Mileage

[likessleep]

We have found a childminder who we are very happy with and who has availability. We were really chuffed and very impressed with her attitudes towards childcare, range of activities and warmth. She is by far the best we've seen, in an area where they are hard to come by!
She is more expensive than other childminders we've seen, but felt happy to pay more, especially as we are looking for someone for just two days a week.
However, we got the contract through today and she has included 50p per mile for mileage. As she does a 20 mile round trip to a baby and toddler group on one of the two two days, this would mean an extra £40 a month.
Am I being mean by asking if there is any negotiation on this? From me singing from the treetops last week, so chuffed to have found someone who I was very impressed by, I have been left a little disappointed that she is proposing 50p a mile, which seems a lot to me.
Would appreciate your honest thoughts please.

A childminder is self employed and is therefore taxed on profits, rather than turnover. BIM52751 explains what HMRC permits to be claimed.

This does not affect parents who use the childminders services at all.

As a childminder I work out the mileage I do each month, log it on a spreadsheet and the total mileage x 40p is what we can put down as an 'expense'

looneytune thank you. do you then charge 'expenses' to parents?
sorry if i am being a bit naive, but i am just trying to work out whether it is the norm to charge hourly rate plus 'expenses' or whether these 'expenses' are absorbed in the hourly rate (and it then becomes an accounting thing for the cm).
cheers

I don't charge anything on top of the hourly rate anymore, but I used to charge £1.50 for an evening meal. We're all different and it's quite normal for people to charge for meals (but then they shouldn't claim the cost of food etc. on their tax return!), outings and some even charge for their holidays (not on top, just that the parent still has to pay). So basically it is down to the childminder what type of service she provides. I now charge just my set hourly rate and then all food, drink, trips to group, outings etc. are put down as expenses but I pay them upfront myself.

I'm still sure there is an issue with the car insurance if they charge for mileage, there was a thread some time ago that went into this but I just can't remember what it said exactly.

No expenses are nothing to do with the parents.

Thats just betweeen us and the Inland Rev people.

in this instance the term expenses refers to an expense of the business, which is tax deductible against the income of the business.

thank you all so much for the info.
i am going to ring her today, so here's hoping there is negotiation on this.
thanks again

HOORAH!!
I have just spoken to CM and that 50p a mile refers to 'out of the ordinary' trips, such as zoo, country walk etc, for which she has done about 4 this year (i.e. so not the b&t groups).
beforehand, she rings the parents and if they are't happy with this, she will switch to another day.
the 50p per mile is then absorbed across however many children go on the trip.
thank goodness!

Good to hear you have got it sorted. Not sure a country walk is an out of the ordinary trip, though mind you I suppose if you live in a big city, it is. Where I live, country walks are common place!

I am so relieved, I have found this childcare search so stressful! I am sure I come across as one of those cynical 'are you going to put my child in front of TV all day?' mums. Supply doesn't seem to meet demand where I live. Mind you, I am now going to have to endure the 'I told you so' from DH (who said there'd be a reasonable explanation)!
Thanks again for all of your info and advice.

glad you got it sorted

maybe she needs to reword her contracts though ! so others are not confuddled about it!

as you said in your OP "....we got the contract through today, and she has included 50p per mile for mileage....."

x

good news

Thats great news. That all sounds very fair.

yeah, she said that she tried putting a few sentences in brackets afterwards to explain it, but that it ended up being longer than the contract itself. it is fair and everytime I speak to her, I feel reassured on her professionalism and ethusiasm. i am just a born worrier and have too much time on my hands at the moment to worry - i need to go back to work me thinks!!
thank you all every so much for your advice.