Glossary
Fuel surcharge
A separate charge for fuel, not a substitute for a contractual escalator.
Fuel surcharges show up on landscaping, hauling, and snow invoices because fuel actually moves. They are allowed only if the contract, or a published schedule the contract incorporates, allows them. They are not the annual escalator under another name.
Updating the surcharge and skipping the escalator is a common miss. The surcharge feels like an increase, so the anniversary percent is left in the PDF. The customer is paying one of the two amounts the contract contemplated.
A cap on the maintenance fee or the hauling fee does not automatically cap the surcharge, and surcharge dollars do not count toward satisfying the escalator. Keep the lines separate on the worksheet.
If the contract is silent on fuel, a new surcharge is a new price, not an escalator. It needs its own authority. The audit will not invent one.
Related terms
See it used in a worked example · CPI calculator · Request an audit
Sources and limits
Index levels from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, not seasonally adjusted, retrieved through the BLS Public Data API on November 1, 2026. Values are index points, not the headline 12-month percent.
Statewide rates reflect U.S. Department of Labor state minimum-wage postings as updated January 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Note on 2026 increases, and, for the prior-year comparison and named local rates, the National Employment Law Project compilation published in November 2025. Confirm the rate that applies to the workplace before using it in a bill.
The contracts in these worksheets are fictional. The prices are chosen so the arithmetic is easy to check. They are not a price survey and they are not client results.
RateClause is not a law firm. Nothing on this page is legal advice. Your clause controls, including whether a past period can be rebilled at all.
Primary postings: BLS Consumer Price Index, U.S. Department of Labor, state minimum wages, U.S. Department of State notice of 2026 minimum-wage increases.