Free tool · US and UK
The late-fee clause generator
Choose your dates and your fees, and get the paragraph for your engagement letter that turns late documents into paid overtime, with the third-party exception that removes the objection clients raise most.
Your clause
“To file on time, we need your complete documents by March 15. Documents received after that date are prepared in the order they arrive, with a late-preparation fee of 10% of your fee, rising to 25% of your fee for documents received after March 31. We can't guarantee filing by April 15 for documents received after March 31. If a document arrives late from a third party (an employer, bank or broker), send everything else by March 15 and that document within 5 days of receiving it, and no late fee applies.”
Paste it into your engagement letter. A template, not legal advice: check it against your professional rules.
A clause is half the job
The clause makes the fee fair. What makes clients send early is everything around it: the dates announced before the season, the reminders that go out before each one, a personal checklist for every client, and calm words for the ones who push back.
That's The Early Docs System: three dates, 28 ready emails and texts, the Late-Client Fee Kit, US and UK checklists and a tracker. Set up in about an hour.