How do you pay your childminder?

[moomin35]

How is payment to a childminder usually made ie. weekly, monthly etc? Do you pay a deposit or anything?

Monthly in arrears. Think I paid a month deposit up front.

Depends on CM
Most of mine, over the years, preferred cash, monthly.
One allowed me to set up a standing order each month, which was great.

Monthly by bank transfer.
I pay a month in arrears with no upfront payment but I know a lot of friends pay their cm a month in advance.

I take a deposit or retainer depending on how soon the start date is and fees are paid monthly in advance on the 1st. I previously had weekly/fortnightly payment in arrears but ended up being out of pocket due to parents not paying on time and in some cases not paying at all. Most other CM's I know in my area also do monthly payment in advance.

Years worth of hours calculated (Jan to Dec), split into twelve and paid 1st of the month. DH is a TA so we need little to no holiday time care.

I use childcare vouchers which are paid automatically on the 1st -month in advance

One month in advance, no deposit, but if payment isn't made by start date, then no care until it enters my bank account.

I'm a cm and don't mind how I am paid, one family pay in advance monthly, the other in arrears monthly. Both done by bank transfer. As long as I'm paid, I have no preference how I get the money.

I pay mine monthly in arrears - she sends a invoice through the Babysdays website she uses, then I pay it partly with childcare vouchers which are set up to be sent to her monthly, and pay the remaining amount through a bank transfer.

Some cms ask for a deposit to secure your child's place, mine didn't.

All depends on the childminder.

I ask for payment to be made weekly(except for chqs) on the first contracted day of their contracted week.

I take cash, vouchers, bank transfere or if paying by chq , fees have to be paid every 4 weeks in advance and paid a few days earlier as I have had a few bounce over the years. I much prefer vouchers or bank transfere.

I also ask for a deposit but its never more than £50

weekly in arrears in cash

Golly I am surprised at the number who expect payment in arrears.

I take a four weeks fees Deposit which is used for the 4 weeks of notice at the end of the Contract as long as all fees are up to date.

I am either paid monthly on the 1st of the month by bank transfer and Vouchers.

or weekly cash on the first day of care in the week.

I have had too many leave without paying in the past and I have had two do this in the last six months so at least the Deposit minimizes the damage until I can get the rest paid. This time two parents will have to go through Small Claims. I really don't understand why so many people think it is ok to leave a Childminder or Nursery and not pay them what they owe for the service they have been given. Hey Ho.

One months deposit and monthly in advance. Paid by bank transfer. Some parents also use vouchers and a couple prefer to pay by monthly standing order. One pays cash.

Does your childminder give you a discount on her hourly fee if you say use them and pay them for monthly blocks rather than odd days?

I don't offer discount for monthly payment, that's just how I expect to be paid, that's not to say some childminders won't. Why do you ask? Are you not happy with how your CM charges?

Itd be really dofficult to have a CM who was able to just do "odd days" - they have ratios they have to stick within so would need to keep your child a place all week of you wantes to do ad hoc.

If contracted monthly full fee paid.

If adhoc days booked, full fee paid, but I might not have a space.

daily, in cash, when I get home. we don't go out often and I just get one of the local teenagers to babysit for a bit of spends.

That's not a childminder lally. That's a babysitter.

No moomin - their job is to look after dc.
They work out how much they need to earn, to pay their bills, and then work out their charges accordingly.

I don't know any CMs who could/would do "odd days" either - that would surely be more of an ad hoc babysitter. You sign up and set out the contract for the days and times you need, and you both know how much that is going to cost you. The only variant I can envisage is if you ever were late and needed to pay 'late fees'.

BackforGood is correct. I had a couple of days during the Summer when I could have taken on additional children (because others were on holiday), but I would have only done this for children and families I already knew.

A monthly pro-rata amount in arrears by bank transfer.

I have 2 cm.
1 per child.
I pay both monthly but one is in arrears and one is in advance.
I pay using childcare vouchers to both of them.

I went to school with my CM and she has looked after mine for 8 years so she knows I won't skip the country even for existing mindees it is difficult to do as hoc days because of numbers of children on different days - she did a few days where they came earlier than normal for me in the school hols because DH changed job. I paid the normal hourly fee.