Having To Ask To Be Paid..

[MomBoss]

I have parents who pay monthly, some pay biweekly, and some pay weekly. One even pays weekly then monthly so its always changing. Of course i keep track of when payments are due, but how many of you remind parents of payment? I feel like every monday im saying "did you bring a check?". Half the time its "i forgot ill bring it at pickup". Sometimes mornings are chaotic or a child is having a hard time at drop of, so I dont think about asking for my check and dont realize they didnt pay me until an hour later after drop of. I shouldnt have to remind people to pay their bills. Especially when I have other things to think about in the morning.
A parent who paid for 3 weeks, 3 weeks ago, owes today and i forgot to ask for my check. Im sure he doesnt realize he owes me since his wife usually gives him the check to give to me and they dont always pay the same way. (Sometimes monthly, sometimes weekly).
Do any of you have to ask for your check?
I feel like texting DCD letting him know payment is due, but why should I? When I ask at pickup and he doesnt have his checkbook..its not my fault and he will have to pay the late fee if he brings it tomorrow. Am I wrong?

[Baby Beluga]

I don't give an advance notice (like an invoice) but if they don't have it at pick up, I ask "and tuition for next week?" before they leave.

Often times it is either:

1) they aren't used to paying in advance and forgot or
2) it's in their pocket and they just forgot.

[LittleExplorers]

Perhaps you can send one last reminder stating as of today, I will not be reminding you of due dates (and state the reasons you mentioned) late fees will apply, or get them all on the same payment schedule. I suggest to my families they put a reminder in their phone/calendar but I also require payment prior to care so no payment, no care. They will no longer forget after one time of going home to get a check. 😊

[rosieteddy]

When I ran in to this problem I changed the way I accepted checks-tuition.I explained that I knew it was hard to remember payment when on different schedules.I notified all parents that starting the next month tuition would be due the last week of previos month.Example four weeks in March .All march checks due on Feb26 if usually pay for week starting Monday.I had parent give me 4 checks post dated for each week of March.ThenApril checks were due on March 26 ect.This worked great You should not have to ask to be paid. Eventually I was paid the month before for a full month ahead.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

I would make them to commit to one specific form of pay. They either pay monthly every time or weekly every time, but there is no going back and forth. As for reminders, I would stop reminding and enforce late fees and also have a 3 strikes, you are out policy. You shouldn't have to chase your check. If it was an occasional thing, I might text a reminder, but habitually being late is not ok and will cost them more in the end.

[Alwaysgreener]

Do you get a bill for services you contact? I do.

First I recommend changing every one pay on Friday before that way if they forget, you have all weekend to bill them with late fee.
Second put everyone on the same billing cycle. If you choose weekly and they pay monthly, who cares but if you choose monthly and they pay weekly charge a convenience fee.
Third bill everyone every time, those that don't owe, show a credit. Those that owe show what is due.
You are a business and if you want to be treated like one, you must act like one. Ask your yourself, if I owed xx business how would they handle it?

[Blackcat31]

I refuse to chase my paycheck.

I require parents to choose ONE option for payment.
If they choose monthly, it's ALWAYS monthly.
If they want/need to change payment schedule they are required to notify me a minimum of 2 weeks in advance so I can adjust my budget accordingly.

Payments are required NO LATER than 5pm Fridays.
On Saturday morning I check to make sure ALL payments are posted and paid as required.

If a family did not pay, their child(ren)s name is removed (or blacked out) from my sign in sheet. Upon drop off, they will find they are NOT allowed to sign in since there was no payment.

IF they have payment including late fee (cash only) or proof they paid electronically they can sign in. Otherwise they are turned away at the door until they can pay.

I won't remind anyone and I won't let emotions cloud my actions.... NO PAY = NO STAY. period.

[Ariana]

What method of payment do they use?

With etransfer they can set up automatic regularly scheduled payments so there is no excuse.

For checks you should require 2-3 months worth of check in advance (this is what I do) so you are never waiting for your payment.

For repeat offenders I would require advance checks no matter what OR start charging them late fees.

[storybookending]

I make everyone pay every Friday. I don’t have time to be tracking everyone’s different payments schedules. I do what it convenient for me. Everyone pays on Friday, cash or check. Some pay in the mornings, others at night. I don’t say anything to anyone.

[Unregistered]

I have a parent who pays at pick up on Mondays. She dropped off DCB on a Monday morning, picked up and told me on her way out, "I lost my purse last week, can't pay today." I said ok (nicely) and shut the door. I sent her a message telling her she can't bring DCB back until she found her purse and the payment. She paid the next morning....
I recently changed my payment policy and added a late fee. We really shouldn't have to remind parents to pay. We don't have to remind them to drop the kids off.

[Homebody]

I only have one family that I text a week ahead of time for a reminder. They pay monthly and DCB is only here on Thursdays and Fridays, but doesn't come every week because step mom is a teacher and so stays home when school is not in session. I was having problems with them remembering to pay when he didn't come. I don't feel like I should have to remind them either, but I only have him 4 more months because he is off to Kindergarten next year so I will just deal with it. Funny thing is DCB's Dad and Stepmom used to run a home daycare for 5 years, and I thought they would be my easy family. I had problems with them communicating drop off and pickup times in the beginning because they changed from week to week depending on who was doing it. Communication has improved but I have to keep on them about it. I'm looking forward to summer.

[CityGarden]

Do you get a bill for services you contact? I do.

First I recommend changing every one pay on Friday before that way if they forget, you have all weekend to bill them with late fee.
Second put everyone on the same billing cycle. If you choose weekly and they pay monthly, who cares but if you choose monthly and they pay weekly charge a convenience fee.
Third bill everyone every time, those that don't owe, show a credit. Those that owe show what is due.
You are a business and if you want to be treated like one, you must act like one. Ask your yourself, if I owed xx business how would they handle it?

What do you use for invoices? I have been using Brightwheel but want something different.

[MomBoss]

What do you use for invoices? I have been using Brightwheel but want something different.

I dont do invoices because payment is the same every week. They know what they have to pay so i expect it every monday.

[Mom2Two]

If you switch to Venmo, then you can send a charge, which they can pay with a tap on their smart phone or whatever. Sending the charge is a reminder.

I bill every two weeks on Friday evening. I email the invoice and send a Venmo charge, then we sit there, watch a movie, and listen to the cha-chings as I get paid, which is kinda fun. My families do it right away.

I do an invoice because I charge by attendance and so my invoice itemizes attendance + any fees.

I realize that it can be hard to make the switch to ePay, but if you start the switch, you'll get rid of that headache as everyone changes over. I hate reminding to be paid.

I had one family that wasn't paying til Sunday evening, so I began texting them on Sunday afternoon, asking if they got the invoice, and after I did that a couple of times, they quit letting it drag on all weekend. If it had kept going on, I would have started a late fee after 5pm on Sunday or something like that.

If a family ever didn't pay me by Sunday evening, I would tell them that I was planning on them not being here on Monday. And after a warning or two, I would either heft up the late fees or term. I don't want that stress.

[HappyEverAfter]

I have a chalkboard by the front door that on Mondays I always write “tuition is due”. I’ve never had to ask for a payment. All of mine pay weekly except one who pays ahead 2 weeks at a time.
I do have a “no pay, no stay” policy though and I make sure parents know this right off the bat. I do not let anyone run a balance, not even for a day.