“Not sure why anyone would be upset at getting notification before the promised “no later than” date.”
Because the possibility creates anxiety. You can urge super rational thinking like “ Don’t worry about it til the ‘ no later than date and if you hear early that a bonus “ but frankly that goes against every instinct for most people. They know in every year it’s before ALWAYS BEFORE that date and so it creates a “ will it be today” anxiety for days and ,after deferral , for weeks on end. Just STOP it. Announce the damn dates…the exact dates…for release. Stick to them. Plenty of schools do. Otherwise You are toying with people and you know it.