...fed up at having to pay childminder full

[Tinkerbellone]

My child minder stopped working two weeks ago because of worries about corona virus.
She or her partner have no health conditions.
I am a key worker.
She always charges half rate over school holidays even though she doesn't have my children.
She is still charging me Full Rate even though she not working or having my children at all.
I know she has a business to run, but this doesn't seem fair to me; I could understand half pay.
As a single parent I'm struggling to get my children to and from school now. I'm relying on friends and/or my children walking on their own after I've left for work in the morning they are 11 & 8.
Has anyone else experienced this?

She has chosen to close. She can't choose to keep you money coming in to fund it when she has the government option and you still need to pay for childcare.

As a childminder, I don't think that you paying full.pay for a service that you're not getting is very fair.

I know that everyone's circumstances are different but many childminders are asking people that still have an income to pay half fees to retain the place.

Technically, she's breaching her contract by not taking your (key worker) children so you would be within your rights to terminate with immediate effect.

The difficulty is that many childminders are likely to go under with this virus situation so you may not have any other childminder options afterwards and, if you terminate, I suspect she won't have you back.

I would say that you're having to pay a babysitter to take care of them in her absence, therefore you think it's only fair that you pay her half fees while she's not able to accept your children. See what she says.

She can't close and expect full pay, she's taking the piss.

You could offer some money as a good will gesture if you can afford it. 50% or less I think is fair. But really you don't have to give her anything.

Cheeky mare. Ask her if she is intending to claim the 80% and if she is intending to refund you. I'd sack her and cancel payment immediately.

For all.of those people saying she's going to get the government option. Childminding tax returns are very different. Approximately two thirds of our income goes on expenses.

It's a myth that childminders "rake it in".

Going by my last 3 tax returns, having worked a 3 day week, based on my profits, the Government will be paying me £30 a week to live on. Certainly not enough for food, rent, bills etc

Many childminders are in the same position so please don't think that they're getting a bounty from the government.

I am only able to survive as I'm lucky enough to have funded children and a working from home job that earns me £40 a week.

As the first person to reply said - if she’s doing her taxes properly and is self employed, then she’ll be receiving 80% of her earnings back from the government.

How far away are the schools? Can the 11 year old walk the 8 year old to school and pick him/her up? The roads are much quieter - can you spend some time on non-working days walking the route as your daily exercise and hammering home road safety to them?

After 11 years, I’m sad for you that your childminder is taking the p@ss.

Childminding tax returns are very different. Approximately two thirds if our income goes on expenses.

It's a myth that childminders "rake it in".

Going by my last 3 tax returns, having worked a 3 day week, based on my profits, the Government will be paying me £30 a week to live on. Certainly not enough for food, rent, bills etc

so if you get 80% as probable, you only earn £50 for 3 days work?
Not being goady, just genuinely interested?

When did she say this, Op?

There was a huge panic when we were told to close to non-keyworkers and providers had to put their policies in place at very little notice. We weren't sure if we'd be open or closed, how much to charge, if we charged at all, and no-one knew how long it was going to last.
At that time, there was no rescue package and no information coming from the authorities.

In your place, I'd go back to her and renegotiate. A lot has changed in the past two or three weeks and we've all been told to be reasonable and understanding of parents' circumstances.
That does work both ways: I would expect a parent receiving their full wage to be reasonable and understanding of our circumstances, too. However, I would not expect a parent to pay out twice for childcare as you seem to be doing.

Thank you everyone.
I have paid her (in advance) for the last two weeks she wasn't working and I have paid her half pay for the next two weeks of Easter- as per her invoice.

Thinking a about May. I will pay her half rate instead of the full rate she will invoice me for... I think that is fair?

A childminder is normally self employed so they will not be furloughed. This is for PAYE employees only. They may be entitled to the 80% government help in June depending on what she has claimed on her tax return.

I am still paying my childminder full fees. I know that if she gets most of the money back in June (she is unsure what she will have coming in as the guidance is still a bit sketchy) she will see parents ok. In the meantime she still has a home and children to feed and clothe like the rest of us.

I wouldn’t pay. She can apply to the government.

Stop paying her. My CM closed when the schools did and I also stopped working that week as a teacher so it only seemed fair for me not to pay her since I was no longer using her services! She will be furloughed so will receive 80%.

It's based on profit, not gross income. My profit usually works out at a third of my gross income as we have som many things to pay out for. Hidden subscriptions that if you're not a childminder, you wouldn't really know about.

Training - the idea is that you do a course every few months plus first aid, food hygiene and safeguarding regularly.
Ofsted fees
P L I
Business rates on car insurance
ICO membership

I also pay for a Twinkl subscription to help with the pre schoolers learning plus an online lourney journey system.

That's before you do food (a huge chunk), outings, resources, presents for the kiddies birthday, Xmas, Easter. Plus resources I buy for the kiddies to make their parents a decent present on their birthdays, Xmas etc

So, my income is taken from the net profit after all.of this has come off, not the amount that parents actually paid for those 3 days a week. The government will pay an 80% of my profit.

@FillyBilly

It’s a shame most people don’t understand how much is left ‘profit’ for childminders.

I think a lot of childminders will be seeing the parents they work with true colours when things like this happen. Some want to help and understand the position they’re in and others treat them like shite.

@FillyBilly

My Childminder doesn't pay for ANY of those - what she charges is 100% profit

Many people are continuing to pay their helpers in full, eg cleaners. Many firms are paying or furloughing their staff

@itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted

Most childminders send an invoice and it’s paid, how have you assumed she’s breaking the law and not announcing her tax because of that?

Childminders are a cartel? That is laughable. Most are hard working and underpaid honest people. You are a nasty person projecting your distorted views and you should stop being two faced and slagging off your cm on this forum and have the guts to tell the person who you entrust your dc to what you really think of her!

I have three businesses and 1/3 is generally the rule of thumb for all of them - that's normal not exclusive to childminding. TBH I know a lot of my competitors would be on their knees with gratitude at 20% profit nevermind 33%

So, 80% of my profit averaged out over those 3 years will bring me in about £30 a week to live on.

That's my 80% self employed rescue package. Like I say, I am lucky that I have other small sources of income (£40 here, £30 there) which will just about keep me afloat so.that I can reopen when all of this is over.

We still HAVE to pay all of these fees while this virus is going on: OFSTED, insurances, subscriptions, ICO. So, even if we're not buying food/resources right now, if we want to keep our registration with OFSTED we, by law, must continue to pay for these things.

@FillyBilly

Amazing that people know what their childminders pay out, earn and even know their taxes imagine working woth people like that yikes!!

As a comparison, I work for local government and we are taking a very fair approach to consistently paying our contractors and that is the guidance.
However if we are not receiving a service during this time suppliers are to exhaust all central government help before coming to us for payment.
Surely this is a similar situation?

She has chosen to close even though the government guidelines say she can continue working. Her fears are understandable but there are many people in all sorts of professions who are continuing to put themselves at risk every day by carrying out essential work. She's free to decide not to take on this risk but I personally wouldn't be paying her to sit comfortably at home while I struggle to juggle my own job with childcare.

Personally I don’t think you should pay 100% at all.

However it is awful to see what some parents really think of their cm, personally I could never entrust my dc to someone I think so lowly of.

I posted about this and seems a few people are in the same position. My childminder is also trying to charge full even though she isn't allowed to work, she also wants to charge us full for when she goes on a summer holiday. If universal credits won't provide the 85% to me to pay her then I will leave, no way am I paying for a service I am not getting, its not as if she has a choice but to stop working that's why she will be furloughed so to claim off the gov and get parents to pay that's not right