Software for kids' party entertainers: deposits, travel and the balance

Magicians, face painters, balloon artists and character performers all have the same Saturday problem: four parties across the county, each booked through a different text thread, each with a deposit that may or may not have arrived. The money questions are always the same too. Did they pay the deposit, how far is the drive, and how will they pay the rest on the day?

From a parent's inquiry to the party

1. A parent taps the link on your Instagram or the QR code on the business card you left at the last party, and lands on your Scheduling page.
2. Each package is a meeting type: "60-minute magic show", "2-hour face painting". Set 90 minutes of buffer for the drive and setup, 48 hours' minimum notice, and booking up to a year ahead.
3. The booking questions (up to 10) ask what you need to show up ready: the address and ZIP, the birthday child's name and age, the number of kids, the theme, and whether there's a covered area if it rains.
4. Turn on charge to book with a fixed deposit, for example $75, and a refund window of 72 hours (any window up to 30 days works). A parent who cancels at least 72 hours ahead gets the deposit back on its own; a later cancellation keeps it with you.
5. Travel zone: if the ZIP is outside your free radius, add a travel line to the balance invoice. Or create separate meeting types per zone, each with its own deposit.
6. The balance invoice goes out the morning of the party with a card pay link, and your Venmo or Zelle handle in the payment instructions. If they pay cash at the door, mark it paid.

A typical Saturday

• Friday evening: four reminder emails went out 24 hours ahead, each with the time and your arrival window.
• Saturday 9 a.m.: the 1-hour reminder reaches the 10 a.m. family. You leave with the address from their booking answers.
• Saturday 11:30: the balance from the first party is paid by card from the invoice link before you're back in the car.
• Saturday afternoon: a parent at the third party scans the QR on your card and books her son's party in March, deposit paid.
• Sunday: the follow-up email has gone to each family with your review link. You log balloons, face paint and mileage in Expenses.

All 13 tools, one by one

How a kids' party entertainer uses each tool. Scheduling and Invoicing do most of the work.

• Link in Bio: your Instagram and Facebook bio link with packages, photos from past parties, the booking page and a signup for your holiday-show dates.
• Short Links: a QR code on your business cards and on the sign at your table that opens the booking page, with a count of scans after each party.
• Forms: a quote request for daycares, schools and community events with several performers or a longer show, which then get a proposal instead of a booking.
• Scheduling: each package as a meeting type with a deposit, a refund window, travel buffer and the party details asked at booking. Reminders go out 24 hours and 1 hour before.
• Proposals: the quote for a school fair or a corporate family day with several hours or performers, with a deposit percentage.
• E-Signatures: rarely needed for a birthday party, where the booking terms cover it. Useful for a corporate or city event contract and its insurance requirements.
• Document Tracking: your package sheet and the performer requirements for event organizers as a PDF, with a record of who opened it.
• Screen Recording: a short video of your setup for a venue coordinator who asks how much space and power you need.
• Notes & Boards: a board with this month's parties and props to prepare, and a page with your character costumes and their cleaning schedule.
• Time Tracking: barely useful for birthday parties. It helps when a community event pays by the hour and runs long.
• Invoicing: the balance due on the day, with a travel line when the party is outside your zone, a card pay link and your Venmo or Zelle details as text.
• Expenses: balloons, face paint, props, costume cleaning and mileage between parties, each with its receipt.
• Automations: when a party is booked, the parent gets your prep note (space, power, a table); when the balance is paid, a thank-you with your review link goes out.

The miles between parties

For a business that drives to every job, mileage adds up. The IRS standard mileage rate for business use is 72.5 cents a mile for January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents a mile from July 1, 2026. Keep a log of each trip (date, destination, miles, purpose). The travel fee you charge the parent is income, and the miles are a separate question for your accountant.

This is general information, not tax advice. Your accountant can tell you how it applies to you.

SoloWOS or Acuity Scheduling: which fits

Acuity is a scheduler with packages and text reminders. SoloWOS has less on the booking side and more around it: invoices for the balance, proposals for big events, Link in Bio and Short Links. If most of your parties come from a marketplace like GigSalad or The Bash, check their fees and rules on their sites first.

Choose Acuity if:

• Parents expect a text reminder the day before, or you sell gift certificates for a party.
• Booking is all you need, and the balance is always cash or Venmo on the day.

Choose SoloWOS if:

• You want the deposit at booking and an invoice for the balance in one account.
• You also quote schools and community events, and want your bio link and QR codes in the same place.

See Acuity Scheduling vs SoloWOS for the full comparison.

Prices and features checked between October 17 and 23, 2026 on each company's site.

Start with these three

Scheduling with one meeting type per package and charge to book on, Invoicing for the balance, and Short Links for the QR code on your business cards. That's the whole loop from one party to the next.

Free tools that help

• Mileage deduction calculator for a Saturday of driving between parties.
• QR code generator for your business cards.
• Payment fee calculator to see what a card deposit costs you in fees.
• Receipt generator for a parent who pays cash and wants a receipt.

What SoloWOS won't do for a party entertainer

• No automatic travel fee by distance: ask for the ZIP and add the travel line yourself, or use one meeting type per zone.
• No text reminders, only email.
• No group bookings: each slot takes one party.
• No yearly rebooking automation: waits top out at 90 days, so next year's birthday reminder is on you.
• No point of sale for cash or card at the door; the invoice link works on the parent's phone.
• SoloWOS doesn't file taxes, issue 1099s or collect sales tax for you. Invoicing sends the invoice with a pay link (card through your Stripe account) and your other payment details; your accountant or tax software handles the rest.