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View Full Version : Please enlighten me...vouchers??



harleyrider
02-02-2013, 06:14 PM
Have had parent sign contracts today. Her work use childcare vouchers and she said would like me to accept them but she was'nt too sure on how things worked herself and I am clueless. All she knows is company called 'salary-extras'. Any information would be appreciated. :-)

moggy
02-02-2013, 06:21 PM
I have not used this company but have used a few others with no problems. I am not sure if they have given you the right info a Salary Extras does not seem to have a Childcare Providers registration web page where you open an account with them. Let the parents make the first move with their employer, get it set up and ask them how they want you to register with them.
Usually you need to give your Ofsted no and your bank details, all on-line. The vouchers company then pay into your account an amount each month (the parents set this up and type in how much they want to pay each time) and if there is more to pay on your invoice the parents have to pay that direct to you as usual- you just add the 2 numbers together to hopefully equal your invoice total!

JCrakers
02-02-2013, 06:43 PM
Not heard of them before but its all pretty straight forward. She will need to set it up and give them your details. You may have to send them a copy of your cert and bank details so money can go into your bank.
It's easier when they have a website like computershare vouchers as you can log in and see who's paid. They email you when someone pays and then it goes into my bank two days later.

bunyip
02-02-2013, 07:40 PM
I've no personal experience of Salary Extras and you can't get onto their website unless you're a company with log-in details.

Thought: could it possibly be a company that offers packages of different types of employee benefits? My last employer used to have something similar. If that's the case, then the vouchers would be coming from a different company: one of the usual voucher companies. :huh:

TAZ
02-02-2013, 09:59 PM
Havn't heard of this company but have been paid through several other companies vouchers. Have never had any trouble with registering with the companies or receiving payment (although it always takes 3-4 days from parent making payment to it reaching my account)

Tazmin68
03-02-2013, 02:11 PM
Like others

I have not heard of the company. I would suggest that you ask parent to look into this for them and yourself.

harleyrider
05-02-2013, 09:56 AM
Thank you for replies.
Yes Mom has done her part and yes it a childcare voucher conpany that salary extras uses (still dont know which one) but they now have my details and will be contacting me soon. :-)
My only concern is fees being paid in arrears :-( all my other families pay in advance.

bunyip
05-02-2013, 09:58 AM
Thank you for replies.
Yes Mom has done her part and yes it a childcare voucher conpany that salary extras uses (still dont know which one) but they now have my details and will be contacting me soon. :-)
My only concern is fees being paid in arrears :-( all my other families pay in advance.

Is there a sound reason for this, especially if your other families pay up front? :confused:

harleyrider
05-02-2013, 10:03 AM
Is there a sound reason for this, especially if your other families pay up front? :confused:

This is how she believes vouchers work? And as I am clueless?? Is this not the case then??

AliceK
05-02-2013, 10:08 AM
All my parents pay with vouchers and they all pay in advance. It could be that mum hasn't built up any vouchers in her account yet so they therefore wouldn't be there until her pay day but that's her problem not yours. It could be that she needs to pay you for the first time using alternative method if she has no vouchers in her account yet.

xxxx

LauraS
05-02-2013, 10:11 AM
All my parents pay with vouchers and they all pay in advance. It could be that mum hasn't built up any vouchers in her account yet so they therefore wouldn't be there until her pay day but that's her problem not yours. It could be that she needs to pay you for the first time using alternative method if she has no vouchers in her account yet.

xxxx

Exactly. You just treat them as you would any other form of payment. She is probably paid in arrears ws an employee and will therefore receive vouchers in arrears but that doesn't negate the contract she has with you to pay in advance.

You wouldn't let her pay cash in arrears because that's the way she receives her wages, would you?

harleyrider
05-02-2013, 10:31 AM
All my parents pay with vouchers and they all pay in advance. It could be that mum hasn't built up any vouchers in her account yet so they therefore wouldn't be there until her pay day but that's her problem not yours. It could be that she needs to pay you for the first time using alternative method if she has no vouchers in her account yet.

xxxx

Mom has only just applied to use vouchers through her work so yes wont have any built up.
Ok so I think I need to have a chat with Mom.

AliceK
05-02-2013, 10:56 AM
Mom has only just applied to use vouchers through her work so yes wont have any built up.
Ok so I think I need to have a chat with Mom.

So for the first payment to you she will need to pay you with cash / bank transfer etc and then once she has got some vouchers in her "account" she can pay for the next months childcare with you using those. Then she will have vouchers in there every month which she will use to pay you. Depending on how much her monthly bill is likely to be to you she may also need to top up her payment to you with cash. There is a limit as to how much salary sacrifice an employee can make each month, it's around £243 - £250 max per month.

xx

SJ35
05-02-2013, 01:40 PM
I have just had a little one start who will be paying by vouchers. Mom paid me first month in cash and then have just had febs voucher payment into my bank account today. Should have been 1st feb but I'm ok about it being a few days late as mom gets paid the last Thursday in each month , so will vary the dates each month.
X

bunyip
05-02-2013, 07:33 PM
This is how she believes vouchers work? And as I am clueless?? Is this not the case then??

Don't worry. I was unsure when I first started taking vouchers.

I agree with previous members. You can set the payment-in-advance terms the same as for any other client, and it's up to mum whether she settles the 1st month by cash or voucher. But it should be on time without any excuse about the vouchers. If her employer has a voucher scheme, they can set up her end of things ahead of time to be ready for when it's needed. Granted, if she's paying you out of her very first pay packet then she's maybe not had time to get the voucher ball rolling. But the essence of it is: lack of planning on her part should not constitute a crisis on your part. By accepting the vouchers, you are saving her money. There's no reason why saving her money should inconvenience you or entitle her to more favourable terms than your other clients.

A few things I wish I'd known before I accepted vouchers for the first time (and I'm assuming you're having the whole thing done automatically):-


1. Talk to the voucher company. They know everyone has a first time, and it's in their interests to help you have a hasslefree experience.

2. When you receive an email saying the vouchers have been transferred to your account, it does not mean the cash is in your bank yet. Since any delay in clearing is using down to the recipient's own bank, remember that part is not the parent's fault. It's up to the parent to get the vouchers into your voucher account by the due date, but the rest isn't her problem.

3. Check your settings. You should ask the voucher company to make sure their computer searches your account for vouchers and transfers them to your bank account every day. I know this sounds crazy, but a lot of CMs make the quite reasonable mistake of setting it to check once a month. That can mean waiting a whole month to get hold of the cash if the computer is 'looking for' a voucher payment the day before it arrives - because it won't start 'looking' again for a whole nother month.

4. Never, ever, ever refund a voucher payment in cash. Technically it's tax fraud and money laundering. If mum overpays by vouchers, then you can carry over the credit to the next bill or contact the voucher company to transfer the credit back into her voucher account.

5. You are not responsible for how mum manages her voucher account. If she pays too much of her salary in and can't get it out: her problem, not yours.

6. Don't take any BS from mum about the voucher company delaying transactions. Parents sometimes try it on and say "oh I expect the voucher company gets delayed by the bank holiday", etc. I got my December vouchers credited on Boxing Day. In fact, they frequently draw down the money from the employer's payroll several days before the parent's due pay day. I tell my voucher-paying parents that I expect the credit on time and no arguments. First time they're late I'd issue a warning, second time and I refuse to accept anything but cash or BACS from the parents. They know the vouchers save them money, so none of them have messed me about so far.

Hope this helps.
:)