How late can you reschedule or cancel, and how?
The ETS 2026–2027 Bulletin sets the same deadline for rescheduling and canceling: at least 4 full days before the test date. ETS adds that if it does not receive your request at least 4 days in advance, your registration fee is not refunded. The date ETS receives the request matters, not the day you decide to write.
ETS gives this example for counting: if your appointment is on Saturday, you must reschedule or cancel by Tuesday at the latest. The Bulletin does not give a cutoff time or time zone for this deadline, though it does for others: express phone registration closes at 5 p.m. the day before the test, in the test center’s local time, and you can change score-report recipients until 10 p.m. that same day. Since no time is published for the Tuesday deadline, do not wait until Tuesday evening; submit your request as soon as you know you will not be ready.
The standard method is through your ETS account, which the Bulletin calls the easiest option. For rescheduling by phone, it directs you to the regional contact details on the TOEFL contact page. Appointments cannot be rescheduled or canceled by mail, email, or at the test center; a message to the center or an email address does not count as a request. The Bulletin does not distinguish between test-center and Home Edition appointments here.
Two other reminders in the same Bulletin affect your choice of a new date. If you already have an appointment, you cannot book another within 3 days of it; accounts and registrations are nontransferable, so you cannot give your place to someone else.
How much does rescheduling cost, and how much does cancellation refund?
Rescheduling has a separate fee: ETS’s fee page sets it at US$69 before tax, like the other additional fees listed here. For cancellations within the deadline, the general rule is an automatic refund of 50% of the original registration fee. South Korea has a special policy: the Bulletin provides a 100% refund within 7 days of registration, then 50% up to 4 days before the test, and no refund starting 3 days before. Refunds are made in the original payment currency and to the original payment method; ETS says cash refunds are not available.
Registration fees vary by location; ETS displays them only after you select a country, and we do not reproduce them here. Assuming the same registration fee and no special promotions, rescheduling moves your registration for US$69 before tax; canceling and registering again costs you half of the first fee, while the second registration is paid in full. In addition to the registration fee you will pay either way, compare the total rescheduling cost, including tax, with the amount lost by canceling (50% of the registration fee). Rescheduling costs less if its fee is below that half; canceling and registering again costs less if it is above; at equality they cost the same. This calculation uses the general 50% refund and excludes express registration, which may be added to a new registration if the new date is close. ETS does not compare the two options; this is our arithmetic, not a Bulletin rule.
Express registration also has a fee: US$49 before tax, in addition to the test price, for registration within 7 days of the test, according to the fee page. Regular online registration closes 7 full days before the test; express online registration closes 2 days before. Read the Bulletin carefully on refunds: it says express fees are also refunded, but this appears in the lines after the South Korea table, immediately after a sentence about the 100% refund period that the Bulletin defines only for South Korea (7 days after registration). For tests elsewhere, the Bulletin does not explicitly say that express fees are included in the 50% refund. Do not count on this unless ETS states it for your country.
The table below summarizes situations addressed by the Bulletin and what you pay or lose in each. Dollar amounts come from ETS’s fee page, checked October 15, 2026; additional fees are before tax. Check the total due in your ETS account.
| Situation | What ETS says | What you pay or lose |
|---|---|---|
| Reschedule at least 4 full days before the date | Request rescheduling through your ETS account | Rescheduling fee: US$69 before tax |
| Cancel at least 4 full days before the date, excluding South Korea’s special policy | Automatic refund of 50% of the original registration fee, in the payment currency | Half of the registration fee |
| Request received less than 4 days before the date | Registration fee not refunded; ETS does not say whether late rescheduling is possible | Fees already paid |
| No-show for a session not canceled by ETS | No-show: no refund or credit of any kind | Fees already paid |
| Scores canceled at the end of the test | Scores not reported; no refund | Test fee; US$20 before tax to reinstate scores |
| Choose to report scores | Once you choose this at the end of the test, scores can no longer be canceled | Not applicable |
| Session canceled by ETS | Fees transferred to a new appointment, or full refund on request | Nothing; no rescheduling fee if ETS moves the appointment |
What happens if fewer than 4 days remain, or if you do not show up?
With fewer than 4 days remaining, the written deadline rule applies: without a request received at least 4 days in advance, fees are not refunded. The Bulletin does not say whether ETS still allows late rescheduling or at what cost. It gives no exception to this deadline here; contact ETS using the details for your country to learn your options. An email alone does not count as a rescheduling request.
