Extended Care Surcharge: Getting Paid for Late Pickups
Written By Lucas Stefanski
Last updated 2 days ago
The Petersons book a three-night stay for their golden retriever, Max. They drop him off Monday at 9am and pickup is set for Thursday. Thursday comes and they don't roll in until 6pm. That's nearly a full extra day of care, but on a per-night stay you only billed through Thursday morning. The extended care surcharge bills for that late pickup automatically, so you're paid for the hours you actually worked.
ℹ️ Extended care only applies to stays charged per night. Appointments and stays charged per day are never affected. More on why below.
How it works
A stay charged per night bills in 24-hour blocks starting from drop-off. If Max arrives Monday at 9am, the last night you bill ends Thursday at 9am. Any care past that on departure day is time you'd otherwise give away for free.
Extended care closes that gap. It compares the pickup time of day to the drop-off time of day. When the pickup runs later by more than your grace period, a fee is added once to the stay.
Why appointments and per-day stays are left out
Appointments (walks, drop-ins, daycare) are single visits with their own start and end time, so there's no overnight time to leak.
Stays charged per day already bill the full departure day, so a late pickup is already covered.
Not sure how a service is charged? See Setting Up Your Services and Pricing for per-night versus per-day stays.
Turning it on
Open Settings, Surcharges and choose Extended Care. Switch it on, then pick how you want to charge.
Single rate and grace period
The simplest setup: one flat fee for any late pickup, plus a grace period so a few minutes over doesn't trigger a charge.
The grace period is your cushion past the drop-off time. With a two-hour grace period and a 9am drop-off, pickups up to 11am are free. The fee only applies once the pickup runs more than two hours late.
For example: You set a flat $30 extended care fee with a two-hour grace period. Max is dropped off at 9am Monday and picked up at 1pm Thursday, four hours past the 9am drop-off time. That's well over the grace period, so a one-time $30 fee is added to the stay. A noon pickup at exactly two hours would still be free.
Tiered by hours
If a pickup two hours late and a pickup eight hours late shouldn't cost the same, charge in tiers. Each tier sets how many extra hours unlock it, and the highest tier the pickup reaches is the one charged. The lowest tier doubles as your grace period: a pickup that doesn't reach it is free.
For example: Using the tiers above, an 8am drop-off with an 11am pickup is three hours late, so the 3+ hour tier applies and $30 is added. A pickup before 9am is under one hour late, reaches no tier, and is free.
Fixed amount or percentage
Either rate type works for single or tiered pricing.
Fixed amount adds the same dollar figure every time.
Percentage is based on the nightly rate, not the whole stay. A 50% fee on a stay that runs $60 a night adds $30, whether it's a two-night or a ten-night booking.
Where it shows up
The fee lands on its own line on the bookings and invoices, labeled as extended care, so clients see exactly what they're paying for. You can adjust or remove it on any individual invoice when a stay is an exception.
