Setting up your business

Add your business profile, payment details and default rate, local authority funding rates, consents and term dates.

Written byDaniel Broadhurst (Founder)|Published: 18 June 2026|
Ofsted Aligned

ℹ️Who this is for

Childminders setting up KinderStart for the first time, or changing their business details later. You set these once and they're used on every contract, invoice and in the parent app. It takes about ten minutes.

Video Walkthrough

Open the Tools tab and choose Business Settings. Work through the sections below in order.

1. Your business profile

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Double Your Revenue: The Strategic Guide to Hiring a Childminding Assistant (2026) for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on De-Mystifying the Ofsted Registration Visit: The 2026 Framework for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on The Ultimate 2026 Checklist for Ofsted Registration (with Costs) for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Independent vs. Agency: Calculating the True Cost of Your Childminding Career for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Safer Recruitment for Childminders: Hiring Your First Assistant for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Childminder Assistant Ratios 2026: Calculating Your New Capacity for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on The Ofsted 2-Hour Rule: When Can Your Assistant Be in Sole Charge? for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on How to Hire a Childminder Assistant in the UK: The 2026 Legal Master Guide for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Childminder Assistant Training & Funding: The 2026 Guide for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on The 2026 Childminder Payroll & Pension Guide: Employing an Assistant for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

[!TIP] Related Deep Dive: Explore our comprehensive guide on Business Growth for Childminders 2026: EYFS Statutory Guidance and How to Scale Safely for specific compliance checklists, statutory dates, and templates.

Tap the card at the top of Business Settings to open your profile. Add your business name, logo, contact details and a short description of your setting, then tap Save.

Your profile appears on the PDFs you send, like contracts and invoices, and in the parent app's Setting & Qualifications screen. This is also where you choose your region (England, Scotland or Wales), which decides the curriculum KinderStart uses, and whether parents can see your certificates.

2. Invoicing & payments

Open Invoicing & Payments. Set:

  • Payment details: how parents pay you. They're printed on every invoice.
  • Default hourly rate: every new child's contract starts with this.
  • Invoice due days: how long parents have to pay.

Tap Save. You can still set a different rate for any child in their contract.

3. Funded hours & LA rates

Open Funded Hours & LA Rates. Under LA Rate Cards, enter the rates your local authority pays for each age group, then save.

When a child has funded hours, KinderStart takes them off the parent's invoice at these rates, so parents only pay for the rest.

4. Consents

Open Consents to choose the permissions every family is asked for when they register, such as photos, outings, sun cream and plasters. You can edit the wording and add your own.

5. Term dates

Open Term Dates. Tap Load UK School Calendar Template to start with the usual holidays, such as October half term and the Christmas break, then change them to match when you're actually closed. Save when they're right.

Term-time contracts and invoices follow these dates.

Why KinderStart does it this way

Entering these details once means you never retype them on a contract or invoice, and every family gets the same terms. When a rate or date changes, you update it here and everything new uses it.

What to do next

🚀
Track Your Progress
Don't get lost in the paperwork. Use our free interactive checklist to tick off each step as you complete it.

Next guide

Tracking your childminder registration

Ready to try KinderStart?

Start your free trial and put these guides into action.

Download App

Subscribe to start your 7-day free trial • Cancel anytime

KinderStart strives for accuracy. Competitor features and pricing comparisons are based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Details are subject to change by respective providers.

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to visit this site you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more