# Put the no-show fee in writing before the date

> Set the notice window, the fee, who is charged, and the province. Copy a retainer clause and a shorter reminder email.

Source: https://imecore.com/tools/no-show-fee-notice-generator

This tool runs entirely in the browser. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.

## How to use it

1. **Set the notice window.** 24, 48, or 72 hours before the scheduled start.
2. **Enter the fee and who is charged.** Referring party is the usual contracting party. Examinee only if they signed.
3. **Pick the province.** The hold-up note changes for Quebec penalty rules.
4. **Copy the clause and the email.** Put the clause in the retainer. Send the short version when you confirm the date.

## The empty slot is already spent

The examiner blocked the morning. The room is booked. The coordinator cannot fill a two-hour independent examination at 6 p.m. the night before. A no-show without a written fee is an argument on the invoice. A fee without prior notice is an argument in a different place. Write the window and the amount in the retainer, then say it again in the booking email.

## Published figures are a reference, not your tariff

The SEAK 2024 IME fee survey reports an average no-show fee of $955 USD. New York State's schedule caps a cancellation inside 48 hours at $500 USD. Those are published US figures. They are not a Canadian fee schedule. Enter the amount you actually charge. Keep it in line with the lost session. A number chosen to punish is the number that gets attacked.

## Charge the party who agreed

The referring party signed the retainer. The examinee often did not. Charging a person who never agreed is how a clean clause fails. In Quebec, a stipulated penalty can be reduced if it is out of proportion. In the common-law provinces, the usual attack is that the sum is a penalty, not a genuine pre-estimate of loss. State the loss you are estimating. Staff time. The unused session. The slot you cannot refill.

## Questions people ask

### Who should be charged?

The referring party, unless the examinee signed the booking contract. An unsigned examinee is a weak target.

### What notice window should I use?

Use the window you can actually honour. 48 hours is common. Put the same window in the retainer and in the reminder email.

### Where do the $955 and $500 figures come from?

SEAK 2024 IME fee survey for the average US no-show fee of $955 USD. New York State's schedule for a $500 USD cap on cancellation inside 48 hours. They are references, not your fee.

### Is this legal advice?

No. It drafts notice language. Counsel should review the clause against the contract and the province.