CM Question... Being paid with Vouchers, how does this work?

ps: I have never fined parents for paying late (not even for arriving late), even tho I have policies for both and they know it and have read them! So I accept partial responsbility as am too soft. I do verbally remind them every month re the time delay too tho.

Vouchers are a necessary evil I feel. I get paid in three lots by some families (dad's voucher, mum's voucher, and then direct transfer). When you have many part-timers this is an admin nightmare, but I would not NOT accept vouchers, as it is a big help to my parents.

Another bad thing about them for CMs is they always come in after the 1st. My parents pay me on the 1st, but don't realise it takes a while to reach me. If my hubby wasn't paid before the 1st with his job, I would have to reconsider vouchers as I would not be paid in time to pay my bills.

I have asked parents to pay before the 1st, so funds are cleared in my account BY the 1st, but this rarely happens.

very

Tas1, really it's not much of a hassle at all. I get paid by several parents who use the voucher scheme, Accor and am just registering with Busy Bees (had a hickup or two with Busy Bees already but all should be straight forward now). My experience with Accor is that they have always paid and on time. Like Pinkchick, I receive notification via email and it goes straight into my bank account (usually early). Parents then pay the remainder of the invoice by DD into bank account.

Some parents can save quite a bit in Tax which can only be a good thing

There is no reason why you cannot receive payment monthly, they can just save the vouchers.

well worth any hassle
but there shouldn't be any!

it's not complicated

the money is taken off your payslip and goes to an account that you have to set up with the childcare voucher company (we use accor) I have a direct debit with accor that goes to my childminder monthy, and top up from our own account - as the vouchers don't cover everything.

OK, the voucher money is taken from your salary before you pay tax and NI, which means that you pay less tax.

My parents saved on average of £1000.00 per year per family.

Could someone explain this to me slowly

DS' work has the voucher scheme - same as others, £55.00 a week which would be salary sacrifice.

So, why would we want to go through a complicated scheme like this rather than pay the nursery/CM direct?

Also, does the £55.00 work out as £55.00? In other words, does it arrive in the acct minus NI and tax, so worth more?

My mindees are all full time average bill is £700.00 a month, Parents can claim £243.00 each, (most of my Parents are both Soldiers so both can claim the £243.00), so £486.00 goes into the bank, and they give me the rest in cash/cheque.

It goes straight into my bank, I dont take paper vouchers, the parents fill in a form, you fill in one with your bank details and it goes straight in.

It can take 6-10 days which is why I ask them to hold a months back.

a partial one, where as parent pays additional fees etc?

Is it basically just like recieving a cheque?

BTW all my parents pay with vouchers, monthly.

i have 6 parents paying with Sodexho, and one with accor. Sodexho, after the initial teething troubles (which was more to do with the Army pay system) have never given me problems.

Accor have not paid twice, but the mother paid me, and when it eventually arrived, I paid her back.

TAS1 What did you decide in the end regading vouchers?

Tas, i ask all my Parents to keep a months vouchers in 'hand' so to speak, they then release them half way through the next month, so would hold them in April say when they start, and pay me all there invoice by cheque, then release them on about the 20th April to pay for May, giving me the remainder in cash/cheque on the first.

That way they are never later.

She can save up her weekly vouchers (I assume paper ones) and pay monthly - it will just take her a month to 'get there' iyswim

You cant budget accordingly when you have £1200 rent to pay a month and than one or two parents full short because of a system hiccup at a certain voucher comany.. If Voucher dosen't come through, than Im stuck?

I have found even with parents on tax credits they will come and tell me tax credits paid short or not enough this month and they cant pay, when that is their problem not mine, (i dont mean for to sound rude in anyway) BUT you wont get on a bus and say ill pay next week because you wages hasn't come through. Same way you cant expec me to feed your child, keep them walm and take them out on no wage.

So i have to make it work for me, its not to be difficult, its just we all have to look after ourselves.

if a childminder refused to be paid by these vouchers, I'd find one that did - it's a great help to us

if they want to pay weekly , can't you just budget accordingly?

Sorry to bump this again, but i have been asked to accept vouchers and really dont want to but considering it (mainly through feeling pressured to)

How do you make it work for you? if they pay you vouchers weekly and you require monthly?

I think im having a 'silly' moment here but mother is persistant she wants to pay with them.

Hi
This is very useful info, I will be accepting ACCOR vouchers in the new year. It was simple to register on their website, the parents said it worked well for them previously, fingers crossed it will work fine, awkward when payments are late..

I get paid by busybees, after a hickup with the first month it has been hassle free and I actually prefer payment this way.

As Jura said, there are ways of ensuring that you still get paid on time. You just need to make sure the parents understand that they must pay on time, which includes any form of payment they are using actually clearing into your bank account. Saving up the voucher is the best way, so if they got a voucher say on 30 November, they could use that to pay a bill which is due 1st January. They couldn't use it to pay by 1st December, as it would not clear in time.

Tas1, it's not that much hassle (for you), so long as parents using the scheme don't expect you to wait for the voucher company. If you send the voucher company your bank details, you should then make it clear it's up to the parents to see you get paid on the appropriate dates. Vouchers probably won't be the whole of your payment anyway.