Guide

Glossary for appointment businesses

The words you'll hear running a business by appointment, in plain English, with the Spanish term beside each one. The last section covers tax and paperwork terms used in Puerto Rico.

Updated October 19, 2026 · 5 min read

Booking and appointments

Appointment (cita) — a time a client books with you for a service.
Recurring appointment (cita recurrente) — an appointment that repeats on a schedule, like every two weeks, booked once instead of each time.
Open time (tiempo libre, espacio libre) — time in your day with nothing booked, that a client could book.
Cancellation list (lista para cuando alguien cancela) — clients who want a time that's taken. When someone cancels, the opening goes to them.
Walk-in line (fila virtual) — clients without an appointment join a line from their phone and see their place in it, instead of waiting at the business.
Reminder (recordatorio) — a message before the appointment, by notification, email or text.
Confirmation (confirmación) — a message asking the client to say they're coming.
Add-on (servicio adicional) — something extra a client adds to a service, like a design on nails or a treatment with a haircut.
Travel fee (cargo por distancia) — an amount added when you go to the client's home or another place to do the service.
Group booking (cita en grupo) — one booking for several people, like a bridal party, a class or an event.

Deposits, cancellations and forms

Deposit (depósito) — part of the price, paid when the client books, to hold the time. It usually counts toward the price of the service.
No-show (cliente que no llegó; many people also say no-show) — a client who doesn't come and doesn't let you know.
No-show fee (cargo por no llegar) — what a client pays for not coming. On Bookeao Pro it will only come from the deposit, and never be more than the deposit.
Cancellation policy (política de cancelación) — your written rules for canceling, moving and arriving late, and what happens to the deposit in each case. Our guide to deposits and cancellations has a policy you can copy.
Notice (aviso) — how long before the appointment a client can cancel or move it and get the deposit back, like 24 hours.
Grace period (tiempo de gracia) — how many minutes late a client can arrive and still get the full service.
Consent form (formulario de consentimiento) — a form the client reads and signs before a service like a tattoo, a chemical peel or a massage, saying they understand it, often with health questions that matter for the service.

Getting paid

Tip (propina) — money the client adds for you, on top of the price.
Card fee (cargo por tarjeta) — what the company that processes a card payment charges for each payment, usually a percentage plus a few cents.
Cards on your phone (tarjetas en tu celular) — taking a contactless card or a phone wallet with your own phone, without a card reader.
Split payment (pago dividido) — one appointment paid in two ways, like part by card and part in cash.
Transfer (transferencia) — moving the money from card payments to your bank account. With Bookeao Pro it will be free every business day.
Instant transfer (transferencia al instante) — getting that money to your bank right away instead of waiting for the regular transfer, for a fee. On Bookeao Pro it will cost 1.5% ($0.50 minimum).
ATH Móvil Business — Evertec's service that lets small businesses in Puerto Rico receive payments in real time from anyone with ATH Móvil. The money goes straight from the client to the business.

Working in a business with others

Employee (empleado) — someone who works for a business, whose bookings and payments go to the business.
Independent professional (profesional independiente) — someone who pays rent in a business and keeps their own clients, bookings and money.
Rent (renta; pagar renta en un negocio) — what an independent professional pays a business to work there, weekly, every two weeks or monthly. Also called booth rent.
Commission split (comisión) — in a business with employees, the share of each service the employee keeps and the share that goes to the business, like 60/40. It's not the same as a commission a booking app takes on your appointments, which Bookeao Pro won't charge.

Puerto Rico tax and paperwork terms

IVU (Impuesto sobre Ventas y Uso) — Puerto Rico's sales and use tax, run by the Departamento de Hacienda. It's 11.5% on taxable sales: 10.5% for the state and 1% for the municipality. Which of your services and products are taxable is a question for your accountant.
Monthly IVU return (planilla mensual de IVU) — the form where a merchant reports the previous month's sales and pays the IVU collected, filed in SURI by the 20th of each month.
SURI (Sistema Unificado de Rentas Internas) — Hacienda's online system, where businesses handle IVU, their merchant registration certificate and internal revenue licenses.
Merchant registration certificate (Certificado de Registro de Comerciante) — a business's registration with Hacienda, issued and kept up to date through SURI.
Patente municipal (municipal license tax) — a tax your municipality charges on your business volume from the year before. Under the Código Municipal, you file the Declaración de Volumen de Negocio within five business days after April 15 (April 22 in 2026), and pay in two halves due July 1 and January 2, or all at once when you file, with a 5% discount.

Questions

Is a no-show the same as a late cancellation?

No. A no-show doesn't come and doesn't tell you. A late cancellation tells you, but with less notice than your policy asks for. Many policies treat them differently.

Is a commission split the same as an app's commission?

No. A commission split is how a business and its employees share the price of each service. An app's commission is a cut the app takes from your appointments. Bookeao Pro won't take one.

Do I have to charge IVU on my services?

It depends on the service and your business, so ask your accountant. This glossary explains the terms; it isn't tax advice.

This guide gives dates and general information, not legal or tax advice. Check the details with your accountant or the agency named.