Why a booking is pending

A pending booking is one where something asked for hasn't happened yet. The slot is spoken for, but the booking isn't confirmed and doesn't appear on your calendar.

The booking tells you exactly what it's waiting for, in a notice at the top of its page. There are three kinds.

Waiting for payment

The notice reads Waiting for payment: the client needs to complete the required payment before this booking can be confirmed.

Card payments normally settle in seconds. Still pending after a few minutes usually means the payment didn't complete: an abandoned checkout, or a card that was declined.

Manual payments like bank transfers stay pending until the money is confirmed. If the client has filed one, the notice becomes Review payment, with a button that takes you straight to it. More than one reads Review payments. See Reviewing payment proof.

To move it on: record the payment when it arrives, or use Confirm before payment if you're satisfied it's sorted. If it isn't going to be paid, cancel.

Waiting on paperwork

The notice names it: Waiting for a signature when a contract is outstanding, Waiting for a response when a questionnaire is, or Requirements still outstanding when there's more than one.

This mostly comes from a proposal, where the contract or questionnaire attached to it hasn't been dealt with yet.

Bookings made on your public booking page rarely sit here. The client signs and answers as part of booking, so by the time the booking exists that work is already done.

Two variants worth recognising:

Your signature is needed. The client has done everything and your countersignature is the last thing missing: "Countersign the contract to confirm the booking."

Scheduling needed. The client has done everything and there's no agreed date yet: "Agree a date and time to confirm this booking." Set one with Set schedule on the Summary card.

To move it on: resend the document, sign your half, or agree the date.

Waiting on you

The notice reads Ready for your confirmation: "Everything required from the client is complete, so confirm the booking when you are ready."

This is the only case where Confirm booking appears as the main button. It won't confirm a booking with outstanding client work. Use Confirm before payment in the three-dot menu for that instead.

Pending bookings can expire

If the booking requires payment, the deadline is on a timer. When it runs out, the booking moves to Expired and the slot goes back on your booking page.

Expired is final. An expired booking can't be confirmed, even if the client pays afterwards. What you do instead is open it and choose Create replacement booking, which starts a fresh one with the same contact and service already filled in.

That sounds harsh, and it's deliberate. The alternative is unpaid bookings blocking your diary for good. See Unpaid bookings.

Bookings that don't require payment don't expire. They stay pending until you deal with them.

Finding them

Your Home screen surfaces bookings needing attention, and the booking list filters on Pending.