When you advertise your services or provide a quote, you must disclose the
 maximum total price clearly and conspicuously. 

• For Professionals: If you have a fixed fee for a consultation or a specific deliverable (e.g., “Tax Return Filing: $500”), you cannot add mandatory “administrative” or “filing” fees on top of that later unless they were included in the disclosed total. 

• For Contractors: If you provide a quote for labor and materials, you must be upfront about the total cost. You can no longer hide mandatory surcharges—like “truck fees” or “fuel recovery fees”—until the final invoice. 

You cannot misrepresent what a charge is for. 

• What to avoid: Don’t label an internal overhead cost as a “Government Compliance Fee” or a “Legal Documentation Tax.” If it’s a fee you’ve created to cover your own costs, it must be labeled accurately as such, not framed as a pass-through cost required by a third party or the law. 

The moment a client is deciding to hire you or select a specific service level, you must clearly show: 

• The Variables: Explain exactly what factors will change the final price (e.g., “Total price depends on the number of hours required for litigation”). 

• Mandatory Fees: Disclose any non-negotiable fees (e.g., “A mandatory $500 retainer/setup fee applies”). 

• Variation Warning: Explicitly state that the final price may vary. 

• The Calculation Method:  If it’s a flat fee, state the amount (e.g., “$150 per document”). 

• If it’s variable (like a commission or hourly rate), explain the math (e.g., “3% of assets under management,” or “$300/hour,” or, “$300 per hour billed in 15-minute increments”).