A family is behind on payment
See who owes you, know how overdue it is, nudge them kindly, and record what they pay.
Late payments are part of running a daycare. Here's how to handle one without it becoming awkward.
1. See the whole picture
Go to Reports and open the Outstanding Balances report. It shows every family with a balance, grouped by how overdue they are (current, 1 to 30 days, 31 to 60, and so on). This tells you at a glance whether it's one late invoice or a growing pattern.
On the Invoices page, the Past Due tab shows the specific overdue invoices.
2. Send a friendly nudge
Most late payments are simply forgotten. The quickest nudge is on the invoice itself: open it and tap Send reminder. The family gets a push notification in the app with the amount and due date, nothing changes on the invoice, and you can see under the button when you last reminded them.
If you would rather say it in your own words, go to Communication → Messages and send the family something like:
Hi, just a friendly reminder that [child]'s [month] invoice is still open. Let me know if you have any questions, and thank you!
Keep it warm. A reminder lands better than a demand.
3. Add a late fee, if that's your policy
If your parent handbook has a late fee, NestliCare can apply it for you. Go to Billing & Payments → Billing and open the Late Fees tab.
Set your policy once: a flat fee amount and a grace period (for example, $25 once an invoice is more than 5 days past due). The fee is added to the overdue invoice itself, so the family still sees one balance and one Pay button. Each invoice can only ever receive one late fee.
From there you have two ways to work:
- Review and apply yourself. The "Eligible now" list shows every invoice past the grace period. Tick the ones that should get the fee and apply. Nothing happens without you.
- Apply automatically. Turn on the toggle and NestliCare adds the fee each morning and notifies the parent in the app. This is off until you turn it on.
Either way, parents can see your policy on their unpaid invoices before any fee applies, so it never comes as a surprise. And if you decide a family shouldn't pay a fee after all, the Waive button in the applied-fees list removes it and puts the balance back.
4. Record a payment they make in person
If a family pays you by cash or check, record it so your books and the family's balance stay right. Open the invoice from the Invoices page and use its payment action to mark what they paid. Recording it keeps the Outstanding Balances report accurate.
5. When it keeps happening
If a family stays behind despite reminders, whether to pause care is your center's policy, not something NestliCare decides. Have that conversation directly. NestliCare's job is to make the numbers clear so you can.
Related: Reports overview, Create and send an invoice, Enable online payments.