Spin - Do you charge for YOUR vacation days?

[daycaremum]

I would love to charge for my vacation time (although I close for 7 weeks a year), and sick days and days for appointments and Stats, etc.... It's not done in my area, so it would effect my ability to get clients.
For those of you who do charge, you need to be careful with your wording in your contracts. I will include the link, but here is an excerpt from The Childcare Providers Resource Network out of the Ottawa area.

How many holidays can I take?
Caregivers are self-employed and therefore are not entitled to "paid sick time", or "paid vacation". To accommodate for this some caregivers charge more per day and bank the extra money for when they are sick or on holidays. Others use statements similar to the one below:

"Weekly fee for care is _____, totaling an annual amount of ______. Payment is expected for the agreed upon hours/days whether the child is in attendance or not. Payment will not vary due to statutory holidays, child’s illness or appointments or parent vacations. Fee will be negotiated if caregiver takes excess of ____days off annually."

Another term for this is being "paid by enrolment". The language is very important in case of an audit by Revenue Canada. If you are audited and your contract mentions "paid vacation" and "paid sick time", Revenue Canada can request the parents pay CPP and UI Benefits. Remember also, Revenue Canada can go back 6 years.

http://www.ccprn.com/en/information-...or-caregivers/