Late Payment?

[mrsnj]

Do you require payment by a certain day or at least by the start of the following week? How do you work late payments?

[Blackcat31]

ALL payments are due by 5:00 on Fridays. If they choose to pay on Monday, they are billed an additional $30 ($10 per calendar day late fee) and NO services are provided until ALL fees are paid in full.

[Play Care]

ALL payments are due by 5:00 on Fridays. If they choose to pay on Monday, they are billed an additional $30 ($10 per calendar day late fee) and NO services are provided until ALL fees are paid in full.

This.

[JoseyJo]

I require payments to be made by Monday morning at drop off at the latest. Some of my parents pay on Friday at pick up but most pay Monday morning. I do not accept the child w/o payment. (Some of my long time parents have forgotten very occasionally to bring payment on Monday and I have allowed them to pay that evening or Tuesday morning, but I would never allow a new parent to do that, or for it to become any type of habit).

Parents who pay through SRS (state pay) are required to approve the payment transfer the Thursday before the services are provided as it takes 2 business days for the transfer to be completed. If I cannot see that the transfer has completed on Monday morning I require that they pay in cash and credit the SRS payment toward the next week's tuition.

[mamac]

ALL payments are due by 5:00 on Fridays. If they choose to pay on Monday, they are billed an additional $30 ($10 per calendar day late fee) and NO services are provided until ALL fees are paid in full.

Have you had many people that have had to pay the late fee or do you find that just the possibility of an extra $30 deters late payments?

I wanted to do the same payment schedule but I chickened out and switched to Monday by pickup for the current week. I felt that it would be less conflict and hassle getting an extra $10 than an extra $30 because I wasn't going to allow weekend payments. How has it worked for you?


Sorry for the hijack mrsnj...

[DaisyMamma]

Monday morning.
I get some that pay Monday evening, which I really do not like, but haven't been strict about it or even mentioned it to anyone. I think I might just change the rule that if you pay Monday evening instead of morning it needs to be cash.

[Blackcat31]

Have you had many people that have had to pay the late fee or do you find that just the possibility of an extra $30 deters late payments?

I wanted to do the same payment schedule but I chickened out and switched to Monday by pickup for the current week. I felt that it would be less conflict and hassle getting an extra $10 than an extra $30 because I wasn't going to allow weekend payments. How has it worked for you?


Sorry for the hijack mrsnj...

RARELY do parents pay late. I think the fact that the $30 fee IS a lot so it does help detour them but mostly I have few late payments because during the interview I am VERY purposeful about making sure my families KNOW this is my job and like them I expect a paycheck in a timely manner and will NTO chase down my pay.

$30 is the FIRST late fee rate. If you are late a second time, the fee is $40 per calendar day.

Honestly, there really is no excuse to not pay your provider. I don't care what happens in someone's personal life....child care expenses should be right up there with a mortgage payment...kwim?

I've had parents in the past try and say things like "I can't pay you because they are going to shut off my lights if I don't pay them".My response is usually "Well you can still go to work if you don't have lights but you can't go to work if you don't have child care."

I know that sounds harsh but seriously can you or any of us just sit back and wait to be paid? My income is no different than my daycare families incomes...they NEED the money to feed their kids and pay their bills.

I thought about a Monday payment schedule but a majority of paydates are Fridays and honestly, it is all too easy to spend your money on a weekend and then show up at daycare on Monday with an excuse so for me, I require Friday payments. I don't care if it's every Friday or every other...or even one Friday per month. Just so long as you pick ONE schedule for payments and then stick with it.

I felt "harsh" about it at first too but if you really want to know the truth, I enacted that policy about 5 years ago and you know how many late or partial or missed payments I've had since then?

NONE. ZIP. NADA. NOT. ONE. SINGLE. ONE.

[Cradle2crayons]

My parents are required to pay on Monday for the week, or they can pay for the month and get a teeny discount.

I have one who pays twice a month on the Friday before.

The others pay on Monday.

My state pays pay just like the others, on mondaynat drop off. No money, no leave kid.

[Blackcat31]

Oh and I don't allow weekend payments either. I am only at daycare until 5:00 each Friday and if a parent doesn't make it by that time, they have to wait until Monday.

I am not a bank or an ATM.

I work business hours only.

I don't even answer phone calls, texts or e-mails on the weekends.

ONLY in the case of an emergency. Like anyone else, I don't want to "work" when I am not on the clock.

[mamac]

I felt "harsh" about it at first too but if you really want to know the truth, I enacted that policy about 5 years ago and you know how many late or partial or missed payments I've had since then?

NONE. ZIP. NADA. NOT. ONE. SINGLE. ONE.

I was actually thinking Friday payments with a $30 late fee on Monday would be a good deterrent to people paying late. I was just trying to be a little "nicer" by getting paid on Monday but in reality I guess I'm just making it easier for them to pay me late.

And now I'm off to revise my handbook yet again.... Great. Just great.

At least I'm only "open" for a few weeks until September. Hopefully I'll have everything figured out by then. Ha. Ha. Ha.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Due by Monday morning at 7:00 AM or a late fee will be added on at 7:01. I open at 8:00. I have a FEW that wait until the very last second. Everyone else pays Thursday or Friday.

[mrsnj]

I have a parent who pays late all the time. She already owes me late fees from last week! Yesterday she conviently forgot her check again. Yet she lives like four houses away n has to pass my house to leave the development. To make matters worse the family is going through a divorce and now SHE is the one who pays. She is the one who pays late. As soon as I found out she was the payee I knew I would have an issue. And already here we go. I have to deal around daddy days where he has the kids n she will put the blame on that. "Well I wasn't here cause it wasn't my day". Meanwhile she is paying three days late. So..... Because the court determines she is to pay yet I have nothing in writing do I notify both or just her?

[Cradle2crayons]

I have a parent who pays late all the time. She already owes me late fees from last week! Yesterday she conviently forgot her check again. Yet she lives like four houses away n has to pass my house to leave the development. To make matters worse the family is going through a divorce and now SHE is the one who pays. She is the one who pays late. As soon as I found out she was the payee I knew I would have an issue. And already here we go. I have to deal around daddy days where he has the kids n she will put the blame on that. "Well I wasn't here cause it wasn't my day". Meanwhile she is paying three days late. So..... Because the court determines she is to pay yet I have nothing in writing do I notify both or just her?

If the court ordered HER to pay, then it sounds like you need to get her to sign a new contract. And hold HER accountable.

[momofboys]

I have a parent who pays late all the time. She already owes me late fees from last week! Yesterday she conviently forgot her check again. Yet she lives like four houses away n has to pass my house to leave the development. To make matters worse the family is going through a divorce and now SHE is the one who pays. She is the one who pays late. As soon as I found out she was the payee I knew I would have an issue. And already here we go. I have to deal around daddy days where he has the kids n she will put the blame on that. "Well I wasn't here cause it wasn't my day". Meanwhile she is paying three days late. So..... Because the court determines she is to pay yet I have nothing in writing do I notify both or just her?

I have had parents "forget the check" to which I reply "I will wait while you got get one" & they must take their child with them. If she only lives a few homes down it shouldn't be inconvenient.

[sharlan]

Most pay on pick up on Friday night.

I have 2 that pay on Monday - 1 at drop off and 1 at pickup. One gets paid on Mondays, the other gets home about 8 PM on Fridays and I don't feel like dealing with it that late. I start charging both a late fee come Tues morning. Both have been paying late. Fine, I need the extra money they're paying.