Pay Day

[Meeko]

For years I have had the same pay policy...but am thinking of changing it and wanted some input from other providers.

I have always been paid by 6PM on Friday nights before closing. This is in advance for the following week. If payment is not received by 6PM...late charges are added at $10 per day. It is added at 6:01 PM. The child may not stay on Monday morning until all fees are paid.

Some parents are telling me that they are having a hard time getting off work, getting to the bank/ATM etc to get money to pay me and still getting here to pick up on time. Some parents have apologized and told me to go on home and they will bring the money to my house within a short time. Some have done this. But then I have to deal with whining and moaning about late fees and sob stories about how they really tried hard to get it to me and I can't get it into the bank until the morning anyway...etc. etc.

I AM a stickler for adding the late fees, but it's still a pain to have a few payments trickle in over a Friday night and listen to the whining. A bigger pain if I want to go out somewhere. (Then it's MY fault I didn't get paid because I wasn't home)

Soooooo.......I am considering just making payments due first thing on Monday morning. That gives them all weekend to get their act together. The policy in place now for Monday morning will still be in force. No payment at drop-off will mean the child does not stay.... even for a second. If they forgot payment, the child goes with them to get it.

Input?

[mismatchedsocks]

are they not allowed to pay by check? Maybe they should go to the bank on Thursday and be prepared for Friday pay day?

Even if you change your policy there will still be people who didnt get to bank on weekend, or spent all the money, or some excuse. I would stick to your policy, and if they are allowed to pay check just tell them to give to you in morning.

[AnneCordelia]

They KNOW when you get paid. They can go to the bank on THURSDAY. Changing your payday will not change habitual late payers...they will find ANOTHER excuse on Monday morning why they don't have your money. And then you'll have the joy of refusing the child at the door instead of shooting off an invoice for late payment on Sat morning. I'd rather shoot off a reminder invoice via e-mail to them than turn them away.

[MarinaVanessa]

DON'T DO IT!!!!! I was getting the same sob stories that you are getting and you know what ended up happening when I changed my payday to Monday at drop-off instead of Friday? I was getting paid Tuesday and sometimes as late as Wednesdays .

had no problem telling them not to bother coming without the check but sometimes they still wouldn't pay until Wednesday and I NEED MY MONEY!! I hate it and have decided to go back to payment on Fridays at pick-ups. It's also a hassle because if I don't get paid on Fridays then I have to wait until Monday to pay bill etc. because I need whatever money I have for DC food. Let me tell you ... IT STINKS.

Just my experience anyway.

[SunflowerMama]

I just say stick with your current policy. They just need to be better prepared.

I do Fridays by 5p for the upcoming week and they are always on time. I would just stick with what you have.

[Blackcat31]

I agree with pp, unless you do not accerpt checks there really is no real good excuse as to why they didn't come prepared at pick up on Friday. Do none of these parents have lunch hours to run errands? Do they all work a job where they are not available to get to the bank either in the morning or the evening?

I have a provider friend who does the prepay thing too but has payments due on Monday mornings as you mentioned and guess what the number one excuse is for no payment on Monday? Yep, she hears "Well, X or X happened over the weekend and I can't afford to pay you now." It is always some excuse as to why they spent all their money over the weekend so I would never go that route.

What are some of the specific reasons why parents can't always pay on Fridays?

I would never allow a parent to come out to my house after business hours either. If you don't pay by closing time on Fridays, late fees automatically start accruing. If the parent can't leave work to get to bank, then they need to arrange for someone else to run their errands. They should always **** up their own slack. I own mine so it is only fair. LOL!!

[cheerfuldom]

Do whatever is easier for you. I do pay on Monday morning and that works for me.

[SandeeAR]

I get paid on Monday morning at drop off for the next two weeks. I have never had a parent late. Even had one want to bring it to me when it snowed. I told them, wait until I opened back up. I wasn't going anywhere to spend it anyway :: I have really great parents. Never late, no sob stories, etc. Two of my parents get paid on Monday, not Friday's like most ppl, so I set it at Mondays when I opened. Stinks sometimes for me, b/c I would like to go shop on Friday nights or Saturday.


