Guide discussion: Tax-Free Childcare

Difficulties logging in are making this unusable for me. Are others finding the same? I can't even find the login page, so to access my account I'm going through the sign up process to the point where I can log in with govt gateway. Then, nine times out of ten I just get an error message. "We're experiencing technical difficulties. We don't know when the service will be available again. Please try again later."

So of course I submitted some feedback. Guess what happens when I submit the feedback form... "We're experiencing technical difficulties..."

This system doesn't seem ready for prime time to me. Are others having more luck with it? Am I missing a trick?

My daughter will start nursery in January 2018 just before she is 11 months old with a cost of about £730/month.

Can we sign up for tax-free childcare now (May 2017) and start saving or does it only work when they start their childcare? If the latter, is the saving per tax year, and if so could we max out the account for the first three months and then start again in April?

The system is really clunky and hard to use, logs out at every moment, takes ages to load pages. Has no online chat even though it says it does.

I wanted to save a log in page but if you do that and log in it doesnt work. You need to use https://www.childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk then select option 4, then go through adding the DOB of your child then you get the log in. Then the access code, and hopefully you get in.

I have tried many times, it is really frustrating but it will save us money as my other half is self employed so he doesnt get childcare vouchers.

I have managed to create an account, add my childcare provider - after lots of times trying.

I just hope that I can log in to check my account when I am expecting funds to be added - I set up a standing order from my bank.

Mupette wrote: »

I notice someone mention they use childcare vouchers & childcare element of tax credits - just to warn you, HRMC doesn't like that it's one or the other and if caught you will have to pay the childcare element of tax credits back and be in a bit of trouble

Not true. Childcare vouchers and tax credits can be claimed together, there is nothing to stop anyone doing this. It isn't usually a good idea because you end up worse off in most cases. We only did this because our childcare costs were above the maximum limit for tax credits and because I have grandfathered rights to higher rate tax relief on my vouchers.

The new tax free childcare cannot be claimed at the same time as tax credits, it is in the rules of the scheme. If you claim both, something will need repaid.