Reservation states: pending, confirmed, completed, no-show, cancelled

Updated on Friday 22 May 2026

The 6 states of a booking, when it transitions between them, and what notifications each change generates.

Every booking in Citauno is in one of 6 states at each point of its life cycle. This is the complete reference.

States table

State	Color	Meaning
`pending`	🟡 Amber	Awaiting confirmation (manual or deposit).
`confirmed`	🟢 Emerald	Approved. Customer and professional notified.
`rescheduled`	🔵 Blue	Time changed. Customer notified.
`completed`	🟣 Indigo	Customer served successfully.
`no_show`	🔴 Pink	Customer didn’t show up.
`cancelled`	🔴 Pink	Cancelled (by the customer or the business).

Transition diagram

                    ┌─────────────┐
       (comes in)──►│  pending    │
                    └──────┬──────┘
                           │ confirm
                           ▼
                    ┌─────────────┐
                    │  confirmed  │◄──────┐
                    └──────┬──────┘       │
                           │              │ (move time)
            ┌──────────────┼──────────────┘
            ▼              ▼              ▼
       ┌─────────┐   ┌────────────┐  ┌──────────┐
       │completed│   │  no_show   │  │ cancelled│
       └─────────┘   └────────────┘  └──────────┘

Terminal states: completed, no_show, cancelled. A booking in these states no longer transitions (except for manually restoring from “cancelled” to “confirmed” if the slot is still available).

When each state applies

`pending`

When it appears: depends on the business’s confirmation mode:

Automatic mode: it never goes through pending — it comes in straight to confirmed.
Manual mode: any incoming booking stays pending until the admin confirms or rejects it.
Deposit-required mode: it stays pending until the customer pays the deposit.

Holds the slot: yes (so it isn’t double-booked while you decide or the customer pays).

Time limit: depends on the mode:

Manual: no limit, you confirm whenever you can.
Deposit: 24 hours (configurable) — after that it expires automatically.

`confirmed`

When it appears: when the admin accepts a pending booking, when the deposit is paid, or when a booking comes in under automatic mode.

Notifies: email + WhatsApp to the customer with the confirmation + an .ics file.

Notifies the team: the professional receives an .ics if they have “Receive calendar invitations” enabled.

`rescheduled`

When it appears: when you or the customer change the date/time.

Notifies: email to the customer with the new time. If the option is on, WhatsApp too.

Special behavior: the rescheduled state is temporary — within a few hours it moves to confirmed automatically. It’s mainly used so the customer notices the change in their booking list.

`completed`

When it appears: when you manually mark “Completed” after the appointment. Some businesses automate it: the system marks it as completed automatically X hours after the scheduled time if it wasn’t changed to another state.

Notifies: optionally, an email/WhatsApp asking for a review.

Appears in: revenue reports, professional statistics, customer history.

`no_show`

When it appears: when you manually mark “No-show” after the appointment.

Notifies: doesn’t notify the customer by default (configurable).

If deposit mode: the customer loses the deposit they paid.

Appears in: the customer’s no-show statistics (visible when they book again).

`cancelled`

When it appears: when it’s explicitly cancelled. This can be:

The customer cancels from their confirmation link.
The admin cancels from the dashboard.
The system cancels a pending booking that expired.

Notifies: email to the customer confirming the cancellation + (optional) WhatsApp.

If deposit mode: the refund depends on the cancellation policy:

If they cancel before the cutoff: full refund.
If they cancel after, or don’t show up: no refund.

Intermediate payment states (if deposit mode)

When the mode is “Deposit required”, the booking has a payment sub-state:

Sub-state	Description
`awaiting_deposit`	Waiting for the customer to pay the deposit. The booking is `pending`.
`deposit_paid`	The customer paid the deposit. The booking moves to `confirmed`.
`deposit_refunded`	Deposit refunded due to an early cancellation.
`balance_due`	Service provided, the balance is still owed (60-100% of the price).
`balance_paid`	The customer paid the balance. Booking is `completed`.

Booking source

Independent of the state, every booking has a source that indicates how it was created:

Source	Description
`online`	The customer booked from the public link (`citauno.com/your-business/book`).
`admin`	The admin created it from the calendar.
`walk_in`	A customer who showed up without a prior booking.
`phone`	The admin created it after a call.
`waitlist`	Came from the waitlist (when a slot frees up, the system notifies).
`import`	Imported from another system (CSV, migration).

The source doesn’t change over time; it’s only set at creation.

Transition rules

From state	To state	Who can do it
`pending`	`confirmed`	Admin (manual) or system (deposit payment)
`pending`	`cancelled`	Admin (rejection) or system (expiration)
`confirmed`	`rescheduled`	Admin or customer
`confirmed`	`completed`	Admin or system (post-appointment)
`confirmed`	`no_show`	Admin
`confirmed`	`cancelled`	Admin or customer
`rescheduled`	`confirmed`	System (after a few hours)
`cancelled`	`confirmed`	Admin (restore — only if the slot is still free)

Behavior on the calendar

State	Visual behavior
`pending`	Amber block, holds the slot, isn’t double-booked
`confirmed`	Emerald block
`rescheduled`	Blue block
`completed`	Indigo block (more opaque)
`no_show`	Pink block with an X icon
`cancelled`	Doesn’t appear on the calendar (filterable)

Reports and metrics

Metric	States included
Total bookings	All except `cancelled`
Revenue	`completed`
No-show rate	`no_show` / (`completed` + `no_show` + `cancelled`)
Pending conversion	`confirmed` from `pending` / total `pending`
Late cancellations	`cancelled` with less than X hours of notice

How to change a state manually

Go to the Calendar and tap the booking.
In the side panel, tap the matching button:
- Confirm if it’s pending.
- Mark completed or Mark no-show if it’s confirmed and the time has passed.
- Cancel from any active state.
Optionally check the “Notify the customer” box if you want an email/WhatsApp sent to them.

How to restore a cancelled booking

If you cancelled by mistake:

Go to Bookings → Filter: Cancelled.
Tap the booking.
Tap “Restore” if the time is still available.
If the time was taken by someone else, it can’t be restored — create a new one.