Accounting and invoicing for nurseries
The same parent fees every month, plus meal money, subsidies and trips: in a nursery almost everything repeats. Saldiqo creates the fee invoices for all families at once, matches the payments and shows who is still open.
What comes up for creches
Many identical invoices
Depending on size, 20 to 150 families pay a fee every month. By hand that is half a day of work, and a typo only shows when a family asks.
Several sources of money
Parent fees, subsidies from the council or provider, donations and event income run in parallel. If you do not keep them apart, the year-end takes long.
Direct debit instead of transfers
Most families do not want to transfer money themselves. You need mandates and a file that you upload in online banking.
Joiners and leavers during the year
Children start on the first of a month or leave mid-year. Fees have to be pro rata, and corrections need a clean credit note instead of an overwritten amount.
How Saldiqo helps
- Invoice run from a CSV fileUpload a list of families and amounts and Saldiqo creates all invoices as drafts. After checking, you finalise them in one step.
- Recurring invoices for fixed feesIf the fee stays the same, a recurring invoice creates it every month on a fixed date.
- SEPA direct debit fileFor families with a mandate Saldiqo creates the file for online banking. Your bank does the collection.
- Open items and remindersAfter uploading the bank statement you see which family has not paid yet and send a reminder with one click.
- Cost centres per groupAssign income and expenses to groups or sites and see in the report what each group costs.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Parent fee for October, full day
- Meal money for October
- Craft and materials money, quarterly flat rate
- Extended hours care, 12 hours
- Registration fee
- Credit note for care on closure days
Tax and invoicing in Ireland
What applies to invoices in Ireland, in short. As of October 2026.
- VAT
- Standard rate 23 %, reduced rates 13.5 % and 9 %, 4.8 % for livestock, and 0 %. Since 1 July 2026 a 9 % rate applies to restaurants, catering, hot takeaway food and hairdressing, excluding alcohol and soft drinks.
- VAT registration
- Registration is required above €42,500 a year for services and above €85,000 for goods, if at least 90 % of turnover comes from goods. Saldiqo leaves VAT off your invoices while you are below the threshold and shows how much room is left.
- What goes on an invoice
- Registered businesses show their VAT number. Sole traders and partnerships providing services show their tax reference number, or their full name and address, on invoices and receipts of €7 or more (section 885 TCA). Companies show their name, CRO number and registered office, and directors’ details on letters, order forms and the website.
- Invoice timing
- Issue a VAT invoice within 15 days after the end of the month in which the supply took place.
- E-invoicing
- From 1 November 2028 every business must be able to receive e-invoices. Issuing is phased in: first for suppliers to large corporates, from November 2029 for businesses trading B2B within the EU, and from 1 July 2030 under the EU VAT in the Digital Age rules. A PDF does not count as an e-invoice, and the technical specifications are not yet published.
- VAT returns
- VAT3 returns are filed every two months through ROS, by the 19th of the following month, or the 23rd when you file online through ROS. Saldiqo does not file returns, your accountant or ROS does.
- Record keeping
- Keep records for 6 years, longer while a review is open.
- Late payment
- Interest on late business payments is the ECB main refinancing rate (2.40 % in the second half of 2026) plus 8 points, so 10.40 %, plus fixed compensation of €40, €70 or €100 depending on the amount owed.
- Getting paid
- IBAN and BIC are on every invoice, plus a SEPA QR code (EPC) for banking apps that can read it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bill fees for many families at once?
Yes. With an invoice run you create all invoices as drafts from a CSV file, check them and finalise them together. Afterwards you see what is paid, open and overdue.
How do I handle VAT-exempt childcare?
Childcare, meals and subsidies are often taxed differently, and many providers are exempt from VAT. Which rule applies to you, you clear with your tax adviser. In Saldiqo you set the rate to 0 % per line and write the note in the closing text.
Does Saldiqo collect the fees itself?
No. Saldiqo creates the direct debit file, you upload it in online banking and your bank collects. Without mandates it stays with bank transfers and payment matching.
Do creches in Ireland have to charge VAT?
Once they are registered, yes. Registration is required from the sale that takes turnover over €42,500 a year for services or €85,000 for goods, where at least 90 % of turnover comes from goods. Below those limits Saldiqo leaves VAT off your invoices.
Do creches in Ireland need e-invoicing?
Not yet. From 1 November 2028 every business must be able to receive e-invoices. The duty to issue them phases in from the same date for suppliers to large corporates and later for more businesses. PDF invoices do not count as e-invoices.
How long should creches keep invoices?
Keep records for 6 years, longer while a review is open. You can store receipts digitally in Saldiqo. The legal duty to keep records stays with you.
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As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice, without guarantee. For your case ask your tax adviser.