Fees

[jodi434]

Hi all I am new on here and to cm I am setting up at the moment and getting confused on how/what to charge, everyone is so different.

What do people charge if there on hoilday some dont charge some do 50% and some charge full rate!
I want to be fair but not too soft I need to earn some money. Also I have people asking abou tterm time only but I cant offer that should I charge a 50% retainer fee.

Also If im sick do you charge??

Thanks sorry for all questions trying to get my head around it all. x

[moggy]

'What do people charge if there on hoilday some dont charge some do 50% and some charge full rate!'

yes, all are possible!
I charge full for up to 5 weeks of holiday for me. I give loads of notice and clients just take their own holidays then. I do not charge for Bank Hols and I close Bank Hols. Clients pay full fees whether they come to me or not, for any reason like their sickness or holiday. I find it easiest that way as I am in control of the invoice amount rather than having to adjust because client is taking a holiday (some charge 50% for mindees hols)

'...Term time only but I cant offer that should I charge a 50% retainer fee.'

If you don't want to offer term time only then do not offer it. You are in control of what you offer. If you do want to offer it them you can chrge a retainer but make sure you and client are 100% clear on what happens on inset days!

'Also If im sick do you charge??'

No, if you have to close because you or your family are sick you can't charge clients- it will be last minute and they may have to pay another CMer for emergency cover.

EDIT: Sorry, I meant to say I charge 50% for MY holidays and 100% for mindees holidays!

[tess1981]

As moggy said.
I take 26 days off a year. Parents are told this at the start before they sign. I give a holiday lost out each January with the holidays. If I need another day of outside of these days for example for a wedding I do not charge

[tulip0803]

Hi all I am new on here and to cm I am setting up at the moment and getting confused on how/what to charge, everyone is so different.

What do people charge if there on hoilday some dont charge some do 50% and some charge full rate! I don't charge for my holidays as I am closed and cannot justify charging to myself. Pacey have recommended for a long time that childminders negotiate paid holiday time into contracts. I charge full for all parent/child
I want to be fair but not too soft I need to earn some money. Also I have people asking abou tterm time only but I cant offer that should I charge a 50% retainer fee. Ihave charged retainers but I have also had children that have come term-time only and others that have come holiday only that I did not charge retainers for as they shared the space. My term-time only teachers child still became an all year round child when the first holidays came round:rolleyes:

Also If im sick do you charge??I do not charge if I am off sick or if my children are of with d&V as I am closed, if my children have a cough/cold etc I am still open but offer the parents the choice to send or keep of and not be charged they all send:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Thanks sorry for all questions trying to get my head around it all. x


Hello and welcome - everyone is different and you need to come to something that you feel happy and comfortable with

[Mouse]

If I'm available to work I charge full fee. If I'm not available to work I don't charge.

So if I'm sick, on holiday or having an occasional day off I don't charge. If a child is on holiday, off sick or having an occasional day off I charge in full.

If I'm available to work a bank holiday (ie. if I'm willing to work it) I charge full fee if the child doesn't attend (as it's taken as their day off) or double fee if they do attend. They need to give me 4 weeks notice if they are going to attend.

If you don't want to offer a term time only contract you don't have to. I do offer TTO contracts and don't charge anything for school holidays (dates as set by the local authority). Inset days don't count as holidays so I charge for them.

If you can't afford not to be paid for holiday time, either say you don't offer a term time only contract and will charge all year round, or say you don't offer a term time only contract but will agree to charge half fee for school holidays.

[jodi434]

Ok so basically do I charge full for when the children are on holiday??

[moggy]

Ok so basically do I charge full for when the children are on holiday??

There is no 'do' or 'don't' answer, I am afraid. You need to look at your whole fees policy and decide if it feels fair to both you and the families. Maybe ask a friend to have a read through your whole package (fees, holidays, bank hols etc) and see what they think?

Everyone has their own justification for what they charge! I charge when families go on holiday because I want them to be able to go when ever and for as long as they like with out that impacting my income. If I was charging 50% for their hols I would have to know when they are going away and for how long and build that into my monthly invoices and I find that too much hassle for me! But others find that OK... it is just up to you.

[Kiddleywinks]

Hi all I am new on here and to cm I am setting up at the moment and getting confused on how/what to charge, everyone is so different.

What do people charge if there on hoilday some dont charge some do 50% and some charge full rate!

Also If im sick do you charge??

Same as Mouse: If I'm closed for whatever reason, no charge. If I'm available and child doesn't attend, for whatever reason, full fees apply - child's holiday, sickness, occasional day off etc



I want to be fair but not too soft I need to earn some money. Also I have people asking abou tterm time only but I cant offer that should I charge a 50% retainer fee.

