Late fee

Late fees are issued to people who do not pay on time and don't honor a lease or obligation for which they are responsible.

[2] Public libraries in New York began charging overdue fees in the late 1800s at a rate of 1 cent/day.

[5] Many libraries also offer alternatives and amnesties in order to encourage patrons to return overdue books.

[10] They argue that it is imperative that the library staff understand its patrons' financial situations, and that the barrier-to-use posed by fines is an underlying problem that needs to be addressed.

[12] Later that year, due to the economic hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic, many libraries suspended fines for late materials.

People who do not return library property after an extended period of time may face arrest or a negative action on their credit reports in some jurisdictions.

[14] Punitive measures such as these are typically used to recover stolen library property, not to enforce late fees.

Such mail typically received a special postmark to note the late fee paid.

These people will be forced to pay even higher fees for the same services, and will find making future timely payments to their creditors even more difficult.