[Kitty-N]

I know there are a few similar topics, but mine is more of a "why" than a vent. Our fees aren't too bad but what I can't fathom is why I don't change my income estimate with centrelink, and yet they occasionally take out more or less than the usual amount. If the centrelink reporting is always the same, and their fees haven't changed, shouldn't it always be the same amount that they debit? Just noticed that they charged less this time, which I attributed to being on holidays, as we receive a 50% discount for the days we were absent. However, I've just noticed a small, extra amount has been debited this morning. So I don't really get their maths.

Does anyone understand how these centres calculate these debits? It all seems a bit willy-nilly to me.

[charlottesmum04]

TBH dont be surprised if they dont even know. As a FDC educator so many of my families want to know what their fee's are. All I can do is estimate them then wait till i get the paperwork back from the government to tell me what CCB/CCR i get and what a parent owes. Sometimes i'm surprised and its alot less and sometimes its alot more. Usually its somewhere in the middle. Even then some weeks they throw a surprise at me and I try and make sense of it, I ring my co-ordinator and she tries to make sense of it, she rings the owner of the agency and she tries to make sense of it all, we ring the government and they just tell us because it is...

[Kitty-N]

Hahaha ok thanks for that, sounds like its not an exact science lol. Our director was away for ages recently, and in that time, I asked her 2ic how it's all calculated and just like you said, she couldn't tell me. I'm guessing the director won't be able to either! Ah the joys of centres. Ah well,it's a great centre so I don't mind too much.

[eyesabove]

They were probably late getting their attendance reports to Centrelink and missed the report back saying how much they were getting. Fees have to be rolled over on the national system on Fridays and if you miss out you have to wait till the following week. If their admin is behind they won't charge you until they know how much to take.

The other reason is if you are paying monthly, some months are 5 weeks or part there of, so you will get a different amount.

EFS

This post has been edited by eyesabove: 13/01/2013, 08:12 AM

[Kitty-N]

Thanks eyesabove - that is helpful. I have to agree with others on other threads though - I wish there was a different payment option. I really dislike having no control over what comes out. I might set up a separate cc account as suggested in another thread.

[InsertAwesomeHer...]

If u use online services there is a section that tells you how much a wk you are charged by the centre and how much centrelink covers. You should then be able to tell the centre to always take that amount as it will even out.

We do our fees via direct deposit and i can see on my account what Im in credit by changes but i always just pay $5 more than what centrelink says my gap is and i never fall behind.