What to put on a daycare invoice
- Your daycare name and contact details, so parents know who to pay and how to reach you.
- The parent who pays and the child’s name. Families with two children often get one invoice with a line per child.
- The care period, such as the week of January 6–10, and an invoice number that goes up by one each time.
- Tuition and extra fees: the weekly or monthly rate, late pick-up, extra days, meals, registration or supply fees, and any sibling discount.
- The due date and how to pay: Zelle phone number, who to make checks out to, or that the county subsidy covers part of it.
Add your taxpayer ID for parents who claim the credit
Parents who claim the child and dependent care credit or use a dependent care FSA need your name, address and taxpayer identification number (SSN or EIN). The IRS instructions for Form W-10 list a “printed invoice that shows the provider’s name, address, and TIN” as one way for the parent to show due diligence. Tick the box above to print your SSN or EIN on the invoice. Many providers get an EIN from the IRS for free so they don’t have to hand out their Social Security number.
At the end of the year, give each family a year-end child care statement with the total they paid.
Weekly or monthly billing?
Most home daycares bill weekly in advance, due on Friday or Monday for the following week. Monthly billing is common for full-time families and means fewer invoices, but a larger amount at once. Whatever you choose, write it in your enrollment contract so the due date and late fee are agreed up front.
Can I charge for days the child is absent?
Yes, if your contract says so. Most home daycares charge for the reserved spot, not for attendance, because they cannot fill a single day. State this in the contract and keep it consistent on every invoice.
Do I need to charge sales tax on child care?
Child care services are generally not subject to sales tax in most states, but rules vary. Check with your state revenue department if you are unsure.
How do I number daycare invoices?
Use a simple sequence like 1001, 1002, 1003. A new number for every invoice makes it easy to match payments and to answer a parent’s question months later.
How do I make invoices for every family each week?
The free template makes one invoice at a time. The Daycare Binder app saves your families and rates and creates the whole week’s invoices in one click.