contract help needed

[Melanyweb]

Hi all.
Stick with me this ai all a bit complicated :->
I started minding for a little girl in January. Both parents are teachers at a private school. The care was for 3 days per week term time only.
Little one only attended 3 days one week and 2 days the next.
I worked out a monthly fee by charging 3 days per week for the amount of weeks attended between 1st january and 30th june. I didnt charge for the hols ( there were lots of them cos private schools have long hols) and only charged for 4.5 days as holiday pay. An average monthly bill was worked out. I was told they'd need me in september and have turned 3 sets of prospective parents away this month.

On tues I'm informed that this parent has made other arrangements with a friend and they will only need me for 1 day a week in sept. That day is the day they know I have a prior arrangement that I cant change. So essentially they've ended the contract.
I'd assumed that at the end on June we'd set up a new average monthly bill to run until december.

What I need to know is what people think I can charge them for July.
Notice period is 4 weeks that takes us to July 19th. But they only need me to the 7th.
The contract is for term time only but doesn't specify who's term (private or state school. Private school finishes the 7th July, other schools the 22nd)
I work 3 days per week for them so with the notice period I could charge 7 days.
Or should I just charge for the 3 days they'll use.

Help!!!!

I really hate this part of the job.

[Goatgirl]

HI ,
How annoying to have been turning away prospective families!

I'm sorry I don't really understand about the monthly average calculation. If it was me: I'd go back to basics: see what it says on the contract, then work out exactly what has been contracted against what has been charged and paid for, including the next four weeks notice (irrelevant whether they're using all hours or not) and charge them the difference as final payment. If they query it explain the monthly fee was based over a longer period so you have made an adjustment to the final bill to cover what is outstanding.

Don't know what to say about which school hols to charge for: what did you agree with them at the start of the contract?

hope you can work it out and aren't left out of pocket

best wishes,
Wendy

[Melanyweb]

The calculation was. 3 days per week x the number of private school term weeks between january and june Divided by 6 so I got the same money every month. I didn't charge for hols. I'm losing another family over this too as the mums are going to help each other out with childcare. So i'm losing 4 full days pay per week.they've both given notice.