Tutorac dormancy policy: what happens when a tutor or learner goes inactive

Sometimes a tutor stops showing up. Sometimes life happens to the learner. Tutorac’s dormancy policy says what happens when either side disappears — how long Tutorac waits, when cancellation kicks in, and how refunds are calculated.

When the tutor goes dormant

If a tutor is inactive for three consecutive classes, you have the right to cancel the batch.

The standard Tutor Cancellation Policy applies (the more learner-favourable table).
If milestone completion is zero — no sessions delivered — you’re entitled to a 100% refund of the fees paid for that milestone.
If some completion has happened before the tutor disappeared, the standard Tutor Cancellation table applies based on the percentage at the moment of cancellation.

Tutorac Cancellation Policy section showing the brackets used for dormancy-triggered cancellations.

To invoke this, contact Tutorac Support with the batch ID, the dates of the 3 missed classes, and any chat history. Don’t just click cancel on your side — explain that the tutor has gone dormant so Tutorac records the cancellation as tutor-initiated.

When the learner goes dormant

If you (the learner) miss three consecutive classes, particularly in one-on-one sessions, Tutorac may advise the tutor to cancel the batch. The tutor is required to notify you of each missed class through both email and website notifications — so you’ll have heard from them before any cancellation happens.

Critically, in dormancy cases triggered by a learner’s absence:

Tutors are entitled to full payment for any class where they were available for at least 30 minutes, regardless of your participation.
For payment purposes, such sessions are treated as fully completed — a 30-minute availability for a 90-minute session counts as a complete 90-minute session.
Milestone progress is adjusted upward accordingly.

Once that adjusted percentage is determined, the Tutor Cancellation Policy applies (tutor cancels because of learner dormancy). The refund table is still the more learner-favourable one, but the higher completion percentage means a smaller refund — sometimes zero.

The 30-minutes-counts-as-full rule only kicks in if you’ve been dormant for three consecutive classes — missing one or two classes doesn’t trigger it.

When both go dormant

If both the tutor and the learner stop engaging, Tutorac doesn’t close the batch immediately. The process is:

Tutorac keeps the batch open for 60 days from the start of inactivity.
After three consecutive missed classes with no engagement from either side, a notice is issued to both tutor and learner.
Both parties have 7 days from that notice to take some form of action (resume sessions, message, mutually cancel).
If no one acts in those 7 days, the Tutor Cancellation Policy takes effect.
If no progress at all has been made on the milestone, the learner receives a 100% refund.

This protects you in the worst-case scenario where things just go quiet on all sides — you don’t lose your money to a milestone neither party engaged with.

How to avoid being marked dormant

If you need to miss a class, message the tutor on Tutorac Messages in advance. A rescheduled session isn’t a missed session.
For longer breaks, propose a pause in writing — Tutorac honours mutual pauses agreed on Messages.
Don’t rely on WhatsApp or external chats to reschedule — those don’t count toward the dormancy assessment.
Open and read the email + website notifications Tutorac sends after a missed class — they’re the formal record that the clock has started.

FAQs

What counts as a “missed class” for dormancy purposes?

A scheduled session that the party in question didn’t join. If you informed the tutor in advance through Tutorac Messages and you both agreed to reschedule, it’s not a missed class — it’s a postponement.

If the tutor showed up but I didn’t, is that a missed class on me?

Yes — from the platform’s perspective, you missed it. After three consecutive misses on your side, the dormancy rule activates and the tutor is entitled to count those sessions as delivered (if they were available 30+ minutes).

The tutor didn’t notify me of the missed classes via email. Does dormancy still apply?

Notification is required — if the tutor didn’t send the email + website notifications, raise it with Tutorac Support. Dormancy decisions are based on documented evidence; missing notifications weaken the tutor’s case.

Does the 60-day clock pause if I respond?

Yes — meaningful engagement (a message, attending the next session, agreeing on a reschedule) restarts the clock. Dormancy is about prolonged inaction, not a one-off missed class.

I went dormant because of a genuine emergency. Can I get the favourable refund anyway?

Tutorac Support handles genuine emergencies (medical, family bereavement, accidents) case-by-case. Provide evidence and reach out as soon as you can — the earlier, the better. The standard dormancy rule is a default, not the only outcome.

Last updated: 29 May 2026