Late payment fee

**Debbieanne** · 18-10-2010, 08:40 PM

Hello, i'd like ask....does anyone charge a fee for late payments, if so how much,and if per day does that include days in the weekend?

**miffy** · 18-10-2010, 08:41 PM

My contracts have a standard £5.00 per day on them and yes I would include the weekend in that.

Miffy xx

**curlycathy** · 18-10-2010, 08:56 PM

I implemented a £5 per day fee, including weekends in September.

Funny how nobody has been late since (first time since I started minding 2 years ago)

**Debbieanne** · 18-10-2010, 09:01 PM

thanks, not thought to put that on my contract, i sent out a letter lately informing them of new fee structure and underlined the late payment fee ( but not signed) one of my parents asked if she could pay me tuesday ( tomorrow) should have been last friday. and 2 weeks go she payed half the the other half a few days later, they have been good payers for 1.5 years.

**miffy** · 18-10-2010, 09:03 PM

If you put it in the contract then parents can't say they didn't know about it!

Miffy xx

**Debbieanne** · 18-10-2010, 09:12 PM

Exactly....have just added it to my contracts for the future.
Thanx

**Millenium** · 19-10-2010, 06:38 AM

Yes, I charge £5.00 per day including the day payment is due as my contracts specifically state that payment must be made before service starts on the first contracted day of the month. No child steps through my door unless payment is made.

I also include weekend days so for example, for fees due on Monday 1st November that are eventually paid on Monday 8th November, the late payment fee would be £40.

I have found over many years of minding that if you have an unambiguous late payment and fees policy in your contracts, people rarely pay late!!

**hayjay1987** · 27-10-2010, 06:09 AM

Hi, I had a very awkard couple and they was late paying every single week, not just a day but they left it and left it all over the weekends and never replied to a text or my phonecalls then on the monday morning they would drop their child off, make some silly excuse and pay me. I in the end put a late payment fee of £5 a day then it got to a stage where they would swan off on weekends away (if they can afford that then they could afford a higher late payment fee in my eyes) so this sounds alot but I then sent a letter out and my fee changed to £25 per day, just for that couple, well they was never more then a day late again, but if they was they seemed happy to pay it! The sad thing is, if these parents have more money then sense, they are not bothered either which way they mess their childminders about, they think we work for a big major company but they dont realsie we are normal human beings trying to earn a living with hardle or no supposrt from the government or legal teams (I know we have our insurence companys but they dont really do much to help, bit of advice and the most and then send us on our way) :-(

Its sad to say wether there is late payment fees in force, and they have more money then sense, then we will still get messed about. Best thing to do to avoid this is get the weeks money in advance.

xxxxx

**buildingblocks** · 27-10-2010, 11:24 AM

I am paid in advance so don't need to use it but I have in my contracts a late fee of £5 a day until the outstanding amount is paid. This is because I had one parent many moons ago who would come and say 'oh I've only got X amount will pay you the rest in three days'. This means that if they owe x amount and then there is another pay day it is all of this money together hope that makes sense.

**IndigoMoon** · 27-10-2010, 11:30 AM

Mine is also £5 a day. I've only ever used it once so far

**oneofeach** · 27-10-2010, 12:21 PM

I havent got one but as I am renewing and reviewing contracts in January I am thinking of adding one.

Lets put it this way, If I had £5 for every day I had been paid late I would be quite well off

On the other hand if I had a late payment fee maybe I wouldnt get paid late!

I am so pathetic tho I'm not sure I would enforce it

**clare78** · 27-10-2010, 12:41 PM

i dont have a late payment fee but think i should i have a parent that paid me late last month and i just said it was ok dont worry about it she had just found out her husband had left her (he lives in another country).

could i give a late payment fee without reviewing contracts if i give four weeks notice as on friday she told me she will be late paying again this month.she could pay some but unsure how much until she pays the rest of her bills (payment for oct is 29th oct and she pays in arrears.)

do you think i could say to her that she could pay what she can and then has one week to pay the rest and from next month i will be issuing her with a £5 per day late payment fee.

thanks