Tax Credit Audit

[Wheelybug]

One of my previous parents has contacted me as they are being audited by the Tax Credit office. I provide all my parents with receipts, but this parent has lost some of hers so asked if I could provide copies. I did this, scanning in and emailing all her invoices for the year, along with my copy of the receipts I issued (I didn't so much as get a thank you for this). The parent has now contacted me (repeatedly whilst I was on holiday, even though I explained I was on holiday last week) saying that the tax credit people are not happy with this and I need to provide a covering letter stating my ey number, the days and times the child attended, my hourly cost and weekly fee, the amounts of money paid between April and February for each month. This apparently the tax credit office has stated is to make it easier for them, rather than them having to work out who the receipts have come from as the child had 3 different childminders during this period. I don't want to appear awkward and am happy to provide a covering letter with my ey number and signature, but don't see why I should be the one to spend my time working out all this information. I have already provided copies of all the invoices which provide this information. Do you think I am being unreasonable, this isn't going to be a 5 minute job.

Cathy

[ziggy]

If she has lost receipts it's not your problem, you have done plenty already

Personally, I would explain that it will be a lot of work for you and will have to be done outside working hours. Then i would charge her over time rate for time it takes to provide information required.

[dette]

Im on my second set of parents this week asking for the same thing.Luckily i use a spread sheet with clearly stating days and hours used.also copied my contract which states days required hourly rates and my details.
Do you think it would be unreasonable to charge an admin fee for providing this info as ,like you said ,it is time consuming

[nipper]

Like the idea of an admin fee

[Rubybubbles]

I now provide all my parents with a cheap pocket file thingy when they start to keep all there childminding paperwork together! I tell them as such to keep everything together as tax office sometimes do call for it!

I had this last year and was a pain to photocopy everything for 12 months worth of work, when like you said you give them a receipts and there hours would be on their contract!

[Wheelybug]

I had the same thought as you about an admin fee. I've written to the parent this morning telling them that I am getting alot of requests such as hers, which are time consuming to complete, so therefore I am now charging a £15 admin fee I'll let you know her response! I think in future I am going to put it in my contracts that there is a £15 admin fee for any duplicate paperwork requested, afterall any other organisation charges you this.
Cathy

[Monkey1]

I had the same thought as you about an admin fee. I've written to the parent this morning telling them that I am getting alot of requests such as hers, which are time consuming to complete, so therefore I am now charging a £15 admin fee I'll let you know her response! I think in future I am going to put it in my contracts that there is a £15 admin fee for any duplicate paperwork requested, afterall any other organisation charges you this.
Cathy

Like this idea! X

[Cassie]

I almost posted a similar thread last night....I have had 4 parent since xmas asking me for invoices/receipts for tax credits,i don't think they realise how time consuming it is to provide copies of these and have put a comment on the bottom of my invoice stating this and that i will charge a fee if they require duplicates. Let's see if it makes a difference....

[Mouse]

I gave up writing out receipts years ago. Parents rarely kept them & always asked for copies if they needed them, usually denying they'd ever had them in the first place

I know write all payments received in the back of the daily diary. If parents then want a copy, they can photocopy the pages themselves. I'll do them a standard letter confirming payments they have made for each month & the diary pages show it broken down week by week.

[ziggy]

I had a parent turn up last night looking for evidence for tax credit people
(cant think of correct title this time of morning lol)

Had to give immediate notice to this family last June due to child's behaviour.

Anyway, i only need copy one sheet from NICMA book (i'm in northern ireland) plus contract.

Mummy is single parent and always pleasant so cant decide whether to charge or not.

Think i might say i will do it free this time but if more is required i will charge £15 admin fee. Then will mention in next newsletter anyone needing evidence will be charged.

Very pleased to see people are being checked up on, its about time. Shame unregistered minders arent being investigated

[sweets]

I dont issue receipts but all my parents invoices are sent by email.

I have a word document for each child which i just add to each month and copy and paste that month to parents. So i have copies of all the years invoices for each child. So if parents need back copies it would easy for me to just email the whole document and no printing involved for me they would have to do it themselves! lol

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Tell her that you are happy to discuss this with the HMRC and that TC need to contact you with their questions

[oxfordshirecm]

I recently had this with one of my parents too ( although no longer ). She gave me a piece of paper with all of the dates and amounts she wanted me to write receipts for. I said yes at first until I worked at the she wanted me to fib and say she had been paying me £170 a week for full time care of her child even though in reality it was £47 per week for two half days. Of course I said no as would be committing fraud- hence she is no longer a parent of mine.

[Zoomie]

I basically keep a spreadsheet for each child.

It has a date, details, hours, debit(invoice), credit(payment) and balance coloumns.

I record the details for each week and the balance is just a running total. It would be dead simple to add all the figures in the respective columns to work out any figure needs for any authority.

[md0u0131]

I dont issue receipts but all my parents invoices are sent by email.

I have a word document for each child which i just add to each month and copy and paste that month to parents. So i have copies of all the years invoices for each child. So if parents need back copies it would easy for me to just email the whole document and no printing involved for me they would have to do it themselves! lol

I do this too!

[Gizmo]

I have just printed one mindees copy invoices out with a cover letter and copy of contract, also had a phone call from tax credit office asking about another one

[Trouble]

Ive had this conversation this morning

and i must say Im not happy sending stuff to her i would sooner send it to tax office as i dont trust her