You can set up travel rate cards for different modes of transport e.g. 'Walking rate' and 'Driving rate'.
Before you create the rate it is important to ensure you have used the search for address function when inputting a care recipient address on their About me page. If you enter the address manually then birdie will not have geo-coordinates for the system to work out mileage and travel time.
To create a travel rate, first, go the Finance tab. Then click 'Travel rates' from the left-hand menu.
Here, you will see all the travel rates you have previously created - or you can create something new. To create a new travel rate click 'New travel rate.'
This will pull up a new travel rate card, for you to then fill out.
First, give your travel rate card a name.
You can then enter the hourly rate for travel time here. The time spent travelling between visits will be automatically calculated for you when you come to run payroll.
Once you have entered this, you can then decide if you include commuting and waiting time in travel payments. If you don't, simply leave the toggle on 'no.'
You can also enter the mileage rate if necessary, to tell birdie how much to pay care professionals for every mile travelled, e.g. for care professionals who drive between visits.
Again, this will be calculated for you automatically and added on to a care professionals' paysheet.
Once you have entered this, you can then decide if you include commuting time travel payments.
Please note: you can read more about waiting time in the article here.
How to add breaks on travel rate cards
A break is a way of defining whether or not travel time & mileage should be paid after a certain time. For example, if visit A ends at 9.00 am and visit B starts at 10.00 am, the break is an hour, regardless of how much of that is waiting time vs. travel time.
If your policy is that you don't pay travel & mileage on either side of a 60 min break, as an example, your care professional won't be paid travel & mileage for travel from visit A or to visit B as you've set this break to be 60 mins. Therefore the care professional's travel from visit A and to visit B is 'commuting to and from their place of work' rather than travel between visits.
If the care professionals would not usually be paid for travel during a break of 1 hour or more, then you should input '60 minutes' in the Break field.
How to assign travel rates to care professionals
You will need to assign your travel rates to care professionals before they start checking into scheduled visits on birdie.
To do this, you'll need to go to the 'Travel rates' tab. Then click on the '...' menu next to any travel rate card. Click on 'Assign caregivers.'
Then select the tickbox next to any care professional you wish to assign this travel rate to.
Don't forget to click 'Save.'
Important: Travel to the first visit and travel from the last visit back home is considered commuting by default.
How to edit travel rate cards
You can easily edit travel rates on Birdie. Simply navigate to the travel rate tab and select the travel rate card you want to edit.
Click on the 'three dots' by the edge of the card and then edit.
Make the necessary updates and hit 'Save.'
FAQs
What is a break?
is 'break' is a way of defining whether or not travel time and/or mileage should be paid because the carer is travelling between visits, or whether the journey that the carer is doing is actually considered 'commuting to and from their work place' after that defined break (1 hour break, for instance).
What is commuting time?
Commuting time is considered to be any journey from home to first visit and any journey from home to last visit. Commuting time is also considered to be any commuting done between visits (any amount of time above a defined break, for example).
What is waiting time?
Waiting time is the time between arriving at a visit and the visit actually starting. For instance, if a care professional arrives to a visit 10 minutes early, that 10 minutes it waiting time.
Please note: This is available as part of the Birdie Platform. If interested in learning more or accessing these features, please get in touch with your Account Manager!