Read a parent invoice

A parent invoice shows the amount billed to the family. It may be only one part of the full cost of care if public funding or a subsidy covers the rest.

Start with the child, billing contact and period. Then work through the amounts. This is useful whether you are explaining a bill to a family or checking your own child’s invoice.

Check the period being billed

The invoice date and the care dates can be different. A September bill may be created in August because the program bills before the period starts.

Compare the charges with the service period they cover. A later adjustment may refer to an earlier month, so its meaning comes from those care dates rather than simply the date it appears.

Understand the amount for care

The starting point is the agreed tuition and the chargeable days. The family’s share then depends on the fee policy and any eligible subsidy.

In our example, Maya’s full daily tuition is $58. The fee policy leaves $22 as the parent share, and an $8 subsidy reduces what the family pays to $14 for that eligible day.

Those are example amounts. A different subsidy, age band or effective date can produce a different family share, even for children attending the same program.

Why one month may cost more than another

A regular daily rate does not guarantee an identical monthly invoice. The number of scheduled weekdays varies between months.

Other reasons for a change include:

• A new attendance schedule starting during the period.
• A rate change or an ending price guarantee.
• Different subsidy coverage dates.
• A holiday or closure treated differently under the program’s policy.
• A separate charge or credit for an earlier period.

For a three-day place, count the child’s agreed weekdays. Do not compare it with the number of weekdays for a five-day place.

Separate the bill from its balance

The invoice amount tells you what was billed. The amount still owing also depends on what has happened since: payments applied to the bill, credits applied, or other changes to the invoice.

For example, a $300 bill with a $100 payment applied leaves $200 owing. If a further $25 credit is applied to it, the remaining amount is $175.

A payment or credit that has been recorded on the account but has not been applied to this invoice may not yet reduce this invoice’s balance. See payments, credits and refunds.

What “issued” tells you

An issued invoice has become a billing record. The word does not, by itself, tell you that the family has received an email or that payment has been collected.

Use the due date and the program’s payment instructions to understand what is expected. Ask the program’s billing team if an invoice and your payment records do not agree.

For program teams

Cycle billing creates parent invoices. You can review invoice information alongside the cycle’s results when that view is available. The separate Invoices workspace is still being prepared, so this guide focuses on understanding the bill rather than managing it from that menu.

If an amount is unclear, ask about a bill explains which details help the billing team find the answer.