Billing For Services At The End Instead Of The Beginning

[Country Kids]

Actually being paid in advance is not just daycare related. Lawyers, photographers, consultants, most things wedding related, flowers, DJ's etc...most of these people require advance payment. The ones that don't usually charge at least 50% in advance. Also a lot of bills I pay are in advance like cell phones, etc.

See here,when we did my daughters senior photo, everything was paid after we saw the pictures and picked them.

Lawyers do have a fee for meeting the first time with them but here, they all do hourly so you pay after the fact.

My bills that we pay after service are:

phone
cable
internet
sewer
water
electric
car payment
house payment
credit cards (we don't charge anymore but paying off)

So I guess the only thing we pre-pay is our cell phones.

[EAP]

I use the form off Minute Menu (the version you buy). I just input times daily and then the last day of the month hit the button and its done.

Where is this report? I would love to do this.

[LK5kids]

I don't have to beg or prod.

I bill after services have been provided.

Me too.

[NeedaVaca]

See here,when we did my daughters senior photo, everything was paid after we saw the pictures and picked them.

Lawyers do have a fee for meeting the first time with them but here, they all do hourly so you pay after the fact.

My bills that we pay after service are:

phone
cable
internet
sewer
water
electric
car payment
house payment
credit cards (we don't charge anymore but paying off)

So I guess the only thing we pre-pay is our cell phones.

Where I live if, for example, you want a photographer you pay the fee of say maybe $150-$250, then after you see the pictures you might have to pay for extra's if photo's were not included, Lawyers-yes you may pay for the first visit but if you need major services, it's all required upfront. I know someone that had to pay $15,000 upfront for them to take on the case. Even bankruptcy had to be paid upfront. ALL things wedding related are upfront or at least 50% upfront, I suppose some things are different based on where you live but I have lived in a lot of different states and these things were always the same. Same with rent, I always paid before, not after. Every sport my children have been in was pay in advance, so even if they hated it or dropped out for any reason-no refunds.

[nanglgrl]

You buy food for the children and then wait for the food program or for the parents to pay, you buy craft supplies, toilet paper and other items as well that children use before clients pay you. So really you are spending money on the children and then waiting for their parents to reimburse you for some of their expenses.

I'm glad it works for you but to me it seems like a problem waiting to happen. There are people in our area that say they have Childcare Assistance hoping the provider will trust that and after the provider goes weeks without payment they disappear and later the provider finds out that they never had CCA. I can guarantee that if I went to letting clients pay at the end of the month after care I would get taken advantage of within 2 months.

Of course there is the option of small claims but even if you win it doesn't mean you will get your money. In our area it takes months to get your case seen in small claims so it's rarely worthwhile.

I've not had a single parent ever act like they had a problem paying before care.

[Country Kids]

Here we can't bill clients on state pay till the end of the month because of the portion they may owe and such. It would totally mess our paperwork up with them if we had them pay before hand.

Also, I won't accept any state clients until all paperwork would be turned in and I haven't had a state pay in at least 4-5 years, all of mine are private pay.

[Laurel]

I left my response on the thread where you had the poll about this. Didn't see this thread till I was finished all that typing, .

I didn't have any problem collecting on the Friday after care for 15 years and then on year 16........ta da, they got me!

Laurel

[Play Care]

When I initally took my licensing course, we were advised to get payment upfront. So I have. I've only had one potential interview balk at that and not sign on, but her child was a "biter" (of course it was the fault of another boy at their current day care ) so I feel like rather than hinder getting clients, it's weeded them out for me.

I work very hard to ensure that I am a reliable provider - not calling out sick or otherwise taking off too much time. I feel like that's the flip side of advance payment.

[Angelsj]

I read on here alot it seems about providers having to fight for their money from parents. They aren't going to use the days being billed for, schedule changes, sick kids, etc.

I bill once a month and the end and never, never have to fight for my money-never in 17 years. I sometimes have parents asking for the bills before I have even had time to print them because they want to pay them. One even offered to pay two weeks early so I would have spring break money! It was even this way when I billed hourly.

In the memo section if there is anything different-more days, vacation time, my days off, I put it in there, if it changes the billing. I also always will refer to my contract and parent handbook if there is a question. Also on attached to the bill is a time sheet-in/out times, extra days, sick days so that parents can see exactly what days there child was here, times, etc.

Do you think if you billed at the end of the month you wouldn't have to fight for your money so badly. Even providers here that bill ahead have to beg, plead, send reminders for their money and are astonished I don't. I'm perplexed as why one way seems to cause such a hassle and the other doesn't.

I am not sure what makes the difference either, but I don't typically fight for money. I have had to take a few to court over the last 30 years or so, but not generally. I let my parents pay on their own schedule (weekly, biweekly,monthly) as long as I know up front, and after services. They all pay within a day of the due time, and most right on the day or the day or two before.

[Jewels]

I never fight for money, my payments are due the beginning of the week, but everyone pays at some point during the week, I have 3 that have automatic payments set, 2 that pay ahead for the month, 2 that usually pay on thursday, as long as I get it through the week I dont care, my parents would never just not pay me, and I don't go to the bank until fridays anyways.

[Meeko]

I used to be paid after care when I did daycare in the Air Force. That was because if someone didn't pay up, a quick call to their commander was all it took and then they wished they hadn't been born. I miss that! ::

In the civilian world, I have always been paid in advance. Waaay too many people out there will use the services and then skip. Licensing has always told us to get paid up front.

Those who get paid after care and have never been stiffed are very blessed!

It's like Walmart giving away groceries and trusting that everyone will come back and pay for them on their next payday!

[nanglgrl]

Here we can't bill clients on state pay till the end of the month because of the portion they may owe and such. It would totally mess our paperwork up with them if we had them pay before hand.

Also, I won't accept any state clients until all paperwork would be turned in and I haven't had a state pay in at least 4-5 years, all of mine are private pay.

What I was trying to say was these parents that lie about having assistance and go from provider to provider would never even lie and claim to have assistance, instead they would just go to providers that don't require pay until after care and skip out once payment was due.

[Meeko]

What I was trying to say was these parents that lie about having assistance and go from provider to provider would never even lie and claim to have assistance, instead they would just go to providers that don't require pay until after care and skip out once payment was due.

We call them "hoppers". I've been at this gig long enough that I can usually tell one while on the phone. They act super interested and excited at everything to the point of overacting. Then, when they know it's "no pay - no stay" they lose interest REAL fast

[daycaremum]

I am paid on the child's last day for the week, every week. The only time someone has not paid me in the last 13 years is paying two weeks fees in lieu of notice, but I just held their items captive. They never showed up, I sold their stuff at a yard sale. Felt good.

[Auntie'sHouse]

Ever since I started billing ahead of time 8 years ago I've never had to fight to be paid. I don't send an invoice since they pay the same unless I take off a day beyond my paid days off. In that case their bill is $25 less a day and I tell them to take it off their payment for the following week.

I doubt my parents would like paying monthly since they aren't paid that way and If I ever did it I would have them pay a month ahead. I would never want my clients to owe a months worth of fees and skip out on the bill.

i agree......my parents pay 2 weeks ahead that way i dont have to worry and they dont either. they got tired of my text reminders so now i dont have to send them..happyface