Advice re CM charges please.

[VirginOrange]

I've recently moved to a new CM, (just started,settling in period) I told her the hours I needed and she said that was fine, 19 hours over 2 days so 9.5 hours a day.

I paid for first day of settling in (3.5 hrs) and today she told me I had made a mistake with the payment as she charges for the full hour, I didn't quite get it at first (am dumb ) but transpires she wanted paid for 4 hours as she charges the full hour regardless of how much of the hour is used.

Now I appreciate that if I'm late dropping off then I still pay from the agreed time but I've never had a CM do this. Is it a usual practice?

Based on this, I will have to pay £30 a month for nothing as I can't drop dc off earlier to make use of the full hour. If I start later so that I'm starting on the hour I will be late for work.

CM only reason for this is for when she is filling out her paperwork its easier to calculate the full hour. Other than that I'm happy with CM and the service she is offering. I'm not happy to pay £30 a month to make her job easier though.

Any ideas/suggestions most appreciated :)

Well it's up to each cm what their terms and conditions are. What does your contract say?

I can see it from her POV. You can charge to the nearest half hour but where does it end? The parent who only want 6.25 hrs and doesn't want to pay an extra 1/4hr every day that they aren't using. And I imagine she charges £x per hour not £x per half hour so her fee structure doesn't assume it's part hour charges.

I hope you get it sorted either way!

Yes I am trying to see her POV but I'm asking to pay 19 hrs a week, not 18.347651 and that's what I don't get.

I don't know anything about doing your own tax or the paperwork involved in childminding, that's why I asked if it was normal to pay the full hour.

No contract yet.

I charge by the full hour, if a parent chooses to collect after 10, 19 or 47 minutes into the last hour that is up to them. I make it clear in my paperwork prior to signing contracts though.

Is it possible to amend the contract to have half an hour added on to the end of the day so you have four hours on the contract and then that gives you extra time at the end of the day - no need to rush then and handy if you run later than you originally expected so you avoid incurring late fees?

You're lucky you don't come to me. I charge for 10 hrs even if you only come for 5 mins. Contracts must be considered fully before signing.

NB: this is made clear and all my clients are happy. Some only need a half day but use the extra time they have paid for to do something else ie child free dr appt or grocery shop etc

Thank you for replies.

Fliss does that mean you would agree half hour in the contracted hours? For example 8.30-6pm and charge for 9.5 hours or still charge for 10 hours?

If I was dropping off late or picking up early I would fully expect to still pay the full contracted amount. That's a non issue for me.

I just want to be sure if its unreasonable to ask for those exact hours and pay those exact hours.

CM is fairly new so not sure if its something adopted now as standard, where as previous CMs had been doing it a long time and I paid the 9.5 hours

HSMM I wish I could afford to pay for child free time but as it is I only really break even each month.

You can ask, but if those are her terms you need to decide if you accept them. She does not have to do the same as anyone else ... it is still worth asking though.

When I first started I would agree contracts down to 5 mins

Reasonable common to round up to the nearest hour IME.
But she should have been clear in the contract.

I'd point out that if you wanted an odd half hour rather than a full hour, you'd still be paying for the full hour. I've had this happen.

One client wanted an odd half hour but when I pointed this out, he realised he might as well have the full hour.

Technically I didn't have to, my prospectus and fees policy clearly state how my charges work (parents take them away and then at the second meeting sign to say they have read and understood these) so I'd have been within my rights to say nothing, confirm the hours he wanted and charge as per my policy - which seems to be what has happened in your case.

Ok thanks again for replies, like HSMM said, I can only ask!

I think it is unreasonable, particularly as your weekly hours are 19 round hours. I charge to the nearest 15 mins (though know I am a bit of soft touch with my parents, however I consider that part of creating a mutual respect and caring relationship where parents don't feel they're getting ripped off). It does not make accounts complicated, I feel that is just an excuse. Are you able to pay her weekly the 19 hours at once in advance with agreement that that is all you pay? Hope it works out :)

If you are paying in the region of £7.50/hr (based on an extra hour a week costing you £30) then I think it is a bit unreasonable. If you were talking about an extra £3 or £4 a week, perhaps it's not worth aguing about.

I am assuming you are talking about normal working hours when she is looking after other children anyway - if she is opening early or staying open late especially for you I think it that's a different matter and that you should probably expect to pay more, whether that is an increased hourly rate, or nominally paying for minutes you don't actually use.

As usual, it all depends on whether you think you are being offered a good deal and good service overall. If not, I would look elsewhere rather than haggling (but then i do hate arguments).

Thanks Orange and minder,

It is within her normal working hours and I always pay weekly in advance, well actually 4 weeks in advance with previous CMs.

I dislike any kind of confrontation and I hate upsetting people but £30 a month is a lot of money to me atm. I mainly wanted to know if it was common practice or not, and the previous replies all said it was.

I spoke to CM this morn and explained my issues and she was fine about it, said she wouldn't normally do it but if it was making a big difference to me then she would change it. BUT then I felt bad cos I HATE putting people out so I did some jiggery pokery with my work hours and between us (CM and me) we managed to work it out so I can use just full hours and she doesn't have to faff about with paperwork.

Thanks again to everyone, all replies were really helpful :)

I think it's a bizarre reason to have stated this - it makes the paperwork easier for me - particularly as you will be paying the 19 hours over the course of the week. THat would put my back up -

However, would loads of half hours here and there mean that she'd struggle to take another child on or something? If that is factor, fair enough charging the hour I guess. Also agree with minx about the outside nromal working hours thing.

I also agree that rounding down to ridiculous minutes is unworkable but I wouldn't have thought the question of 30 min is rocket science either.

No Harriet all I was asking for originally was 8.30-6pm two days a week. But I don't know if other parents were asking for what you suggested therefore she wanted to make a blanket ruling?

If for example, my contracted hours were 9-5 and one day I asked for half extension on a one off and she said I'd need to pay the full hour, well that would be fine. But I couldn't see the problem when I was asking for regular hours on the same day every week, paid weekly well in advance.

Like others said though its her service so up to her. She's lost 2 hours pay (from me) a week though as a result. Which might not be much in the grand scheme of things but I usually don't drop my dc at 8.30 anyway but have always retained and paid for this time to cover the times when I do need to.

All sorted out now though thankfully :)