Minute Menu E-pay

[SignMeUp]

Can anyone tell me about this? How it works, if it can charge a regular weekly fee automatically, what part parents set up and what I set up, and if parents sign in and out on it or not (because I'd love to have an automatic sign-out that calculates their late fee and then has them pay me automatically!!)

Thanks

[snbauser]

I have 1 family that uses the electronic payments through Minute Menu. It is ONLY for payments and does not work like a sign in/out program. There is a $1 fee per transaction and you can either set it up for the parent to pay it or for you to pay it (it deducts it from the parents payment). I find it a little confusing to set up but basically you set it up with the amount, the billing period, and the day you want it deposited into your account. Then it sends the parents an email for them to sign into ChildCarePay where they create an account, set up a password, enter their bank account, and approve the payments. You can set it up as a one time payment or a recurring payment.

3 things I don't like about it
The billing week is always off. I get paid on Friday for the upcoming week. In order for me to get paid on Friday, it shows it as being for the current week.
I don't like the long lag time. In order for me to get paid on Friday, it comes out of the parents account on either Mon or Tues so they are really paying out of their account almost a week early.
And the 3rd thing I don't like is that ANY TIME there is a holiday during the week, my payment gets delayed until Monday. It's too difficult to go in and change the dates each time because then the parents have to go in and reapprove it, then you have to change it back again after the holiday and they have to reapprove it again. So I just deal with it being deposited on Monday when there is a holiday.

My one family that uses it is the one that is completely unorganized and totally scatter brained. So I would rather deal with the inconveniences of it than the constant "I forgot my checkbook" with them.

[midaycare]

If you want electronic payments from dcf's, there are a lot of other options. Pop money is one and it is free. They can send you an online payment through their bank, too.

[SignMeUp]

Thanks, snbauser. That's exactly the type of stuff I needed to know. It sounds unworkable for me. I'm interested in a plan that I can have everyone participate in, because I dislike looking all different places for my money, but with all of those issues (I'm paid at the end of the week too) that one clearly isn't for me. I'd particularly like to have a plan that depersonalizes late p/u fees :: and just automatically adds them on to the payment.

And midaycare, yes, I have used some other options, but none work that well for me or my families

Oh well, it was worth a shot. Thanks for all of the information

[CraftyMom]

I really like epay. The only thing I would like it to do that it doesn't is having it automatically add in late fees, etc.

Last January I made it mandatory for all payments to go through epay, so it is my only means of payment. The ONLY exception is someone who doesn't have internet.

Yes, it takes a few days for the payment to post. I staggered everyone's first use of epay so I wasn't waiting for ALL of my money the first week. I still get paid every week, I am never waiting for money. Payments are still made and deducted from their accounts on Fridays, and I get the money in my account by Wednesday. The way I look at it is now I get paid 2 days earlier!

Basically it's almost a week behind, like if you started working for a new company and they withhold a week's pay. You still get paid every week, just not for the current week. If that makes sense.

I Love that it does the accounting for me too! I use Minute Menu to keep track of expenses. It all gets calculated on the correct tax form automatically and added to my expenses.

[craftymissbeth]

I really like epay. The only thing I would like it to do that it doesn't is having it automatically add in late fees, etc.

Last January I made it mandatory for all payments to go through epay, so it is my only means of payment. The ONLY exception is someone who doesn't have internet.

Yes, it takes a few days for the payment to post. I staggered everyone's first use of epay so I wasn't waiting for ALL of my money the first week. I still get paid every week, I am never waiting for money. Payments are still made and deducted from their accounts on Fridays, and I get the money in my account by Wednesday. The way I look at it is now I get paid 2 days earlier!

Basically it's almost a week behind, like if you started working for a new company and they withhold a week's pay. You still get paid every week, just not for the current week. If that makes sense.

I Love that it does the accounting for me too! I use Minute Menu to keep track of expenses. It all gets calculated on the correct tax form automatically and added to my expenses.

This is such a good idea. My local YMCA requires bank draft... why shouldn't we? Definitely going to hold onto that idea!

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I love it and have used it for over 2 years now.

[Indoorvoice]

I use it for all my families except one and I love it. I add fees on the invoices as they occur and then send out the invoice over email. Yes, it's not automatic, but I don't have to come out and ask for the money either.