How Can You Charge a PITA Tax?

By Nina Kaufman, Esq.

A PITA Tax is an aggravation surcharge.

It’s an extra charge you add to your fees if a client demands an unreasonable turnaround time, keeps changing their mind, or adds more to your plate than you originally agreed.

Sounds good, right?

But how does it work? How can you “get away with it”?

Here are three things that solo and small firm owners can keep in mind when imposing a PITA Tax:

They are:

  1. If you have it in your client agreement, USE it!
  2. Before getting sucked into the aggravation, remind your client you’ll add it
  3. It’s a way to stand your ground for how you want your business to run

We teach people how to treat us.

And if you’re too afraid of losing a client, they’ll ride roughshod over you and you won’t earn what you deserve.

For lots of other tips on setting healthy boundaries with your clients, download a free copy of my report, How to Send Invoices Your Clients Pay FASTER.


To get free access to our digital resources on the topic, visit kaufmanbusinesslaw.com/resources.

Contact Us