Home daycare bookkeeping: tuition and food-program money against the supplies and dues behind it
A home daycare's income arrives as tuition by Zelle or a childcare app and, if you are in the food program, a CACFP reimbursement; the costs are the app, snacks, craft and toy supplies, accreditation dues, a first-aid class and insurance. The bank statement holds both, so the month's profit starts there.
Worked example: one October
The tool ships a synthetic statement for a solo home daycare (fixtures/daycare-checking.csv): a Zelle tuition payment, a Brightwheel payout, a CACFP reimbursement and eleven costs. Every line gets a suggested account with no rules taught; nothing is left blank, so check each one, since a Costco run could be snacks for the children or the family's groceries.
| October 2026 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition by Zelle and Brightwheel | $2,350.00 |
| CACFP reimbursement | $412.75 |
| Money in | $2,762.75 |
| Brightwheel (software) | −$49.00 |
| Costco snacks and wipes (food and supplies) | −$186.40 |
| Hobby Lobby and Target (supplies) | −$126.53 |
| CACFP sponsor fee, NAFCC dues, infant CPR class (education and dues) | −$140.00 |
| Childcare liability insurance (insurance) | −$88.00 |
| Care.com (background checks and fees) | −$39.99 |
| Google Ads (advertising) | −$40.00 |
| Costs | −$669.92 |
| Profit | $2,092.83 |
The $300.00 Venmo cash-out is suggested as an owner draw (equity), not a cost, so it does not reduce profit; if it was really a payment for something, refile it. Whether the home's share of rent, utilities and food counts, and how, depends on your state's licence and the IRS time-space rules: ask an accountant.
What the tool does for a home daycare
- Imports the bank CSV and suggests Sales for tuition and food-program deposits.
- Files the recurring costs: childcare software, supplies, dues, classes and insurance.
- Reports a P&L and a Schedule C worksheet, with a home-office worksheet and quarterly estimated-tax dates in the tax calendar.
Rules are written from company names; no real daycare's statement has been tried.
Questions
Where do tuition and food-program reimbursements go?
Parent tuition by Zelle or a childcare app, and a CACFP reimbursement from the state agency, are filed under sales. The CACFP money is income too, but its rules differ from tuition's, so ask your sponsor or accountant how to report it.
How are supplies, software, dues and classes filed?
Brightwheel and similar apps go under software and subscriptions, craft and toy buys under supplies, NAFCC accreditation, CACFP sponsor fees and infant CPR classes under education and dues, and childcare liability insurance under insurance. A Venmo cash-out is filed as an owner draw, not a cost.
Is it free?
Yes. It is open source (MIT), runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Not tax advice: a home daycare provider owes self-employment tax on profit and may have a home-office or time-space percentage worth asking an accountant about.
Open AI Bookkeeper and import your bank statement.