Camp Refund and Cancellation Policy: A Template Guide

Most refund disputes start with a policy the family never saw or never agreed to. A clear policy, shown at registration and written in plain language, settles almost all of them before they start. Here is what to include, with a template to adapt. It is a starting point, not legal advice; have a professional review yours if you need certainty.

Provincial consumer protection law, notably in Quebec, can limit what you keep when a family cancels, so check the rules in your province before you set your windows.

What a clear policy covers

• The cutoff: how many days before the start date a full refund is available
• What happens after the cutoff: partial refund, credit, or no refund
• Any non-refundable deposit or administrative fee, stated as a number
• Medical or emergency exceptions and what proof you ask for
• How and when refunds are issued, and to which payment method
• What happens if you cancel a program. A full refund is the standard.

Credits versus refunds

Offering a credit toward a future session instead of a cash refund keeps the revenue and often suits families who plan to return. Many camps use a tiered approach: full refund well ahead of time, credit closer in, nothing once a session starts. Whatever you choose, say it plainly so there is no surprise.

A template to adapt

Adjust the windows and amounts to your program:

• Cancellations 14 or more days before the start date: full refund less a stated deposit
• Cancellations 7 to 13 days before: 50 percent refund or full credit toward a future session
• Cancellations fewer than 7 days before, or after the start: no refund, exceptions for documented medical or family emergencies
• If we cancel a session for any reason: full refund to the original payment method
• Refunds are processed within 10 business days to the card used at registration

Get the full policy as a template you can print or edit, with sections for deposits, credits, emergencies and how families cancel.

Show it where families agree to it

A policy on a separate page is easy to miss, and families will say they never saw it. Show it inside registration, near payment, so confirming a booking means agreeing to the terms. When the policy lives with the booking, you can point to it and process the refund by the rule instead of negotiating each case.

In Campix, set your cancellation cutoff and refund percentage in Settings, under Payments. Families see that rule on the payment step, and can cancel from the family portal before the cutoff if you allow it. The payment step shows one cutoff and one refund percentage, so if your policy has more tiers, credits, or a deposit, go to Settings, under Registration, turn on Require consent, and set the Terms URL to your full policy. When a family cancels before the cutoff, the registration shows the refund owed, and you issue it in Stripe.

For the revenue side of cancellations, see our guide on cutting no-shows and late payments.

Start free or see plans and pricing.