For a no-show, the text is clear: if you miss a session ETS has not officially canceled, you are considered absent and receive no refund or credit of any kind. The Bulletin says several test-day situations have the same financial result:
- At a test center, arriving or checking in after your assigned time means you cannot take the test and will not be refunded; ETS asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes early.
- At home, failing to begin check-in within 30 minutes after your scheduled time means the test is canceled and fees are not refunded; check-in opens 15 minutes early.
- Without valid, acceptable ID, you cannot take the test and fees are not refunded; ETS also says no refund is given if you did not follow registration procedures.
How do you cancel and reinstate scores?
Canceling a test and canceling scores are two different actions. At the end of the test, ETS lets you choose to report or cancel your scores; cancellation applies to all sections. If you cancel them, scores are reported neither to you nor to your designated recipients, and you receive no refund. If you choose to report them, they are added to your record and ETS says they can no longer be canceled.
Cancellation is not necessarily final. Scores canceled at the end of the test may be reinstated through your ETS account within 60 days of the test date, for US$20 before tax according to ETS’s fee page. After ETS receives and processes the request and payment, scores are reported to you and your designated institutions about 3 weeks later, according to the Bulletin. If you have an application deadline, count those 3 weeks from ETS’s receipt of the request and payment, not the test date.
Canceling your scores does not reset the rules for retaking the test. The Bulletin does not limit the total number of attempts, but prohibits taking the test more than once within a 3-day period, even if you canceled the scores from a previous attempt.
The score calculation, in the TOEFL guide GuideThe pitfall
Canceling scores impulsively or estimating the 4-day deadline?
It may be tempting to leave the test convinced you did poorly, cancel your scores, and assume no one will know. Consider what you know at that point. At the end of the test, the Bulletin says you may see unofficial Listening and Reading scores; it does not mention the other two sections. It also warns that these scores may differ from official scores after post-test statistical analysis. Your decision is therefore based on the preliminary figures the Bulletin makes available.
Cancellation gives nothing back: no refund and no earlier retake, because the 3-day rule still applies. If you change your mind, reinstatement costs US$20 before tax and takes about 3 weeks after ETS receives your request and payment. Choosing to report scores is final; once you make that choice at the end of the test, they cannot be canceled.
The same problem applies to the deadline: estimating 4 days from when you think of it, counting the test day, or waiting until the last evening. Use ETS’s example as your guide: Saturday test, request by Tuesday at the latest. Count back 4 days from your test date on a calendar and leave yourself a buffer, since this section of the Bulletin gives no cutoff time.
What happens if ETS cancels the session?
ETS may cancel a session for reasons beyond its control. The Bulletin lists severe weather, natural disasters such as floods or fires, acts of terrorism or vandalism, unsafe conditions at the test center, or another event. ETS will contact you by email or phone; the Bulletin asks you to keep the contact information in your ETS account current. Fees you paid are transferred to a new appointment or fully refunded upon request.
The Bulletin specifies three situations. If ETS moves your appointment before the test, you may choose another date without paying a rescheduling fee. If you travel to the center and learn the session is canceled, you may reschedule at no cost or receive a full refund, including taxes where applicable. If ETS cancels the session or your scores after the test and you incurred transportation expenses to reach the center, you may be eligible for reimbursement of reasonable, documented expenses for yourself only, within 30 days of the test date; keep your receipts.
There is a limitation: if ETS cancels your scores after the test, it alone decides, at its discretion, whether you qualify for a free retest or refund. If scores are canceled for fraud or misconduct, the Bulletin says fees are not refunded.
Key takeaways
- Reschedule or cancel at least 4 full days before the test, preferably through your ETS account, never by mail, email, or at the center; for a Saturday test, ETS’s example gives Tuesday as the latest day.
- Within the deadline, the general rule is a 50% refund of the registration fee, with a special policy for South Korea; rescheduling costs US$69 before tax. Express-fee refunds are stated clearly only in the South Korea section.
- After the deadline or in case of a no-show, fees are not refunded; ETS does not state here whether late rescheduling is possible.
- Canceling scores does not give a refund; they can be reinstated within 60 days for US$20 before tax. Scores cannot be canceled once you choose to report them, and the 3-day rule between attempts still applies.
- If ETS cancels the session, fees are transferred or fully refunded upon request.