Charging for food

[Whatalotofpiffle]

Just a little poll really...

I have decided that instead of upping my rates I am going to have to charge for food.

What do you charge or pay for your child to eat with your childminder?

I am unsure whether to do a price per day or per meal.

And I've just read an old thread and an confused...
Why can't you add the cost off food to expenses if you charge?
Another thread says to add £1.50 per meal to tax return.... And not add actual costs??

I used to charge but parents would choose not to pay and say child would have tea when they got home. Not really fair to have 3 kids sitting down to tea and telling one they had to wait till they got home so I stopped that. Same happened with breakfast. While they may well have had breakfast at home most kids will happily eat a second one if their friends are.

Good points... Hadn't thought of that. Maybe I will increase my rates instead

Although the only ones I feed dinner are siblings so I doubt that would happen. In terms of inclusion though if could cause future issues

You can add the cost of food to your expenses if you charge, but you would of course also add the charges to your income.

I charge for main meals but not breakfast or snacks, and my charge is the same as the cost of a school dinner, which I think most parents see as being reasonable as I do a significantly better meal than the school! Fortunately I haven't had anyone choose not to have it if their child were here at mealtimes.

I also don't charge for under 1 year olds as they don't usually eat that much and the parents sometimes prefer to do their own purees or finger foods so they can control exactly which foods are introduced when.

I included meals in rates, because I was always adjusting invoices for children who had missed meals due to sickness, or whatever. I also had a parent who wanted to send a packed lunch rather than pay. The invoicing was the biggest hassle.

i charge the same as a school lunch. I prepare my menu a month in advance so that the parents can see whether they want to take it or not.

I have a spreadsheet on xl that works out the fees ( i just put in the start and end times and it works out the daily charge) then i just add another line for lunch. the spreadsheet even adds it all up for me so billing is as simple as selecting a name.

Thanks all. I think to avoid different choices, adjusting invoices, changes in contracted hours etc I will just increase my price so it reflects the cost if food. An extra 25p an hour won't price me out of the market but will cover food I think.