Membership Dues

Due Dates and Prorating

Member dues are $59+HST per month, and are due on the 7th of the month the dues are for. As a reminder, invoices are sent out by email between the 7th and 10th of the preceding month (specifically, 21 days before the end of the month).

For example, on December 10 you would receive an invoice for $66.67, which is due on January 7 and covers January’s dues.

When you make your first payment, it is applied to the next upcoming full month, which means one of two things depending on what day it is.

If you make your first payment before the 7th it applies to the current month
if you make that payment on or after the 8th, it applies to the next month and your account won’t be active yet. To activate your membership before the next month, please also make a prorated partial payment according to the schedule below:

Date Range	Prorating %	Prorated Payment	Total Due (incl. first full month)
1st to 7th	0%	$0	$66.67
8th to 14th	75%	$50.00	$116.67
15th to 21st	50%	$33.33	$100.01
22nd to 28th	25%	$16.66	$83.34
29th, 30th, 31st (if applicable)	0%	$0	$66.67

Note: the amount due for the remainder of the first month is based on when you make your initial payment, not on when you receive your acceptance email

If paying using the PayPal links provided, the prorated amount (if applicable) and first full month will be paid immediately and the regular amount ($66.67) will be paid between the 1st and 7th of each subsequent month (skipping the first full month, which you’ve already paid for).

Payment Options

To simplify our accounting we currently only accept online payments. The easiest option is to set up automatically monthly electronic payments for your dues ($66.67 per month), which can be done through PayPal or automatic bank transfer:

PayPal is easiest, just click this button:

Please note that PayPal doesn’t let you adjust the date that a monthly subscription gets processed. Your payment will go through each month on the date that you first submitted the form. So, you may want to wait until somewhere around the 20th before setting that up.
Automatic bank transfer: Many banks will set up a recurring transfer transaction to another bank account. This requires you go in and talk to a teller in person. If you want to set this up, please contact our Treasurer (treasurer (at) kwartzlab.ca) for our bank account details.
We will also accept online payments via INTERAC E-Transfer to: accounts (at) kwartzlab.ca

We do not accept cash or cheque.

If you have any questions about payment methods please contact “treasurer (at) kwartzlab.ca”.

What do Dues Cover?

Your dues cover all of Kwartzlab’s all of operating expenses. This includes our rent, property & liability insurance, hydro & utilities, internet services, space improvements, cleaning supplies, tool maintenance, etc. A full breakdown of these expenses is available from our Treasurer at any time.

Generally speaking, member dues do not cover the purchase of new tools. Instead, we typically finance these through donations (including member donations in the form of a “group buy”) and grant money.

What if I Can’t Pay?

Any number of things can impact a member’s ability to pay dues. If this happens, please talk to the Board of Directors (bod (at) kwartzlab.ca) right away. While all active members are responsible for dues each month, we would prefer to not have you become indebted to us if you genuinely can’t pay. In many cases, we’ll suggest that you go on hiatus for a few months, until your fortunes turn around.

While on hiatus, you’ll be able to remain a part of the larger Kwartzlab community, and still visit the space as a guest of other members or during open events. Your account must be up to date, in order to apply for hiatus, so it is important that you do this before your account falls into arrears.

If you withdraw or are terminated with an amount owing for months where you have used the space, it will need to be paid before any re-application will be considered. If you haven’t been in the space while your membership lapsed, the outstanding balance may be waived, but this is not guaranteed.

If you fall behind, the following will happen

If you are 1 month overdue:

A statement will be sent out by email to remind you to send in payment.

If you are 2 months overdue:

A suspension notice will be sent via email, and your key will be disabled.

If you are 3 months overdue:

The Board will have to consider whether or not to terminate your membership.
In the unfortunate circumstance that your membership is terminated, you may need to bring it back into good standing before the Board will consider your re-application.

Member Hiatus and Withdrawal Guidelines

There are a few reasons why a member may wish to request a hiatus period:

They are planning to be out of town for an extended period of time for work or vacation (longer than a couple weeks), but will be back at a known date.
They are struggling financially, and need a break to get their affairs in order but would like to stay connected to the kwartzlab community.
There’s a life event taking priority, leaving no time for using kwartzlab (wedding, new family member, family illness, etc).

And other times where withdrawing their membership is a better option:

They are moving out of town, or otherwise won’t be able to access kwartzlab for the forseeable future (or for more than a year).
They don’t think they’ll have the time or interest to make use of kwartzlab any time soon.
Any time they want to go on an indefinite hiatus. It’s great to keep in touch, and hopefully we’ll see you at a TON or other public event in the future, but for various reasons we can’t offer indefinite hiatuses.

