Early termination fee.
A penalty charge a software vendor collects when you cancel a multi-year contract before its end date. In HVAC field service software, early termination fees (ETFs) typically run $39,000–$46,000 and are buried in the master service agreement.
$46,000. That's a documented ETF one ServiceTitan customer faced after trying to switch software mid-contract. ServiceTitan ETFs have been reported in the range of $39,000–$46,000, with some Jobber and FieldEdge agreements carrying their own exit penalties at lower but still painful amounts. The fee usually equals the remaining monthly subscription payments through the contract end date — so a shop locked into a 3-year deal at month 10 owes 26 months of invoices upfront.
The ETF mechanic creates a specific kind of trap for residential HVAC shops. You sign during a high-pressure sales cycle — often a multi-day "onboarding event" — commit to 2–3 years, and only discover the total liability when you try to leave. ServiceTitan's 6–12 month onboarding window means you can spend nearly a year still learning the software and already be deep inside a contract with five-figure exit costs attached.
Operators who've been through it describe it the same way: the ETF isn't about recovering the vendor's costs — it's about making the switching decision feel financially impossible. When your dispatch board is finally working and callbacks are under control, you swallow the frustration rather than write a $40K check to leave. That's the intended effect.
The antidote is simple to say, harder to remember at contract time: read the MSA before you sign, calculate your total ETF exposure at each year of the contract, and treat any deal without month-to-month flexibility as a long-term financial commitment — not just a software subscription. Run a Call ships at $499/mo today with no multi-year lock-in, specifically because a shop with 5–15 techs shouldn't need a lawyer to exit their field service software.
Frequently asked
How much is a typical early termination fee for HVAC field service software?
Documented ServiceTitan ETFs range from $39,000 to $46,000 depending on contract length and seat count. The fee is usually calculated as the remaining months on your contract multiplied by your monthly invoice — so a 3-year deal cancelled at month 12 means you owe 24 months of payments upfront.
Can you negotiate an early termination fee down?
Sometimes. Vendors will occasionally accept a lump-sum settlement at 50–70 cents on the dollar, especially if you've already stopped using the software. Your leverage is weakest right after signing and strongest when you've gone dark on the product for 60+ days. Get any settlement in writing before you stop paying — verbal agreements won't hold up.
Does Run a Call charge an early termination fee?
No. Run a Call runs month-to-month at $499/mo flat today. You can cancel any billing cycle without a penalty. There is no multi-year contract and no MSA with an exit clause. The Founding 25 pricing ($199/mo for life) is locked in permanently for those seats — but that's a benefit, not an obligation.
Looking for HVAC software that handles early termination fee out of the box? See what run a call. does.