Need help with finding my ‘backbone’ :mad:

[Inspired by Reggio]

That's an interesting point.

I took that wording as, for example: The way I work is payment is due on Friday for the week cared for.....I had your child Monday the 20th until Friday the 24th....money is due Friday the 24th and if you are short that week or 'forgot' and only if we both agree you could bring the money on Monday....otherwise see-ya!

I totally know what you are meaning - unfortunately from the client's perspective it could be being interpreted differently is all - I am going to be that she has felt she does not need to pay for the 'snow day' because she called and cancelled that day and therefore it was no longer a 'booked' day in her mind...I agree it is not RIGHT however the wording can be interpreted that way ... this is one of the reasons why I do not offer FLEX CARE because everyone I know who offers it has issues with payment and what clients FELT they booked over what the provider felt was booked

Either way it if were me moving forward I would remove that section entirely - IMO whether you are intending to or not that is upfront telling clients 'it's ok go ahead and forget to pay me - I don't REALLY need my income and chances are I might say I can wait for it'

You do valuable work and should be respected for that ... no employee would settle for their normal payday in their contract being every Friday and then one week the boss saying 'oh shit sorry I forgot to do payroll today is it ok if I get that to you next week?' .... pay day is FRIDAY you get PAID on Friday!

Personally I think every provider should have the following in their contract to set the level of expectation around payment!

Payment should be expected on the payment schedule as per the contract! Bottom line - do not set the precedent of an 'out' in your contract that sends the message late payments will be tolerated - even IF you want to be compassionate do not put that in WRITING that you will be

If it IS late than a late fee penalty should apply for every day it is late - this acts as not only a deterrent to paying late but to compensate you for having to adjust YOUR access to your expected funds - what if you need those fees to pay your MORTGAGE? My contract states you pay $20 a DAY for every day payment is not received by me - so my fees are do on Friday by Noon - you come after noon with it you better have $20 extra tacked on and if you wait until MONDAY morning to pay me that is $60 late fees! (unless I CHOOSE to waive that fee - which I have I am not saying I am not compassionate but the choice is MINE they better OFFER to pay it if they come late or we have problems )

Suspension of service until fees are paid in full will be eminent verse it MAY occur because you should not be working without pay - in fact you should be charging for booked days up front so that there is no 'conflict' later about what was 'booked'.

Immediate termination of the contract in relation to late or insufficient payment issues will be at the discretion of the provider - termination for this cause will result in forfeiting of any security deposit remaining to cover any money owing plus the 'inconvenience' of having had to deal with the payment issues in the first place!

Every contract should also state "The decision of the provider to occasionally 'waive' any of these policies at her discretion does not negate them entirely and she is within her right to fully implement them again as she sees fit."

This last ammendment ALLOWS you to be compassionate about a late fee if the 'reason' behind it is felt to be valid by you ... I have waived this for clients who were sick on Friday who called to say 'We are not coming in today due to illness however I will drop my payment by later today' because A) they OFFERED to come with the payment which shows me they respect my contract and did not expect 'special' just because they or their child was sick on pay day and B) it was MY CHOICE to do that because I had buffer in my bank account that time.

However other clients I have NOT waived for and said 'Sorry to hear you are ill - stay home and feel better and I will keep an eye out for your spouse with today's payment than' because I NEEDED my payment that week and it was not the first time they had tried to 'ask' for special cause they had forgotten previously and I had suggested perhaps leaving a stack of post dated cheques so it would not be an issue if they 'forgot' and they did not want to and well that is now a 'natural consequence' for having to come out when they are sick to pay me cause they used up their 'grace' on just being forgetful and their lack of planning is not MY ISSUE