Childcare: the cost and the drop-offs, shared and counted

What does Childcare do?

It turns one childcare arrangement into the two things it really is for a couple: a regular cost and a regular set of runs. Childcare is often the largest bill a young family has, and the drop-offs and pick-ups around it shape both of your working days.

When you add a provider, EvenUS posts its cost as a regular bill in the Childcare category, on the day of the month it is paid. Each time it is due it is recorded as an expense, split the way those children’s costs are set under Children. Drop-off and pick-up become ordinary chores on Effort, scheduled on the days the children go, with the minutes each run takes.

The time either of you logs for these runs counts in full for you and takes the place of your own share of the background care estimate, never on top of it.

Who is Childcare for?

Families paying for any regular childcare: a daycare or nursery, a nanny or babysitter, an after-school club, or a holiday camp. It is most useful where both the cost and the runs need sharing, such as a blended family where the cost follows one child’s parent but the runs are done by whoever is free.

How do you set up childcare in EvenUS?

Open Us, go to Household, then Childcare, tap “Add childcare”, fill in the provider, cost and days, choose who usually does drop-off and pick-up, and tap “Save”.

1. Add your children firstChildcare is linked to the children you have added. If you have not added them yet, tap “Add children” on the Childcare screen.
2. Open ChildcareOpen the Us tab, then Household → Childcare, and tap “Add childcare”.
3. Describe the providerGive it a Name, choose the Kind (Daycare, Nanny, Babysitter, After-school or Camp), pick which children it is For, and the Days they go.
4. Add the costEnter the Cost, how often it is paid under Every (Week, Month or Year), the “Day of the month it’s paid” (1 to 31; in a shorter month, the last day), and who it is Paid by. The cost is optional if you only want the runs.
5. Choose who does the runsUnder Drop-off and pick-up, choose who usually does each, Either of you, or Not a chore, and the “Minutes it takes”. Pick a last day if it ends, then tap “Save”.

What does your partner see?

Your partner sees the childcare, its regular bill, and the drop-off and pick-up chores on Effort. The runs show who usually does each one, and either of you can tick a run off when you do it.

After the last day, or when you tap “Stop this childcare”, its regular bill and its drop-off and pick-up chores stop. Past expenses and logs stay, so the weeks you used it still count as they were.

Tips for sharing childcare

• The cost is posted as a regular bill, shared the way each child’s costs are. Change who pays for a child under Children and future bills follow.
• Whoever does a drop-off or pick-up gets the credit, whatever their relationship to the child. Tick it off when you do it, even if it was not yours.
• Choose Not a chore for a run that does not need anyone, such as a nanny who comes to the house.
• A summer camp with a known end? Pick its last day when you add it, and nothing needs stopping by hand.
• Childcare is picked out in the tax year summary, which helps if your country offers childcare relief.

How do the cost and the runs work out? An example

Alex and Sam send their daughter Ida to Little Acorns daycare on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at $1,200 a month paid by Alex on the 1st. Ida’s costs are shared like other costs, which for them means by income: Alex 60%, Sam 40%.

Each month the bill posts as an expense paid by Alex, with Sam’s share of $480 feeding the Even up card. Sam usually does drop-off and Alex pick-up, so six runs a week appear on Effort. When Alex covers a Wednesday drop-off, Alex ticks it off and those minutes count for Alex.

Is Childcare free?

Questions about Childcare