Do you accept early morning drop offs and pickups? Do you charge extra? What do you consider "early"? I'm thinking about no longer accepting early morning times unless it's for a longer stay, but I feel bad rejecting requests since usually what I consider early isn't early for most people since I don't have a "typical" 8-5 job. What do you do?
I work night shift three nights a week, so my morning is far different than most people's. I usually avoid drop offs prior to 11 am, since that is the earliest I can reasonably get up after getting to bed at 5 am and hope to function for the day, and I greatly prefer drop offs after noon. I make some exceptions depending on the circumstances - I've allowed early (EARLY!) drop offs with dogs I'm familiar with so I can sleep after the dog arrives, and I have even picked a dog up on my way home from work rather than have them drop her off later when I would be asleep. Generally speaking I would only do this for a dog who is already comfortable in my house since otherwise I'm unlikely to sleep, but I've also done it twice in emergency circumstances and took the risk that I'd get little to no rest that day. The flip side is that I'm more than willing to do late pick ups, since I'm usually up until 4 am every day.
I don't charge extra if it's for my convenience, and rather than charging extra and losing out on sleep, I'd rather just decline.
I accept early morning arrivals and late night departures, primarily for boarding, though I've made exceptions for day care too. I don't charge extra based on the time of day, but do consider the total number of hours when booking. My earliest visitors come between 6-7 AM and the latest pick-ups were around 2-3 AM. While this is far beyond typical hours, these small good pups are regulars and there are reasons for the flexibility.
Another sitter I know has issues with a lot of morning activity, so she'll sometimes accept pups staying the prior evening (which is more convenient for her) at no extra charge.
I have it stated in my profile that my hours are 10 am to 9 pm, but I always discuss it with clients at the meet and greet. I have found that it's easier on the clients and me if they have an early/late flight to just book me either the day before or the day after. This gives them time to get everything done without rushing, plus I don't like people coming after dark, especially if it's a new client.