Never Cashed the Check...

[jenboo]

This is the sort of thing that annoys me about this site. It's not their fault you're unorganized. If they accidentally paid you more, would you run and tell. No, most people wouldn't.

I would definitely say something and return the extra money.

[Unregistered]

This is your mistake, not theirs. You have no right to be mad at them, and you have no right to make assumptions that may not be true. Maybe they knew about it, maybe they didn't - you really don't know. I've gone several months without balancing my checkbook, and my husband makes purchases all the time without my knowledge. Yeah it's not very responsible of us and it's something I'm trying to change, but the point is this family could very well be the same way. You need to own up to your mistake and quit blaming them. If your going to be mad at anybody it should be yourself.

[e.j.]

This is the sort of thing that annoys me about this site. It's not their fault you're unorganized. If they accidentally paid you more, would you run and tell. No, most people wouldn't.

Maybe I'm naïve but I think most providers are honest and would say something if a parent overpaid. In fact, I just sent a text yesterday to let a dcm know she overpaid me. I wouldn't be upset with a parent for not asking about an uncashed check, though. I'd be more likely to explain that I misplaced it and apologize for my delay.

[Unregistered]

Let it go or call out daycare parents for it?

I make 12 deposits per week and I missed putting one in. It was in JUNE and I just caught it (putting quarterly tax stuff together).

No small amount, 350. Obviously parents are aware, as they had to add it back to their check book.

SO MAD at them right now. I would have asked my provider. They just let it go.

Why are you SO MAD at them? It isn't the responsibility of them, your customer, to chase you around and make sure you are on top of YOUR finances and bookkeeping. You also do not know that they "added it back to their check book". Do you normally assume that your daycare families are thieves?

When I write a check I deduct the amount from my available funds and move on. Not my concern to follow up on the check. The money is there, whenever the check is cashed.

[racemom]

I probably wouldn't notice. I check my balance daily to make sure I don't get overdrawn. But with all the things coming and going out of my account, I don't usually know what is in there exactly. Our local gas station we charge at regularly doesn't deposit checks for a while (which is at least that amount normally because it is fuel, gas and propane). Many times when a check from them goes through I have to look at the image to find out what it was! So I can see where that can happen.

I would deposit it now, or mention to them you just found it and so heads up it will be coming through their bank.

[sahm1225]

Not trying to change the topic but today we went to a karate tournament where we had paid in Advance two weeks ago. The registration desk gave me the hardest time because I didn’t report to them that they hadn’t cashed the check and tried basically saying that an honest person would’ve reminded them to cash it.
Our local school sometimes takes months to cash checks so it didn’t even cross my mind to report it to them. Just thought it was interesting that they felt two weeks was plenty of time where your parents didn’t say anything after months

[littlefriends]

It drives me nuts when I write a check and whatever it’s written to takes an eternity to cash it. That money has to just sit in there waiting and I have to remember not to spend it because it could come out at any time because it’s alrea “spent”. I will wait a couple weeks and then I always ask if they’ve had a chance to get it to the bank. I wrote a check for school pictures back at the beginning of September and I’m still waiting on it to get cashed!!

[Cat Herder]

Our local school sometimes takes months to cash checks so it didn’t even cross my mind to report it to them.

This is why I opened the separate bill payment account. It took 4 months for school pictures to come out, 6 months for PTA membership and almost a year for graduation fees to clear.

Anything that goes into that account is spoken for and when it finally clears I strike it from my bill ledger. Many organizations take forever to deposit checks.

[BrynleeJean]

id personally probably be so embarrassed i wouldn't even bring it up.
I completely get forgetting to cash checks. Ive gone until the following payday meaning the next day the parents were supposed to pay tuition and have realized i haven't even made it to the bank. Now i mobile deposit my checks and file them(in case it doesn't deposit right) as soon as i get them so I don't do this anymore.
but if i did for some reason really want to go about it, I would tell the parents it was my bad, I did forget to deposit it a few months back and at that point if the parent is willing to PAY for my mistake meaning they want me to cash it now then id do so still feeling bad. Or if they didnt id just apologize again and make sure that didnt happen again

And I wouldn't be too quick to think they noticed the money not taken out though that very well may be true. I know a lot of younger families that dont balance their accounts regularly. Me being one of them. because everything is digital. I may scroll through my banks site every once in a while for a detail I'm looking for but for the most part we unless something looks really off we don't go searching for each payment and statement.

[Meeko]

I only have one parent left who still writes me a check. All other clients, and all new clients are to pay cash or use Venmo only.

I mobile deposit the check as soon as I get it.

[lovemykidstoo]

Let it go or call out daycare parents for it?

I make 12 deposits per week and I missed putting one in. It was in JUNE and I just caught it (putting quarterly tax stuff together).

No small amount, 350. Obviously parents are aware, as they had to add it back to their check book.

SO MAD at them right now. I would have asked my provider. They just let it go.

I have to agree to the one post that "unregistered" posted and wondered why you would be mad at them. I have saved up checks before to help pay for vacation and the parents never said anything. I figured that if I didn't cash them, I wouldn't spend them and I would have them for vacation LOL. The parents knew that they gave me the check and if I lost it, I would ask for a replacement, so they never said anything. I never assumed they were trying to scam money off of me. I would honestly wonder how you didn't notice you were short that. I would notice immediately if I was short money. How did they act when you contacted them about cashing it?

[Unregistered]

Let it go or call out daycare parents for it?

I make 12 deposits per week and I missed putting one in. It was in JUNE and I just caught it (putting quarterly tax stuff together).

No small amount, 350. Obviously parents are aware, as they had to add it back to their check book.

SO MAD at them right now. I would have asked my provider. They just let it go.

If it's taken you this long to notice this "No small amount" as you call it, then why is it so hard to believe that it may have gone unnoticed on their part as well??? Why are you assuming the worst?

[Blackcat31]

If it's taken you this long to notice this "No small amount" as you call it, then why is it so hard to believe that it may have gone unnoticed on their part as well??? Why are you assuming the worst?

You made your point in your first post.

Pretty sure OP was unsure of how to handle this; hence her posting in the first place asking for input from others.

OP is a long time member here that has a good reputation for being fair. It’s not her nature to treat her families poorly and obviously this has never happened to her before

Clearly this topic is a sore spot for you.

[lovemykidstoo]

You made your point in your first post.

Pretty sure OP was unsure of how to handle this; hence her posting in the first place asking for input from others.

OP is a long time member here that has a good reputation for being fair. It’s not her nature to treat her families poorly and obviously this has never happened to her before

Clearly this topic is a sore spot for you.

Typical troll. Hides behind an anonymous name. I think maybe there's more to this family than meets the eye that's why I wondered why she was mad. Maybe more to it. I agree that Daycarediva is a wonderful part of this forum and enjoy communicating with her. happyface

[daycarediva]

Well, gee.

Anyway, this is a family with known issues. It was a rough start, trying to get away with things. Eg. They started paying cash, but there were discrepancies with their envelope. They shorted me $100 and swore up and down it was all in the envelope. The very next payment it was short $20 and I counted it in front of Dad. That’s when they switched to check or electronic invoice only.

If it was another family, I would not have assumed they knew. Money is also tight/short.

My account is something I barely look at. I balance it monthly. Lesson learned. I mobile deposit a check, verify it cleared, move on. I totally missed depositing this check so never double checked it.

I emailed them, they responded. It was the week before their vacation so they just figured I didn’t charge them. They know I charge for enrollment not attendance, as it’s come up.

I am now paid. Dad is MAD. Mom is embarrassed.