If you decide to charge a retainer during the school holidays then you must also keep that space available for that child. If parent then requires care during the holiday period they pay the other 50% for each day used.
The downside to charging a retainer is that should a holiday only child come along, you would already have to have an available space as the retained place could not be used for the holiday only child.

:thumbsup:

[KateA]

hi I charge full fee if child is I'll or on holiday but don't charge if I am on holiday or I'll as I am not there to offer a service. I. advise parents that I will have up to five weeks holiday a year and will give them minimum of 30 days notice of any days off not including illness of course x


QUOTE=jodi434;1380172]Ok so basically do I charge full for when the children are on holiday??[/QUOTE]

[bunyip]

There is no 'do' or 'don't' answer, I am afraid. You need to look at your whole fees policy and decide if it feels fair to both you and the families. Maybe ask a friend to have a read through your whole package (fees, holidays, bank hols etc) and see what they think?

Everyone has their own justification for what they charge! I charge when families go on holiday because I want them to be able to go when ever and for as long as they like with out that impacting my income. If I was charging 50% for their hols I would have to know when they are going away and for how long and build that into my monthly invoices and I find that too much hassle for me! But others find that OK... it is just up to you.

I agree with Moggy's point, even though I do the opposite: and that is the point.

Ok, I'm not making sense, so I'll start again.

I do completely the opposite to Moggy when it comes to charging for holidays. I charge TTO parents for term time only: no holiday retainer. I give all-year-round parents up to 4 weeks' equivalent of 'non-attending payment break' so they can take their time off work with their lo and not have to pay me. I do this because:-

It's what self-employed people do in almost every job except childcare: it's normal and sensible.
I've spoken with lots of parents about their childcare arrangements and the one thing most likely to P them off is having to pay lots of 'extra charges' - in particular, paying when the child isn't even attending.
I never wish to be in a situation (and I know this happens) where parents send a child when the parent is off work simply because, in the words of one mum, "I've paid for it, so I might as well use it."


This is not a criticism of how Moggy does things. S/he's made his/her own decision for his/her own very good reasons. I completely and utterly defend Moggy and my right to make such decisions as self-employed people.

And that is the point. We are self-employed and have both the right and the responsibility to make those decisions for ourselves.

What saddens me every time is to see yet another new CM going into self-employment and immediately wanting to do what everyone else does. I don't mean to be rude, but let's at least be blunt. Why do we want to become self-employed CMs, and yet rely on someone else to tell us what to do all the time? :huh: I just don't get it.

[redtiger21]

I don't charge anything if I'm not available to work, such a annual leave, bank hols and my sickness. I charge full fee if a child is off on their contracted day when I'm open for business (although have made a few concessions in the past, such as a child away for 2wks having an up, I only charged half fee then). For term time only, I used to charge a half fee retainer in the hols but now I don't, I just charge a higher term time only rate, which leaves me free to fill the space in the hols with a holiday- only child (which I also charge at a higher rate). As far as charging for hols goes, it depends what you can afford really, it can be hard to get no income at all for a whole fortnight. Some get around this by charging half/full fees for their own hols, and some get around it by charging pro rata, so that they get exactly the same coming in every month x

[Snowwhite]

I don't charge anything if I'm not available to work, such a annual leave, bank hols and my sickness. I charge full fee if a child is off on their contracted day when I'm open for business (although have made a few concessions in the past, such as a child away for 2wks having an up, I only charged half fee then). For term time only, I used to charge a half fee retainer in the hols but now I don't, I just charge a higher term time only rate, which leaves me free to fill the space in the hols with a holiday- only child (which I also charge at a higher rate). As far as charging for hols goes, it depends what you can afford really, it can be hard to get no income at all for a whole fortnight. Some get around this by charging half/full fees for their own hols, and some get around it by charging pro rata, so that they get exactly the same coming in every month x Can i ask please how much more do you charge (or anyone else) as a higher rate for term time only so as a parent doesn't pay anything in school holidays? I have often wondered how much more per hour to charge or how much more ontop of my daily fee. Thanks

[loocyloo]

Can i ask please how much more do you charge (or anyone else) as a higher rate for term time only so as a parent doesn't pay anything in school holidays? I have often wondered how much more per hour to charge or how much more ontop of my daily fee. Thanks

This is how I work out my term time only fee..

Hourly fee x 39 term time weeks
Plus half fee x 13 holiday weeks

Then divide total by 39 term time weeks ... giving my hourly fee for term time only children.

This is then the same fee I charge should they require a day in the holidays or a different child has holiday only care.

X

[shortstuff]

Can i ask please how much more do you charge (or anyone else) as a higher rate for term time only so as a parent doesn't pay anything in school holidays? I have often wondered how much more per hour to charge or how much more ontop of my daily fee. Thanks

I personally charge 50p more. in this area the ave charge is between £3.50 and £4 per hour.