How much do you claim back for feeding children

[thebody]

Any advice, do you charge a standard rate per day or do you break it down for snacks, lunch or dinner.
I think someone posted the recommendations from the inland revinue once but I cant remember what it was.. help.

Can you claim it back? I have arranged with my cm to pay £1 extra a day for her to give a tea after school as even though we'd agreed she'd give something at at the start she often failed to give anything.

although the food situation hasnt improved much since agreeing to the extra money.

When I sid claim it back I meant that all cms can make a claim for all expenses associated with their work, i.e paint, toys, stair gates etc. You dont get the cash back as such but you pay less in tax at the end of the year.

Hercules do you really consider a £1.00 a day enough money to feed an after schooler!!!
I spend a lot more money on my cats dinner than that.
Sorry but thats just not nearly enough imo. two glasses of milk and a banana would cost that much..
I would be charging you more than that and so would an after school club.

well if the agreement was that she'd do it at the start then presumably that cost was already worked into her fees - this is just on top of that!

Believe me I offered more as I want her to eat something decent. She gets a packet of crisps or a hot dog or egg and chips for this - occasionally nothing. If I thought it would be better food for more money I'd gladly pay £5. I offered far more than £1 but she felt that what she would actually give wouldnt be worth it and tbh i think she would feel under pressure to provide somthing more decent.

Trouble is she is really nice but we've had a few issues in the past - like not feeding her once from 12 till 6 anything at all, not always using a car seat and on occasion using one for toddler rather than getting hers out of their garage.

I think the cm idea of a tea is very different to mine! I had an excellent childminder for ds so my fault I didnt really get into it with her what the tea would consist of. I assume as it was what her own children would be eating that it would be something decent I guess.

understand your situation now Hercules, blimey, how can anyone not feed a child for 6 hours and again not using a car seat.. thats unforgivable.
I give my mindees a mid morning snack, water, milk and fruit, for lunch its a sandwich and fruit in summer, or toast and egg or beans or soup in the cold weather. Dinner is ALWAYS home made i.e roast chicken and all the trimmings, or else cottage pie, pasta and cheese, home made pizzas, lasagna with pudding to follow. As much milk as they like in a day and usually other healthy snacks as well.

I thought maybe claiming £3.50 per day if child is full time, i.e from 8 till 6. I dont charge the parents for that, i charge £3 an hour to include all the food and snacks.
What do you think Hercules, is that what you would think was acceptable?

Sounds reasonable.

£1.50 breakfast
£2.00 Lunch
£2.50 Dinner

£6 per day i claim for but my prices include food

thanks to all who posted.
I think that sounds reasonable hchildminder, when you really break it down I must spend that much, as I like to give the children lots of variety and some fruits, like strawberries, are expensive. Also some of them drink lots of milk..

Don't forget you can get your milk allowance for under 5's body, they pay it into your account once a month or once a quarter I think.

Thanks 2anddone.. how does the milk thing work, do I just put in an amount along with the food or is it some other claim back scheme? advice?

The milk allowance is a pain in the backside to claim - I've never bothered in the last 4 years. It's not worth that much either.

My standard rate includes all food for my mindees - oldest is 3 years... breakfast, mid morning healthy snack (eg: raisins/carrot batons/grapes), cold lunch (eg: sandwich with ham and cucumber, pudding is always fruit/yoghurt), mid afternoon snack (eg:rice cake/cookie we have baked/fruit bar), freshly cooked tea (eg: shepherd's pie/lasagne/roast chicken etc. with pudding - fruit/yoghurt).

For tax purposes it depends on what kids I have on the day, and how many (I have a variation twice a week). I then claim proportionatly.

You couldn't claim the milk allowance AND put it through your books though, wel it would go through still but you'd have to declare the milk allowance as income remember.

I put through the actual cost of the food itself as bought for the mindees, and keep the recipets seperate to family food - rather than work out a set fee like the above for tax purposes, far easier for me to do that than sit and work out what 1/6th of a box of bean burgers comes to, and 5 florets of broccoli, 4 boiled potatoes etc etc etc

I claim the milk allowance. They will pay you to give 1/3 a pint of milk a day (or formula) for under 5s. Not too hard to claim, but it is another piece of paperwork! www.nurserymilk.co.uk