Going self-employed
Going self-employed as a childminder?
Caring for children at home is your gift; organise your fees, parent contracts and invoicing before you welcome your first little ones, separate from the regulated side you'll sort yourself.
Instant digital downloads · UK-focused templates and guides · Not a substitute for professional advice.
The work is one thing. The setup is another.
Caring for children in your own home is the part you're brilliant at; running it as a business is the bit that catches people out. On your own you're not just doing settling-in visits, daily routines and keeping parents updated, you're setting hourly and daily rates, working out how funded hours top up alongside paid hours, taking deposits and retainers to hold a space, writing a fees policy parents actually understand, and keeping your invoices and records tidy. LaunchKit is a set of UK-focused, downloadable templates and guides to help you think that business and admin side through and get organised. Registering with Ofsted or a childminder agency, DBS checks, paediatric first aid, the EYFS and ratio requirements are the regulated side, things to look into and sort yourself, and the templates don't replace any of that. It's a practical starting point, not a substitute for professional advice.
- Setting hourly, daily and per-child rates that pay properly without underselling yourself to fill spaces fast
- Working out how funded hours top up alongside paid hours, and explaining it to parents so nobody's surprised by the bill
- Taking deposits and retainers to hold a space, and handling late-pickup charges, without awkward conversations
- Writing a parent contract, fees policy and permission forms that are clear and consistent, a starting point to think through, not legal advice
- Keeping invoices and tidy business records up together so tax time and chasing late payments isn't a scramble
What to sort first
Your get-set-up checklist
- 1
Sort how you'll price your spaces
Decide your hourly and daily rates, how funded hours top up against paid hours, and your deposit, retainer and late-pickup charges before you talk numbers with a parent.
- 2
Write your fees policy and parent agreement
Have a clear fees policy and parent contract so terms, payment dates and notice periods are agreed up front. This is a starting point to think through, not legal advice.
- 3
Set up your permission and record forms
Organise the permission forms and the everyday business records you keep on file so paperwork is consistent and nothing gets lost. These are a starting point to think through, not legal advice.
- 4
Get your invoicing sorted
Have clear invoice templates ready so billing parents each month, including any funded-hours top-up, doesn't eat your evenings.
- 5
Set up simple money records
Get a basic system for tracking what's coming in and going out so tax time isn't a scramble and late payments are easy to spot.
- 6
Look into the regulated and insurance side
Registering with Ofsted or a childminder agency, DBS checks, paediatric first aid, the EYFS and ratios are things to look into and sort yourself, and cover is a prompt to look into too. The templates don't replace any of that.
- 7
Make yourself easy to find locally
Plan how local working parents will find you and fill your spaces, through local family Facebook groups, word of mouth and online listings.
Recommended LaunchKit tools
Tools that help you get set up
Walks you through the practical first steps of setting up the business side as a self-employed childminder so you're not guessing what to organise first.
See what’s inside Your paperworkReady-to-use parent contract, fees policy, permission form and invoice templates to organise the paperwork you keep on file and hand to parents. A starting point to think through, not legal advice.
See what’s inside Your pricingHelps you work through hourly, daily and per-child rates with funded-hours top-ups, deposits and retainers built in so your fees actually pay properly.
See what’s inside Getting foundContent templates to help you get found by local working parents and fill your spaces, the kind of thing you'd share in local family groups.
See what’s inside Your wordsHelps you write clear parent updates, listing descriptions and waiting-list replies without staring at a blank screen at the end of a busy day.
See what’s inside Money adminA set of forms to help you keep deposits, retainers, monthly fees and funded-hours top-ups organised across all the families you care for.
See what’s inside Record-keepingA structured workbook to help you keep records organised for Making Tax Digital as a sole trader.
See what’s insideNot sure where to start? See everything for childminder or browse all LaunchKit products.
Suggested starter stack
A sensible order to build up
The same tools, grouped in the order most people pick them up. You don’t need everything at once — start with the essentials, then add the rest as your business grows.
Add next
Common questions
Before you buy anything
- Do I need to buy everything before I start?
- No. Most childminders start with the startup guide to get the business basics organised, then add the parent contract and invoice templates and a pricing tool as they go. It's designed to help you build up your setup at your own pace.
- Are these legal or compliance documents?
- No. These are downloadable templates and guides to help you get organised and set up the business side practically. They are not a substitute for professional advice and don't replace registering with Ofsted or a childminder agency, DBS checks, paediatric first aid, the EYFS, ratio requirements or any other statutory requirement, which are things to look into and sort yourself.
- Can I use these if I'm already childminding?
- Yes. Plenty of childminders who are already working pick these up to tidy up their fees, parent contracts and invoicing rather than starting from scratch.
- How do I receive the files?
- They're instant digital downloads. After purchase you can download the templates and guides straight away and start using them.
- Which should I buy first?
- A good practical starting point is the startup guide, followed by the business documents for your parent contract and invoices and the pricing calculator to set your rates. From there you can add the other tools as you need them.
Start with the right tools
Get the admin side organised so you can focus on the work. Browse the tools built for childminder businesses.
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