Record Keeping

[afmama]

I'm looking to see how everyone does their record keeping. Instead of just "I use excel"....but HOW do you use it? What is your system for saving receipts? And keeping track of your bills for the time/space percentage deal.

What stuff do you keep for your car deductions?
How do you do your recepts...do you have parents sign the receipts?
How do you keep track of extra meals served? (I'm on the food program, but often serve more.)

I would post this in the tax section, but it doesn't seem to get as many answers!
Thanks!

[Meeko]

I love my Calendar Keeper from Redleaf. Places for attendance, payments, tax charts, etc etc etc. Check out Redleaf Press.

[youretooloud]

I still use the old fashion calender keeper.

[Cat Herder]

I use Minute Menu Kids because it tells me "How" and quickly pulls it all together in easily printed out reports at the drop of a hat.

I really cannot tell you how much paperwork, stress and office clutter it has rid me of. I know I sound like a commercial all the time for them...

It was just my favorite purchase this year including my booty toning shoes...

[MissAnn]

I'm looking to see how everyone does their record keeping. Instead of just "I use excel"....but HOW do you use it? What is your system for saving receipts? And keeping track of your bills for the time/space percentage deal.

What stuff do you keep for your car deductions?
How do you do your recepts...do you have parents sign the receipts?
How do you keep track of extra meals served? (I'm on the food program, but often serve more.)

I would post this in the tax section, but it doesn't seem to get as many answers!
Thanks!

You need CK Kids!

[wdmmom]

I use a 2 part receipt book. Parents get one copy, the other copy stays in the binder type book. I use Microsoft Word and insert a 2 column graph that I type out each payment they made to me throughout the year.

I keep all my receipts in a expandable folder.

At the end of the year I go through the receipts and separate them into piles of cleaning supplies, arts & crafts, office supplies, gifts, etc. I tally the totals up for my accountant, staple the receipts and once my taxes are prepared, put the receipts with the paperwork.

By tallying up the receipts and itemizing them myself, I save about $250 on preparation fees.

[SandeeAR]

I have a CPA that does my taxes each year. These are the headings I have in my excel spreadsheet for her.

Each section has a running total at the bottom.


Income

Child 1 1/4/2011 $250.00
Child 2 1/4/2011 $125.00


FOOD/SUPPLIES/TOYS
Date Location Cost Description
1/3/11 Walmart $5.59 food


Conway Corp:
electric;water;trash pickup; cable
Jan $189.98

Cingular Cell Phone

Centerpoint (Gas)

Bug Spray

IRS Paid In

State Paid in

Renters Insurance:

Bus Liability Ins:

Health Ins Monthly:

Landscaping

Each "outgoing" item has Jan-Dec in a column under the heading.

Hope this helps

[SandeeAR]

I tried to post my Excel headings, but it told me my post had to be approved. I've emailed Michael about it. Hopefully it will show up soon.

This is a test post to see if I get the same thing.

[Crazy8]

I do just use excel. :: I have one file full of "parent statements" where I keep track of their payments all year (check #'s, etc.) and at the end of the year I print two copies out and they have to sign and return one copy for my records. Then I have one other excel form that has everything else. It has a page for my time space percentage, a page for my utility costs (since they are a deduction), and the biggest page is for ALL my expenses throughout the year. I am not on the food program but still keep a page for the number of snacks I serve and get a straight amount for those.

I know there are programs that do all this now but I created the forms years ago and can just tweek them to do whatever I need so I prefer it this way.

[afmama]

thanks! This is verrrry helpful! What about car stuff though....do you just keep your gas receipts and write down your miles?

[AmandasFCC]

I use Excel ...

I have different sections attached to one workbook entitled "(this year) Accounting". The different sections are:

-budget (lists all children and what they earn me, operating funding, then daycare bills/expenses, and personal bills/expenses)
- Payment Record (each month's expected $, then a column of what's been paid)
-Expenses (I list all expenses, categorized, like food, toys, books .... I take this from my receipts. So my list looks like this:
July
Date .... Store ... Amount .... category
And if a receipt has a couple different categories on it, then I list it a few times .... klnow what I mean?)
-Year Summary (I calculate how much I spent in each category each month, then do my time/space % on it if required, plus include all the $ I made from each different mediums (subsidy, cash payments, operating funding, everything claimable)

Make sense?

Oh, and as for my receipts, I keep them in a folder until I enter them, usually once a month or so, and then once they've been entered into my spreadsheet, they are separated by month - each month has its own envelope in my file cabinet.

The receipts I give to the parents - I give them a receipt every time they pay me. That's the best way I've found to make sure I don't miss a payment or anything like that. No they don't sign them.

We don't have a food program, so I'm not sure how you'd do that, but I just save all my receipts for food, cross of what's not for daycare use, and do time/space ont he total.

[grandmom]

I use Quicken.

I have three main categoreis: Business, Personal, Split

Those things I put in Business or Personal are 100% that.

Those in Split are then divided at the end of the year based on my time/space%

Under those three headings I have lots of other headings like food, dining, disposables, toys, utlities, repairs, auto gas, etc.

Then at the end of the year I print those reports and give them to the CPA.

[wdmmom]

thanks! This is verrrry helpful! What about car stuff though....do you just keep your gas receipts and write down your miles?

I use the mileage route. Keep a small notebook in your glove box. Everytime you go somewhere, write the date, the beginning mileage and the ending mileage.

This includes trips to the grocery, bank, paying bills, post office, field trips, etc.

At the end of the year you will get the going rate for mileage. (Right now I think it's $.51 a mile!)

[SandeeAR]

thanks! This is verrrry helpful! What about car stuff though....do you just keep your gas receipts and write down your miles?

I have a small car, plus my insurance doesn't cover me if I travel with the kids, so I don't drive them anywhere. I just don't take mileage off. (My odometer is broken) When I go buy groceries, I'm buying for my family too. Also DH takes my checks to the bank when he does the daily deposit for his business.

[Crazy8]

I have a small car, plus my insurance doesn't cover me if I travel with the kids, so I don't drive them anywhere. I just don't take mileage off. (My odometer is broken) When I go buy groceries, I'm buying for my family too. Also DH takes my checks to the bank when he does the daily deposit for his business.

same here... I don't do car expenses at all. I don't drive the kids anywhere and I don't really ever go anywhere that is strictly daycare related.