A month of care does not always arrive as one bill. The billing period, the cutoff time, and the due date decide which shifts land on which invoice, and a shift that starts on the last night of a billing period can make one bill look light and the next one heavy. Before you compare two offers or sign with one caregiver, sort the calendar so you can predict the total before it arrives.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Step 1: Name the billing period
1. Ask whether billing runs weekly, every two weeks, or monthly. Write it here: ____
2. Ask whether a period starts on a fixed day of the week or on a fixed day of the month. Write it here: ____
3. Ask whether unused hours carry over to the next period. Write it here: ____
Step 2: Find the cutoff
4. Ask what time a shift counts on the old invoice and what time it counts on the new one. A shift that runs past midnight may be booked under the day it started, under the day it ended, or split between the two. Write the rule here: ____
5. Ask who sends the invoice, on what day, and by what means. Write it here: ____
6. Ask how many days you have to question a line before the invoice is treated as final. Write it here: ____
Step 3: Build the three-month count
Take the schedule you expect and lay it on a calendar covering three billing periods. Mark each invoice day, each due date, and each shift that crosses a cutoff. Count the invoices that fall inside those three months. A stretch with five invoices instead of four changes how much cash you need in a given week, even when the hours stay the same.
Write the count: Invoices in three months: ____ Due dates in the same span: ____ Shifts that cross a cutoff: ____
Step 4: Compare offers on the same calendar
Two estimates can use different billing periods. One may bill every week while the other bills every month. Put both on the same three-month calendar before you compare the totals. If one offer's first invoice comes before the first shift is worked, write that down and ask in writing why it is due then.
If you have not yet decided between an agency and a direct hire, start with Hire a Caregiver in St. Louis: Agency or Direct before you build this calendar, since the two structures may not bill on the same schedule.
What to check on the first invoice
Match each line to a shift date with a start time and an end time. Confirm that the cutoff rule was applied the way you were told it would be. If a line cannot be matched to a shift you approved, mark it and ask about it in writing before you pay. Keep the invoice with your own schedule log so the two can be compared later.
Signs to walk away
The cutoff rule changes after you sign and no one tells you in writing. A line on the invoice has no shift behind it. The billing period is described one way in the estimate and another way in the contract. The person who answers billing questions cannot tell you the cutoff time.