NMRU milk claim - advice appreciated

[bunyip]

I already claim through NMRU: in litres, for shop-bought milk.

From next week, we will be getting milk delivered, in pints, at a higher price. This helps us cut down on the weight of shopping we have to carry home on foot/bus, and was something we would like to have done from the start, but there was no local milk round until this new one which commences next week.

This all coincides with a new lo this month and a parent increasing her childrens' hours.

So: my next claim with NMRU will be an increase on what we've claimed to date: due to more children and more expensive milk. We'll also be claiming in pints, whereas previously we always claimed in litres.

Question: do you think all this change and increase will provoke the unwelcome attention of the NMRU audit team? It's an honest claim, and we have all the receipts to show. If anything, we've under-claimed in the past as we don't put new starters on until they've done a full month with us. But I can do without the faff, delay and wasted time if NMRU decide to audit.

Or do you think that a CM's milk claims are so small, compared with schools/nurseries, that NMRU won't so much as bat an eyelid?

Any advice/comments appreciated. Thanks. :)

[Mouse]

A while back I changed my claim from shop bought milk to milkman delivery & to individual cartons, which cost a lot more. I had also been under-claiming, only claiming for 3 children a day, although I actually have 4 or 5 over a day (not all at once!)

My claim was for a huge amount more than normal and was flagged up when I submitted it online. I spoke to a very helpful lady who told me to send invoices showing the number of cartons I had bought each month. This was easy as I have an online account with Milk&More, so could just email the details. It was paid out after that & I've never had a query since. I think they must know how much milk costs from a milkman, so they don't query the price, just that you are getting it from there.

As for the number of children, my NMRU account shows that I have 3 children per session. I guess they probably work out that you could have 2 sessions a day, so up to 6 children a day. As long as you don't claim for more than that I wouldn't have thought it would show up as a query.

[funemnx]

I've been having my milk delivered by my local milkman (Milk&More) for years but have been audited 3 times since October by NMRU. Each time I have e-mailed copys of my invoice and it's been paid no problem. However, I made a claim 1st Jan and it flagged up again because the milkman keeps putting their prices up and now it's something like 76p a pint. NMRU still haven't put the claim through. I have now, regretfully cancelled my milk delivery and buy 2 x 4pints of the filtered milk on a Saturday and it stays fresh all week. A shame to have to give up supporting my local milkman because it's just too expensive....

I too have been claiming only 3 children per day = 1 pint per day

[Pixie dust]

They did check when I changed to individual cartons as like Mouse said they work out a lot more expensive. I just had to send my invoice details and they were happy. To be honest I have changed back to buying larger sizes as some wouldn't drink the cartons and it was being wasted where now we just pour small amounts into the cups of the ones who we know won't drink a lot.