How much should I expect to pay my CM?

[Babyblade]

I currently pay my childminder £4 per hour for my DD based on 4x10hr days per week = £160.00

In September DD will be starting school and I'd like the CM to do the morning breakfast/school run (2hrs) for 5 days per week, plus 4 days per week in the holidays. She has 1 baby for 2 days per week but no other children, and no replacement for my DD full time place. The school requires her to use the car because it's 2 miles away.

The CM has suggested £6/hr for the school weeks which is total of £60 per week, and £5/hr for the holiday weeks which is a total of £200 for each week.

Are these rates reasonable?

I provide all food/snacks but she won't accept the childcare vouchers so I can't save on the income tax. We live near High Wycombe in Bucks. Thanks

Hi the best way to find out about the rates is to phone a few other c/m and see what thier rates would be for the times you would need them.

Sounds quite reasonable to me. Assuming she doesn't have to do the school run anyway, twenty miles a week on her fuel bill and wear and tear and other car expenses is going to be be costing her a big chunk of the sixty pounds a week, and of course taking your DD in the holidays will prevent her from taking on a full time child in her place. I would think very carefully before moving my child from someone she likes and trusts. Perhaps it might even be worth offering your CM a little more to persuade her to take vouchers - a win-win proposition?

Yep - she's only be doing the school run for my DD.

The more I think about it and after a full night sleep (my post was at 10.30pm at the end of a long day), the happier I'm feeling.

Over the year I?d still be paying just over 50% of my current costs, which doesn?t fill me with bundles of joy. But on the other hand it does give me the flexibility I need, which overall might just be worth it - especially as it's a minder that DD adores.

... and I like your idea about the vouchers. Perhaps that could be part of the negotiation :-)

Just curious, why won't she take vouchers, there is no reason not to, other than not declaring all of her income. I get vouchers from both parents and have 5 sets of parents, so 10 vouchers a month, topped up by direct payment to the bank.

If the reason is waiting for payment, you could always give her a deposit some of £243, so she has that in hand, one of mine has given me a deposit of £250 as she started mid month and I won't get a voucher this month, but 2 next month, that's fine by me.

Most of the others have been claiming them on maternity leave so have accumulated vouchers and have paid in advance, but their children are now 9 and they still use vouchers with me.

I think the vouchers thing is partly because of declaring her income but the other part is she probably doesn't understand/trust how it works.

She has my DD 4 days per week and another little girl 2 days, so I think she's very close to the income tax threshold. She's not very confident about forms and paperwork so the thought of doing a tax return is probably intimidating.

She's fully registered with NCMA and insured + Ofsted reports etc, so she's not operating under the radar, and this is just speculation on my part.

I take vouchers, but I hate them, because the money comes in, in bits and pieces on random dates from different places and doesn't even always obviously identify which child it is for. If I thought I could say no to vouchers without upsetting people, I would.

I have vouchers from 5 different companies, no problems, they send an email when payment is made if automated. The only problem used to be Busy Bees, now Computershare, after initial teething issues and paying out compensation, they seem to be fine now.

Thy made be made at random times if the parent is triggering the payment, so I insist on that they are in by a certain date and have it on their contract as a separate clause that they agree to abide by my terms or they will be fined heavily!

Babyblade, Lots of childminders have excellent reports, some outstanding grading, NCMA, Morton Michel etc, it makes no difference, they still don't declare all of their income! I know lots of dodgy dealings going on and it makes me mad as I declare all of my income and always have. So me won't take vouchers as it affects their own tax credits too.