Dues & Financials
Configuring dues
Set up the dues schedule for your community - frequency, due date, late window, and late fees. Covers when charges post, when changes apply, and how to migrate from a previous system.
Last updated September 25, 2026
Dues are the engine of HOA finances. Configuring them right means charges post on the right day, in the right amount, with the right late-fee behavior. This article walks through every setting and what it does.
Where to configure
Click Settings in the admin sidebar and find the Dues & Assessments panel.
Dues are set up as assessments. Each assessment carries its own name, amount, frequency, due date, and late fee, and applies either to every property or only to the ones you assign it to. Most communities start with one assessment called “Base Dues” applied to all properties. See Community Assessments and Property Assessments for adding extra charges and assigning them to specific homes.
The panel saves as you type.
Apply assessments automatically
At the top of the panel is Apply assessments automatically when due.
- On: each charge posts on its own schedule without anyone clicking anything.
- Off: nothing posts until you click Apply now - on an assessment in the panel, or on a single property.
Frequency
Two options per assessment:
| Frequency | When the charge posts | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | The 1st of every month | Most communities. Smoother cash flow. |
| Annual | January 1 | Smaller HOAs, or communities with low dues |
Quarterly and semi-annual schedules are not options.
Changing frequency affects future charges only. Past charges don’t retroactively re-bucket.
Due date
The day the charge is due.
- Monthly: set Due Day of Month. Typically the 1st; some communities use the 15th. Pick what your bylaws say.
- Annual: set Due Month and Due Day - typically tied to your fiscal year. May 1 and January 1 are common.
Charges post ahead of their due date: a monthly charge posts on the 1st and an annual charge on January 1, each carrying the due date you set. That gives residents notice before the charge is due. Residents see the new charge on their property’s ledger immediately.
Late After (days)
How many days after the due date before the late fee applies.
| Late After | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 days | The late fee applies on the due date if the property still owes money |
| 15 days | Common - gives people time to pay without penalty |
| 30 days | A lenient setting |
Set it to whatever your governing documents specify, and check your state’s rules on when late fees may be charged.
Late fee amount
What gets charged when a property still owes money after the late window. Late fees are a flat dollar amount (e.g., $25). Leave the field blank for no late fee.
Each late fee is recorded as its own line on the property’s ledger, labeled with the assessment and period it belongs to. It posts once per assessment per billing period, and only if the property still has a balance when the window passes. Past late fees stay on the ledger after the property pays.
When changes take effect
A consistent rule worth memorizing:
Dues setting changes apply to charges that have not posted yet. Past charges are not retroactively recalculated.
So if you raise dues or change the late fee on April 15, the charge that posts May 1 reflects the change. April’s charge (already posted) doesn’t change.
If you need to adjust past charges, do it as a manual ledger entry - see How the ledger works.
A safe starting point
A reasonable default for most US HOAs:
- One “Base Dues” assessment, Apply to all properties
- Frequency: monthly, due on the 1st
- Late After: 30 days
- Late fee: the flat amount your bylaws allow
Adjust from there based on your specific bylaws.
When dues run
With automatic application on, the system checks every community automatically once a day, in the morning (Central time). You don’t trigger it. Applying is safe to repeat: the system never bills a property twice for the same assessment and billing period. You can verify a run by checking Finances > Transactions in the admin sidebar for new dues charges.
Migrating from another system
If you’re coming from another HOA management tool or from spreadsheets:
- Set up your assessments first in the Dues & Assessments panel. Leave Apply assessments automatically when due off until you are ready.
- Import your property roster with each property’s outstanding balance as the Initial Balance field. See Importing your property roster.
- Pick a clean cutover date. Usually the next dues period start. From that date forward, HomeHerald runs the show.
- Turn on automatic application and stop the old system on the same date. Don’t run both in parallel - you’ll get duplicate charges and angry residents.
- Communicate. Send a community-wide announcement explaining the switch, with the join code and what residents need to do.
If the migration is complex (mid-period transitions, multiple billing schedules, prorations), email support@homeherald.ai before you start.
Common scenarios
”I want to raise dues by $25 across the community”
- Open the dues assessment in Dues & Assessments and change its Amount
- The next charge that posts picks up the new amount
- Send an announcement explaining the increase and when it takes effect
”Some properties pay $200 and some pay $300 - is that supported?”
Yes. Create one assessment per rate with Apply to all properties unchecked, then add the right one to each property from its edit screen. Or give everyone a $200 base and add a $100 assessment to the properties that pay more. Each charge shows as its own line on the ledger.
”We’re switching from annual to monthly billing”
- Change the assessment’s Frequency from Annual to Monthly
- Change its Amount to the monthly figure (the annual amount divided by 12)
- The next monthly charge picks it up
- Past annual charges stay as they were
”We want to charge interest on overdue balances, not just a flat late fee”
Late fees are flat amounts only. Interest-based or percentage-based fees aren’t built in. If your bylaws require them, calculate and apply them manually as one-off charges.
Where to go next
- Community Assessments and Property Assessments - extra charges and per-home assignments
- How the ledger works - what happens after dues post
- Enabling Stripe payments - so residents can actually pay
- Importing your property roster - bring in balances and properties