That said. It works for me, but if I could get paid on Fridays, I would like it better.

[MG&Lsmom]

I have payments due at drop off on Friday. Banks are open late on Thursdays around here, plenty of time to get there and have my money on Friday morning. Don't change it. They need to be responsible for what they owe.

[Meeko]

Thanks for the answers ladies!

I am going to stick with Friday pay day.

BUT...I am going to stop all drop off payments at my house. I am going to have a policy of NO BUSINESS AT ALL on my weekend (which starts at 6:01 PM on Friday night.) They will have to wait until Monday morning to pay me and ALL late fees will accrue. Most business is closed over the weekend and people have to wait until Monday morning to take care of things. My clients will be doing the same. Maybe a late fee for Friday, Saturday AND Sunday will make them more responsible.

[Blackcat31]

Thanks for the answers ladies!

I am going to stick with Friday pay day.

BUT...I am going to stop all drop off payments at my house. I am going to have a policy of NO BUSINESS AT ALL on my weekend (which starts at 6:01 PM on Friday night.) They will have to wait until Monday morning to pay me and ALL late fees will accrue. Most business is closed over the weekend and people have to wait until Monday morning to take care of things. My clients will be doing the same. Maybe a late fee for Friday, Saturday AND Sunday will make them more responsible.

Absolutely! I am a business. I close. If you haven't paid, late fees accrue for every single calendar day. I don't care if it is a weekend, holiday or your birthday. Late fees apply. Been this way for several years now.

Every great once in awhile I will have a Monday payer who comes with cash (plus late fee) in hand at drop off. Rare. But it does happen. Whatever the reason, I guess I really don't care.

I don't mean to sound cold but business is business. I know Wells Fargo doesn't really care if I have a reason/excuse...they just want my money when it is due.

[bice99]

I get paid on the 1st of each month. Love it. $25 per day, including weekends, for being late. The first month is the hardest for families to come up with the entire month, but after that, they just save it up from paychecks until the next month. Fewer checks, fewer trips to the bank, fewer parents to deal with if they are late.

[daycare]

Thanks for the answers ladies!

I am going to stick with Friday pay day.

BUT...I am going to stop all drop off payments at my house. I am going to have a policy of NO BUSINESS AT ALL on my weekend (which starts at 6:01 PM on Friday night.) They will have to wait until Monday morning to pay me and ALL late fees will accrue. Most business is closed over the weekend and people have to wait until Monday morning to take care of things. My clients will be doing the same. Maybe a late fee for Friday, Saturday AND Sunday will make them more responsible.

Stick to this... I had a family that would do this all the time. I even had to go as far as stating in my payment policy that all payments must be given directly to the provdier and NO payments will be accepted after 6:00 pm Friday.

One family claimed they came by on a saturday morning and placed the payment under my door mat IN CASH. which was never found. I did not accept this as an excuse and demanded they still paid me in full with late fees that monday morning.

I also had this same family swing by on a weekend and pay my 13 year old daughter in cash. My daughter said they never came by.... Which I belived my daughter...

I would not change your policy. I agree, if they are already making compalints it will only be time before they start to find reasons why they can't get thier payments to you on monday morning..

Not sure if your daycare families can afford to or not, but I require my payments to be maid monthly. I do work with some families by splitting the payment for one week up front and the rest of the month the following week, otherwise they pay in full one month in advance.

[cheerfuldom]

stick to your policy! More fees will mean the parents have to get it together once and for all. I had a DCD put a check in my door once. Other than that, I require you to give the money to me (not anyone else that lives here) and I don't let parents come by willy-nilly. There is no other options but to pay Monday morning.....I have never even charged a late fee because again, late is not an option.

[jojosmommy]

I would NOT change the policy. Why do they have to go to the bank? Why can't they pay with a check? And I assume you are going to the bank the next day with their checks right?? That way if the write a bad one you know by Tuesday at the latest so you can get the $ before providing a free full week of care.

Sounds like they are trying to pull something on you. They wouldnt go to the store and pick out their groceries and expect to pay the next day or later that eve would they?

Make them pay for 2 weeks of care if they are ever late then they won't do it again. Or require online only payments-and bill them Thrusday so they can't flake again on you)