All group providers are paid on a termly basis. Childminders can choose to be paid on a termly or monthly basis.
The childminder's actual funding for the term will be calculated based on the participation data submitted in the actual task.
If the actual termly funding is:
- higher than the forecast termly funding, the remaining monthly payments will be recalculated
- lower than the forecast termly funding, the remaining monthly payments will not change - this will result in an overpayment for the term
The forecast payment
This is paid before the start of the term.
The provider completes the task with the expected attendance data.
The council pays 60% of the forecasted funding for the term in a lump sum payment.
The actual payment
The provider completes the task with actual attendance data as of the headcount date.
The council pays the balance of funding for the term. This will be the total for term, less the forecast payment, in a lump sum payment.
The amendment payment
This is paid during the second half of the term.
If needed, providers can amend the actual headcount for:
- new starters
- leavers
- changes in hours per week
The council will calculate if there is a shortfall or overpayment in the term and will either:
- process an extra lump sum payment
- reduce the next forecast payment or issue an invoice to recoup any overpayments
Childminder monthly payments
Before the start of the financial year, childminders can choose between the:
- monthly payment process
- termly payment model
The option providers choose will apply for the entire financial year (1 April to 31 March).
Monthly payment process
Childminders will be set 3 tasks on the provider portal per term as shown in the schedule of dates.
Forecast participation data will be used to calculate the childminder’s forecast total termly funding.
A monthly payment will be calculated by dividing the forecast termly funding by the months in the term. This will result in 12 monthly payments a year.
Term dates and months per term are shown in the table below.
| Term | Term start and end dates | Months in term |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | 1 April and 31 August | 5 |
| Autumn | 1 September and 31 December | 4 |
| Spring | 1 January and 31 March | 3 |
Monthly payments will be paid in advance on the last working Thursday of the preceding month.
Termly payment model
The childminder's funding for the term will be calculated based on the actual tasks submitted.
If funding is:
- higher than expected, the remaining monthly payments will be recalculated
- lower than expected, the remaining monthly payments will not change - this will result in an overpayment for the term
Overpayments will be deducted from the forecast funding for next term before calculating the monthly payment amount.
If the next term’s forecast funding is less than the value of the overpayment, an invoice will be issued.
Amendment tasks will follow the same process as set out for the actual task.
Administration fees
Providers must submit funding claims through the provider portal.
Claims must be:
- submitted within the published deadlines
- accurate
- complete
We can charge an administration fee when:
- provider misses the submission deadline for a funding claim
- submission contains substantial omissions
- submission contains substantial errors
The fee will be charged for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 3 hours.
The hourly rate is £17.
As a child could be claiming funding across a number of settings, inaccuracies and delays can also impact payment to other providers.