How billing works
A childcare bill starts with three questions: what care was agreed, which days are chargeable, and who pays for it? AmalynCare brings those answers together when you run billing.
This guide explains the main ideas. For the monthly routine, start with billing for a centre or billing for a home child care agency.
From a place in a program to a bill
Section titled “From a place in a program to a bill”When a child joins a program, their enrollment records when care starts and which weekdays they attend. The program supplies the tuition rates. A price guarantee may also apply to that child.
The chargeable days depend on the child’s agreed schedule and the program’s rules for holidays and closures. A day when a child is absent is not automatically a free day.
AmalynCare then works out who is responsible for the tuition. A family might cover the whole amount, or the cost might be shared with a public funding program and a subsidy agency.
The family’s share becomes the amount billed to the family. That is why total tuition and the parent invoice can be different amounts.
A small example
Section titled “A small example”Imagine one chargeable day costs $58. In this example, the program’s fee policy leaves a $22 parent share, and the child’s subsidy covers $8 of that share.
| Who covers the day | Amount |
|---|---|
| Public funding program | $36 |
| Subsidy agency | $8 |
| Family | $14 |
| Total tuition | $58 |
These are example amounts. Your program’s rates, funding arrangements and eligibility determine the real figures.
What the main terms mean
Section titled “What the main terms mean”| Term | In everyday language |
|---|---|
| Billing contact | The person the program deals with about a child’s bills. |
| Payer | The family, agency or organization responsible for an amount. |
| Billing account | The place where a payer’s bills, credits and payments are kept together. |
| Charge | An amount owed for care or another billable item. |
| Invoice | The bill that presents amounts owed by a payer. |
| Payment | Money received and recorded against an account. |
| Credit | An amount available to reduce what a payer owes. |
| Refund | Money returned to someone who has paid. |
| Billing cycle | The period being billed, such as September. |
| Provisional billing | The first billing run for a period, using the information available at that time. |
| Actuals billing | The later check that works out differences for that period. |
| Home remittance | The amount an agency owes a home child care operator under its remittance policy. |
The two parts of a billing cycle
Section titled “The two parts of a billing cycle”Provisional billing creates the initial charges and parent invoices. Although the name sounds tentative, running it creates real billing records. A preview lets you check the figures first.
Actuals billing is the end-of-period check. For example, an unpaid closure recorded after the first bill may reduce the amount owed. A difference may lead to another charge or a credit.
An issued invoice still needs to be paid. A credit still needs to be applied or otherwise dealt with. Keeping those steps separate makes it easier to understand a family’s balance.
Where to go next
Section titled “Where to go next”- Tuition rates and price guarantees explain the starting price.
- Billable days, holidays and closures explain which days count.
- CWELCC and subsidies explain shared costs.
- Reading a parent invoice explains the family’s bill.
The families and settings pictured in these guides are examples created for the help centre. You can select an image to open it at full size.