Chase late fees in steps, kindly at first

Chasing a parent you see every morning is awkward, so fees slip and a small gap becomes a large debt. Reminders you've written calmly in advance, each firmer than the last, let you chase early without a row on the doorstep.

A free AI chat tool, then your email or messaging app

Steps

1. Check your contract: does it say when fees are due, and does it let you pause care if fees are unpaid (what the trade body calls a credit hold)? Use only what you agreed in writing.
2. Decide the limit beyond which you won't let a debt grow, and what you'll do at each stage, as the trade-body guidance suggests.
3. Run the prompt below for three messages: a friendly nudge, a firmer reminder and a final warning.
4. Send each from your own phone or email with the amount and due date, and keep a dated record.
5. If a debt goes beyond your final warning, get advice, for example from your professional body or insurer's helpline, before you send any formal letter or start a claim.

The exact prompt

I'm a childminder. Write three messages to a parent who hasn't paid my fees. Parent first name [name]. Amount [£], for [period], due on [date]. How to pay: [details].
1. Friendly nudge, 30 words, assuming it was forgotten. 2. A firmer reminder a week later, 40 words, saying I need payment by [date]. 3. A final warning, 50 words, saying that under our contract I will [what my signed contract says I can do, e.g. pause care from X date], and I'd like to avoid that.
Don't threaten court, don't add interest or fees, and don't mention the child. Only use what my contract allows, which I've described above.