School children charges

[HELEN10]

Hi do any of you work out your parents fees i.e. term time and school holidays
and charge the same amount throughout the year?

I have a parent on tax credits and this is what I do as requested by her as she is not good with money and would struggle to save extra for the school holidays.

I am ok in principle but I find that in the school holidays it is a lot harder work and I would like to see extra money then. If she paid as she went along it would be nearly £200 more in the holidays and also worry about when she leaves it could be complicated.

Also I charge full for their holidays and half for mine so as it stands now its is the same figure I get when I take my holidays whether it be term time or holidays.

Just wondering if any of you had a better way of doing it that this but still keeping the parent happy?

[cathtee]

Hi I do they same as you for 2 of my parents and I must admit it works out well especially as it goes straight into my bank 1 by direct debit and 1 by vouchers. If there any extra hours they pay the extra at the end of the month. Your parent would get the same amount each month for tax credit so the term time money is less than what she gets so she should be able to save the rest towards the school holidays when the fees are more .

[miffy]

I just work out their fees each month so obviously it's a lot more in the school holidays if they are coming all day. I've always done it like thIs, I wouldn't want to work fees out over a year and divide by 12, I'd just worry if I had to repay money if they left. I can see the advantages though if you're worried the parent wouldn't be able to budget to cover the holiday

Miffy xx

[sharonmanc]

I would charge as she used, rather than average out all year as when she leaves you could end up out of pocket or owing her. With tax credits all che has to do tell tax credits the amount averaged for the year. Sounds harsh but it is up to her to sort her finances so she has tat extra money during the holidays.

[rickysmiths]

You work out the fees for the 39 weeks at the term time rate and the fees for the 13 weeks holiday, add the two together and divide by 12 to get an even payment through the year.

Having explained that I would never ever do it for a parent. Why? because if a parent starts with you in Sept and then leaves at the end of that term you will have to repay them a lot of money! Why because they will have paid you for 3 months and only had one week of holiday but a proportion of each of your 3 months money is for holiday.

For example if they pay you £10 per day for five days (£50pw)after school but need all day in the holiday and that costs £30per day (£150pw). If they were with you for a 13 week term it would have cost 12 x £50 £600 plus Half term holiday £150 so a total of £750. However they would have paid you £975 which is 3 x £325, the averaged monthly total, so you would have to repay £225. Does that make sense? This is why I will never average term time + holiday care.

[HELEN10]

Thanks for your replies, yes I agree Sharon/manc that it is up to her to manage her own finances.

I did this as a favour and has been fine but I do like to get the extra money in the holidays, granted my term time money will go down but to get almost two hundred more per week in the hols makes the long hard days seem more bearable and worth getting up for :)

Also as you all say if she should leave part way through then it could become very messy with maybe large sums of money to repay or worse still trying to get it from her!

Had a talk with her this evening and at first she was a little horrified at the thought of paying as she went along as she knows how terrible she is with money but then decided she would open a separate bank account and transfer the holiday money into it until needed so all is good :)

[Bridey]

I average mine out but I don't work in the holidays so its to my advantage as well - especially in August! :thumbsup: