What to charge

[barbara07675]

I have no idea on what to charge for signing services. Also, when you travel, can you charge for mileage, time or expenses?

[RiverpointeTax]

What you charge is a business decision based your operating costs and profitability. Factor into your costs; paper, business cards, marketing costs, printer cartridges and maintenance, computer costs, your labor, your vehicle operating cost (either the IRS standard mileage deduction or actual costs, not both), and tertiary costs such as professional services, bookkeeping, tax preparation, mentors, Taxes, etc…

As far as mileage is concerned you can us anything you’d like to calculate for travel costs. I charge by the hour for anything over 20 (one way) miles. If you charge by the mile and your stuck in traffic you’re not getting paid. When you bill by the hour you’re getting paid while waiting for traffic to clear. Your mileage should be for the round trip. Your vehicle deductions are separate from what you bill for.

[cNsa5]

@barbara07675 Great question. You may find this post helpful (on a different thread from the Notary Cafe database):

I need help with calculating the true costs of doing business

It would be in your best interest to jot down all of the expenses associated with performing the services you provide within your service region to determine a baseline operating cost. Then, at that point, you can calculate the fees that will generate a net profit to determine if you’ll have a Profit or sustain a Loss at that rate. There are many items to consider within your Overhead calculations. Here are a few to get you started: • telephone expenses including cell phone equipment and month…