Late fees are the fees automatically added to your facility's unpaid invoices, based on a policy you configure. This article explains how to configure the policy, when the warning email is sent, when the fee is generated, and what to do if a fee was applied by mistake.
Who this article is for
Configuring late fees requires the Owner or Manager role. Viewing late-fee invoices is available to every role. If you don't see the Late Fees tab in settings, ask an Owner on your team.
Before you configure
Late fees are automatic: a daily process generates them without manual intervention. Each facility has its own policy, configured in Settings > Late Fees. The calculation is based on the payment-failure date or the invoice date, depending on the invoice type.
Configure late fees
Step 1.
From the left menu, click Settings, then open the Late Fees tab in the tab bar.
Step 2.
The Late fee configuration section appears. Check Enable late fees to turn on the master switch: if it's unchecked, no fee will be generated no matter what the other settings say.
Step 3.
Set the Grace period (days): the number of days after the payment failure before the fee is applied (typical value: 5 to 7 days). This field can no longer be changed once set.
Step 4.
Choose the Fee type: Fixed amount (for example $15) or Percentage of invoice (for example 5%).
Step 5.
Set the Fee amount ($) or Fee percentage (%) depending on the type you chose, then decide whether taxes apply with Apply taxes to late fees.
Step 6.
Click Save fees.
Verify a late fee was applied
Late fees show up as separate invoices linked to the original unpaid invoice.
Step 1.
Open the overdue invoice from the Invoices list.
Step 2.
The Summary or Recent activity section shows whether a late fee has already been generated.
Step 3.
The new late-fee invoice also appears in the Invoices list, starting in Open status.
What happens automatically
Timeline of an unpaid invoice
Day 0. Payment is charged and the card is declined: the invoice stays Open, the payment failure is recorded, gate access may be suspended, and the customer gets a payment-failure email.
Day 1 through grace − 1. Grace period. The customer can pay any time through their portal or with an updated card. No late fee is applied yet.
Day grace − 3 (if the grace is ≥ 4 days). The customer gets a warning email announcing that a late fee will be applied soon if they don't pay.
Day grace. The daily process generates a new invoice for the late fee, according to the facility's configuration. This new invoice follows its own payment cycle.
Day grace + N. The late fee can accumulate over multiple cycles if the original invoice stays unpaid, depending on the facility's policy.
On a payment failure
The original invoice stays Open. Stripe may retry automatically depending on the connected account's configuration. Gate access may be suspended depending on the configured provider, and a payment-failure email is sent to the customer. The failure is recorded on the invoice: that moment is the reference point for the grace period.
On a successful payment (manual or retry)
The invoice moves to Paid. If all of the customer's other rental invoices are paid, gate access is restored and the customer gets a receipt email.
Special case — a very short grace period
If the grace period is 3 days or less, the warning email is not sent (the window is too short to be useful). The fee is generated directly at the end of the grace period.
Key statuses and fields
Field | Meaning |
Enable late fees | Master switch. If unchecked, no fee will be generated. |
Grace period (days) | Delay before the fee after a failed payment; fixed once set. |
Fee type | Fixed dollar amount or a percentage of the unpaid invoice. |
Percentage of invoice | Fee as a percentage of the unpaid amount (e.g. 5% of $200 = $10). |
Common issues
No late fee was applied even though an invoice is overdue. Why?
What to check: is Enable late fees checked? Has the grace period actually passed? Is the customer exempt?
What to do: turn on the configuration if needed. If everything looks correct and the fee should have been generated, contact support to check the daily process.
The customer didn't get a warning before the fee. Why?
What to check: is the grace period 3 days or less?
What to do: this is expected behavior, no warning is sent for short grace periods. Increase the grace to 4 days or more if you want the warning.
A fee was applied to an exempt customer. What do I do?
What to check: was an exemption configured for this rental or this customer?
What to do: if the exemption existed, contact support, the fee shouldn't have been generated. Support can cancel the fee.
The customer is asking to cancel an already-issued late fee. What do I do?
What to check: cancelling an already-generated fee is not a self-serve workflow.
What to do: contact support for a manual adjustment. You can also issue a refund if the fee invoice was already paid. See the Invoices article.
The late fee keeps accumulating on the same unpaid invoice. Why?
What to check: does every billing cycle trigger a new fee under your policy?
What to do: confirm the policy with the facility owner. If the accumulation isn't intended, adjust the configuration.
Common questions
How do I turn on late fees for my facility?
Go to Settings, open the Late Fees tab, check Enable late fees, choose the grace period and fee type, then save.
When is the warning email sent to the customer?
Three days before the end of the grace period, provided the grace is at least four days. If the grace is shorter, no warning is sent.
Why wasn't a late fee applied even though an invoice is overdue?
Check that Enable late fees is checked, that the grace period has passed, and that the customer isn't exempt.
How do I cancel a late fee that was applied by mistake?
Stortech doesn't yet have a self-serve option to cancel a fee that's already been issued. Contact support for a manual adjustment.
Can the fee accumulate over multiple cycles?
Yes, depending on the configured policy. If the original invoice stays unpaid each cycle, a new late fee can be generated.