policy, signup records and emails where you can find them fast.
Stripe charges a $15 dispute fee in the US, and another $15 if you counter	The countered fee comes back if you win. The first fee doesn't.
A partially refunded payment can still be disputed for the full amount	A partial refund doesn't close the door on a dispute.

Stripe's dispute prevention guidance is specific about how to present your policy. Show the full policy on the checkout page or in a pop-up, and require agreement before payment. Stripe warns that a checkbox containing only a link to your terms may be rejected by the issuer as proof the customer saw them.

Three more habits help:

• Use a recognizable statement descriptor. Families dispute charges they don't recognize. Use your camp's name.
• Answer refund requests fast. Stripe notes that quick responses and refunds make customers less likely to dispute.
• Keep written records. Save every email with the family about the cancellation.

Your registration software controls much of this. If you're choosing one, see camp and class registration software compared.

Sample camp refund policy language

Adapt this to your own dates and amounts. It's a starting point, not legal advice.

Deposits. A $[amount] deposit per child per session is due at registration and is non-refundable.

Cancellations by families. Cancel by [date] for a full refund minus the deposit. Cancel between [date] and [date] for a 50% refund or full credit. After [date], we offer credit only. No refunds or credits after a session begins.

Credits. Credits apply to any [camp name] session or class and expire on [date].

Illness. If your child misses [number] or more consecutive days due to illness, with a doctor's note, we'll credit the missed days.

Weather. We move activities indoors for storms and heat. Weather delays aren't refunded. If we close for a full day, we'll offer a make-up day or a prorated credit.

Cancellations by [camp name]. If we cancel a session, you'll receive a full refund or credit, your choice.

Transfers. Transfer to another session with open spots by [date] for a $[amount] fee.

How to request a refund. Email [address]. Refunds go to your original payment method within [number] business days.

Where can families find my camp and its policies?

Put your policy on your registration page and your listings, so families see it before they sign up. Families search for camps, classes and enrichment programs on Kaleto, and providers list their programs there. AI assistants connected to Kaleto can search those listings too. List your program on Kaleto.