Here we are listing the most commonly asked questions regarding our billing system. If your question is not answered here then please email us at billing@bristolchildcare.co.uk
Why is my July 2015 bill slightly higher than last month?
We are now billing for days attended each month rather than using a 51/12 multiplier to average weekly fees over 12 months. Because there are 23 working days in July bills are slightly higher – the good news is that there are only 21 working days in August so bills will be lower. Your December bill each year will be a lot lower as you will only be charged for 3 weeks (approx).
My bill is a lot higher than last month. Why?
When moving from our old Excel based system we have found that many hours were not being charged. The new system links directly to the registers (bookings) and will bill accordingly. In some cases this has meant that when correctly billed, some fees have risen. In rare cases we might have made a mistake in transferring bookings or updating hours. If you think you are being billed for hours not booked please email us. From the detail on the bill it is easy to see which days you are being charged for.
My ‘direct debit’ will have to change every month. This is annoying!
We don’t currently operate Direct Debits (the automated system where the Payee controls the payment) but we are considering if this is viable in the coming months. If you have set up a standing order then it is true that you will have to change this each month as bills will vary. However, with internet banking, making a payment online has become a lot easier and we recommend using this method. You can also use cards in nursery and we will be able to take cars through the ParentZone portal shortly which will further streamline the process. We think the benefits of the billing breakdown outweigh the inconvenience of changing the payment each month.
I pay the same every month. Can I can continue to do this?
Under the ParentZone portal you will be able to see your bills and payments made. You will therefore be able to see the statement of your account. If you make standard payments every month then these will be applied to your account. If these payments put your account in credit then you can continue to make a standard payment and we will hold the credit for you. If you under-pay and your account is in debit on the 10th of the month then you will be liable for the Late Payment charge as under the previous system.
I pay mostly by vouchers – how does that work?
Your voucher will be applied to your account as we receive it. This can take some time so please be patient. If you need to make a cash payment in addition to your voucher then this must be done before the 10th of the month. Please note it must clear our account on or before 10th.
I reduced my hours but now they are more variable. My bill has gone up. Why?
Our fee grid incentivises the use of the same hours each day within a week. The more variability there is the more different rates that are used. For example, if I am booked for 3×9 hrs and want to reduce to 2×9 plus 1×7, it may be cheaper to continue with the longer hours booking or to reduce to 3×7 hours and book the remainder as extra hours. Please note that we don’t guarantee extra hours bookings as we may not have availability. Your induction pack contained a billing FAQ sheet which explains how we calculate the bills. This is being updated and will be available to download here shortly.
I have found I can pay less by changing my hours. What should I do?
In some cases where attendance is different each day, you might find it cheaper to adjust hours to the same duration. Please contact your nursery manager giving 1 calendar months notice. (Note a calendar month starts on 1st month, in line with our billing schedule)
My Bill has two amounts at the bottom – ones says ‘Total’, the other ‘amount Due’. Why are the different?
The total is the sum of the daily fees payable for the billed month in question. The amount due takes into account any credit or debit that exists on the account. So if you have some credit from previous months (this sometimes happens if a voucher more than covers fees for example) then you can pay less. Equally, if you have underpaid in previous months the amount due will be more than the total of the bill.
I can’t see the Finance Tab when I log in to ParentZone – so I can’t see my bills.
Because we have been using the software to manage our records in internally for some time, contacts have been added which didn’t necessarily have ‘bill payer’ access. When invitations were sent to Parents we didn’t realise that some were not ‘bill payers’ and could not be changed later. To solve this we have to un-register you and then re-register as a bill payer. Exactly the same email address can be used and the registration process only takes a couple of minutes.
FURTHER FAQs will be added here. If the above does not answer your question please email us.