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Debt collection for childcare and preschool providers.
Less admin. Clear online updates.
Professional follow-up of overdue family fees, with less admin for your office and clear online updates. For one centre or several.
“They have a very user friendly online system where you report your bad debtor information and then they look after the rest.”
Overdue fees we help with.
Fee accounts owed by families are accounts we can discuss.
Unpaid attendance fees
Session or weekly fees left unpaid.
Gap fees
The family's share of fees after any subsidy.
Balances after a family leaves
Fees still owed when an enrolment ends.
Missed payment arrangements
Agreed instalments that stopped.
What changes for your office.
Less administration
Fewer reminder calls and emails for your office team.
Respectful contact with families
Professional follow-up that keeps your relationship with families in mind.
Clear online updates
See activity and payments for each lodged account online.
A structured approach.
Focused on getting you paid.
Getting a response is often the first step towards recovering payment. We start professionally, establish why the account remains unpaid and make clear that it needs to be resolved.
From there, we follow a structured five-stage process, with firmer demands where needed.
Initial outreach
Establish contact, make the outstanding obligation clear and identify what is preventing payment.
Follow-up & engagement
Follow up, address questions and discuss how the account can be resolved.
Formal demand
A firmer request for payment, with a clear opportunity to respond.
Final demand
A final opportunity to engage before the account is reviewed for further action.
Outcome & next steps
Review the outcome and recommend the next step for your account.
- Legal referral
- Pause & re-engage
Where appropriate, with legal action subject to your instructions.
Payment or a suitable resolution can be reached at any stage.
Firm follow-up. A reason to respond.
An aggressive demand can be ignored just as easily as a polite reminder. Our approach combines clear payment expectations with an opportunity to resolve the account, backed by consistent follow-up and progressively firmer demands.
The process responds to the circumstances of each account.
Manage your debts and track recovery online.
Lodge debts, send documents and updates, and follow collection activity through our online client system.
Lodge debts your way
Submit debts individually, upload a bulk file or lodge via API.
Send updates straight to the account
Send documents and payment updates online or via API, directly to the relevant account.
Track collection progress and payments
View debt status, payments received, the collection stage and recent account activity.
Multiple staff members
Give multiple staff members access to your account.
Multiple locations
Add multiple business locations to your account.
Account summary
- Status
- In progress
- Collection stage
- Stage 2 of 5
- Payments
- View history
Recent account activity
- Email sent
- Call made
- Payment arrangement started
Support for one centre or a group.
Large volumes
Lodge each overdue family account as it falls due. If you have a large volume, ask whether bulk lodgement suits your centre.
One centre or a group
Running several centres? Tell us how each one invoices and we'll discuss how your accounts should be set up.
Records for each family account.
Account statement
Fees charged, payments and the balance.
Unpaid fee invoices
The invoices that remain unpaid.
Enrolment or fee terms
What the family agreed to pay.
Reminders sent
Emails, letters or notes about the account.
You don't need to send documents to make an enquiry.
Prepare, lodge and monitor your accounts.
Step 1: Prepare account information
For each overdue family account, have the statement, the unpaid fee invoices and the enrolment or fee terms ready.
Step 2: Lodge overdue accounts
Lodge accounts online as they fall overdue. During your agreement you may lodge as many as you need.
Step 3: Review progress and provide updates
Follow activity and see payments online. Tell us when a family pays the centre directly, so the balance stays accurate.
Enquiring does not lodge a debt or engage our services.
Questions from childcare and preschool providers.
Can we lodge several family accounts at once?
During your agreement you may lodge as many overdue accounts as you need, through your online account. If you have a large volume, ask whether bulk lodgement suits your centre. See what the online account shows.
What if a family pays the centre directly after we lodge the account?
Tell us straight away so the balance can be updated and the family isn't asked for money they have already paid. We explain how to tell us about payments when your account is set up.
Can you follow up fees for a family that has left the centre?
Yes. Fees still owed when an enrolment ends can be discussed. Have the account statement and the enrolment or fee terms ready.
What about my relationship with the customer?
Our approach is firm and respectful. Tell us if you're still working with the customer or have concerns about the relationship, so we can take that into account.
What are my chances of recovering an unpaid debt?
You may have a better chance than you think. Even debts that have been ignored for months can sometimes be recovered with the right approach.
However, no collection agency can guarantee recovery. The age of the debt, the debtor's financial circumstances and whether the debt is disputed can all affect the outcome.
The important thing is not to give up simply because your customer has stopped responding.
Does waiting make a debt harder to recover?
Often, yes. The longer a debt remains unpaid, the more difficult recovery can become. Customers can become harder to contact, businesses can close, and financial circumstances can deteriorate.
An overdue invoice that may be recoverable today could become much harder to collect in six months. Taking action sooner gives you the opportunity to pursue payment before your options become more limited.
What happens if you can't recover my debt?
Not every debt can be recovered, and we won't promise otherwise. Our commission is based on money successfully collected, so if no payment is recovered, there's no collection commission.
We'll explain any other applicable fees upfront and keep you informed of progress so you can make decisions about the next steps.
What types of debts do you recover, and is there a minimum amount?
We specialise in recovering unpaid invoices and overdue accounts for businesses, including money owed by other businesses or individual customers for goods and services supplied.
We can assist with a single debt or multiple overdue accounts, provided the combined outstanding balance is at least $2,000.
We generally don't accept private loans between friends or family, personal financial disputes, or debts below our minimum value where recovery would not be commercially viable.
What will it cost?
Our commission is charged only on money successfully recovered. We'll explain our commission and any other applicable fees upfront, so you can make an informed decision before proceeding.
Prepare your supporting recordsDealing with a disputed invoice
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Over 38,000 businesses supported to date.
Google reviews
4.5/ 5
Based on 1,100+ reviews
“They have a very user friendly online system where you report your bad debtor information and then they look after the rest.”
“We have been using Marshall Freeman Collections for more than 10 years and have found them and their staff to be extremely committed to getting a successful outcome.”
“And our debt was collected within days of engaging their services.”
“…the service was easy to navigate, with constant communication and updates.”
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You’ve done the work.Let’s help you get paid.
A structured, five-stage recovery process
Less stress. We handle the difficult calls.
Get back to running your business
“…great communication, easy to set up…”
Get a free debt appraisal
Tell us about your unpaid invoices. A specialist will call to discuss your options.