FAQ:

When should I send in my request for hiatus?

We ask that you plan ahead, and send in your request at least 1 month prior to your intended start date. Why? Hiatus requests can only be processed at monthly Board Meetings. The meeting dates are posted on the Kwartzlab calendar (visit the website for access, or ask to be added to the Google Calendar). Retro-active requests may not be successful.

How long can I take a hiatus for?

There is currently no limit set on the length of a single hiatus period, and each request is considered by the Board on a case by case basis. A hiatus must have a start and end date, it cannot be indefinite.

Can I take a hiatus for one month?

No. The minimum hiatus period is 2 months.

How many hiatus periods can I take in a year?

The Board will allow a member to take up to two hiatus periods per year. Or one hiatus with one extension.

I am currently on hiatus, and my period is ending soon, but I need more time before I am ready to come back to the lab. What do I do?

The Board will consider an extension request to a currently active hiatus. We ask that you make your request at minimum, 1 month in advance so there is time to process your request at the monthly Board Meeting.

I’ve extended my hiatus once already and am not yet in a position where I can pay my dues. What do I do?

At this point, we would suggest that you withdraw your membership and re-apply through the normal membership application process when you’re ready to rejoin. Please see the section below regarding Membership Withdrawals.

I’m currently on hiatus, but would like to return a month early. Can I do this?

Yes, of course! Please notify the Board, and resume the regular dues payment schedule. The only exception to this would be taking a 2 month hiatus, and terminating it with 1 month left to go. The 2 month minimum period is not negotiable.

Can I still use the tools during my hiatus if I visit on a Tuesday Open Night?

During your hiatus, you give up the privileges of membership that allow you key card access to the building and use of tools and space. If you are visiting the space during your hiatus, you are considered a guest, and may only use the facilities under our guest rules. For example, if you wish to use the laser, only an active member can run the job for you, and they must remain with you while the machine is running.

For your information, here are the Kwartzlab Bylaws for Membership Hiatus:

A member may apply to the Board to have their membership placed on hiatus for a period of no less than two months. Such application must specify the start and end dates of the hiatus. The Board may approve a member’s hiatus by resolution at a meeting of the Board.
During the time a member is on hiatus, they are not required to pay dues, nor shall they have any of the privileges afforded a member, except for the privilege of voting at members meetings called after the hiatus was requested.
A member may voluntarily terminate their hiatus at any time by notifying the Board of Directors they wish to do so and paying their monthly dues for the current month. No discounts shall be given for partial months.

Eligibility for Hiatus

Members must be in good standing (not behind on their dues)

To Request a Member Hiatus

Send an e-mail to [email protected] with the subject “Hiatus Request” with the following information:
- The reason you’d like to take a hiatus period.
- The duration of the hiatus (must be in whole month periods). For example, a 3 month period between March 1st – June 1st.
Your request will be acknowledged by the Membership Coordinator via e-mail, and they will inform you of the Board Meeting date where your request will be voted on by the Board of Directors.

Upon Approval

You will be notified of your status and your key will be disabled for the time of your hiatus. You will remain subscribed to all mailing lists + Slack. You will still retain voting rights during this period.
You are expected to remove all personal projects from the storage area and your locker before your hiatus period begins.
Please remember to stop your recurring payments when going on hiatus.

Membership Withdrawal

If your membership is no longer serving you, you may send in a resignation.

To formally withdraw, we ask that you send a notice to [email protected] with the subject “Withdrawing Membership”. You will be asked to stop payments on your dues, remove all your belongings from the lab, and return your key.

If your situation changes and you’d like to rejoin the lab at a later date, you will be required to go through the application process again.

If you are behind on your payments when you decide to withdraw, we ask that you bring your account into good standing before leaving the lab. If you leave in bad standing, you will likely be required to bring your payments back up to date before rejoining the lab.

Membership Termination

If your account falls into arrears:

The treasurer ([email protected]) will send an email to issue a warning at one month past the due date.
- Payments are due by the 7th of the month
- Ex. If November dues (which are due November 7th) are not paid by December 7, you are considered one month behind in payment and a warning is sent.
If your account becomes 2 months overdue, you will be considered suspended. At this time your key card will be disabled until payment is brought back into good standing. Another e-mail notice will be sent.
If your account becomes 3 months overdue, your membership will be terminated. A final e-mail notice will be sent.
In the unfortunate circumstance that your membership is terminated for non-payment, you will likely need to pay the owing amount in full before the Board will consider your re-application.