Whether you own a daycare center, or are running a child care business solo, having a solid invoicing process should be among your top priorities. Sending professional invoices that your clients can easily understand, and most importantly, that get you paid quickly, is essential to ensure a good cash flow and reduce bad debt.
Working with families, and many times inside their homes can easily turn into more personal relationships, but don't let this distract you from the fact that you are running a business, and deserve to get prompt payment for your hard work. Not to mention, daycare services are tax deductible, so your clients will most of the time ask for an invoice in order to get you paid.
But you don't want to spend hours creating an invoice for every single client every time it's time to get paid. Especially if you have several clients, this time can quickly add up, and start taking a toll on you. The solution? Create a daycare invoice template so you can simply fill in some client-specific details, send it out and go on with your day. Let's go over the essential details to include in your template for flawless daycare invoices every time.
Essential Elements of a Child Care (Daycare) Invoice Template
When creating your child care invoice template keep in mind your clients need an easy-to-understand, itemized list of all charges, and easy-to-follow payment instructions. There are some basic but essential elements to have in place so you can send professional invoices and keep healthy business relationships.
Business Information
The first element of your daycare invoice template is all your up-to-date business information. Include your name (or daycare business name if it's registered differently), phone number, email, full address, and the required licensing information. You can personalize this section and make your business stand out by adding some industry-related imagery, or your daycare company logo if you have.
Another option is to add a couple of lines for any special certifications you may have such as first-aid training, language teaching, or special needs management.
Client Information
To keep a better record, and to give additional clarity as to who is held responsible for the payments, include a section with your client's name, address, and phone number. If you are sending an invoice via email, include your client's email address. Additionally, your daycare invoice template may also include a space for the name and age of the child.
Invoice Number and Date
Adding a unique invoice number will help you and your client keep track of different invoices and steer clear of any confusion when following up with payments. You should also include an invoice date, which is the date when it was sent out, not created. This will help you determine the payment due date and apply any late payment penalties accordingly. You can include the invoice due date in this section, or in the final section along with the payment terms.
Daycare Services Provided
Next on your daycare invoice template, is the detailed breakdown of the services provided. If you charge an hourly rate, specify how many hours were worked, the rate per hour, and then the total cost. When billing for multiple children, make sure to have separate lines for each and specify if the rate is different (rate may change depending on the children's ages or other factors). On the other hand, if you charge a weekly or monthly rate, just include the exact dates billed for (for each child) and the flat rate.
Extra Services
Sometimes you may provide extra services which you must include separately on your daycare invoice template. These can be providing lunch or snacks (which you purchased), running errands for the family, or taking special trips to a zoo or a museum. You may also add extra fees in the case of an out-of-work-hours or emergency child care. Make sure these additional charges are specified clearly (even if they were agreed upon previously) so your client doesn't have to get in contact with you again for clarification.
Totals
On your totals section, you want separate lines for the subtotal amount, then add any applicable taxes, and the total amount due. If you are giving your client a special discount such as an introductory offer, or multiple children discount, you can add it as a separate line in negative numbers after the subtotal, before you add the taxes. You can also add the discount as part of the service description, but it makes a bigger impact if the client sees it subtracted from the total amount, so this section is ideal for discounts.
Payment Details
Finally, your daycare invoice template should include a section to specify your payment terms and details. Make sure all accepted payment methods are included in your invoice, because this will make it easier for your client to pay on time. These can be online payments, cash, direct bank deposit, checks, and even debit or credit cards. Don't forget to include account numbers and account holder's name as well as mailing address for checks.
You should also specify the invoice due date, whether it is a specific date, or a certain amount of days after the invoice was sent out. Make a special note to let your client know about any late payment penalties that may apply after such date.
Notes
This is an extra section you can include to your child care invoice template to disclose any special terms or refund policy. It's also a nice gesture to the family if you include a short thank you message, or even mention any important achievements such as "Emma learned to count up to five in Spanish this week!" Of course, do so if you have the time, otherwise, come up with a generic message to use for all your clients.
Use Our Free Daycare Invoice Template
You already have a lot on your plate. All your attention is going to the children in your care, and you don't have a lot of time to waste behind a desk creating your own invoice template. Skip the headache and download Bonsai's free daycare invoice template! We provide an easy-to-use, fully customizable template that you can fill out in a matter of minutes to ensure all essential details are covered.
Save valuable time and focus on growing your daycare business. Let Bonsai help you with all things invoicing, from creating and sending out invoices, to sending payment reminders, and even applying late fees. We also have other tools to make your administrative tasks even easier, such as time tracking software, expense trackers, tax estimates, and even a fuss-free business checking account.
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