Childcare Costs discussion

[MSE Wendy]

This thread is specifically to discuss the content of the new

Childcare Costs article

To discuss or ask a question about this article: click reply

[aw1]

I started my own business a year ago. I work more than 16 hrs a week and my husband works full time also. He is entitled to childcare vouchers but it seems I am entitled to nothing or at least that is what I have been told in the past. Could you tell me the limit that I am allowed to earn (excluding dividends in the company) in order to qualify for help with childcare costs.

[Rince]

Hi, are you classed as self employed ? My husband is self employed and when we asked if he could claim the voucher we were told he couldn't because he was self employed ! I claim the voucher through my employer. We normally earn approx £41K so we don't get any help off the benefits for childcare. We have 2 children in nursery and the bill is approx £1200 a month. We are really struggling to pay everything as my husband is one of the many people who have been laid off in the building trade.

[astonsmummy]

from the article

While the payment is for a year’s costs, it’s averaged out

Sadly, at this point, the Government could’ve made it a little less confusing. Your childcare costs over the year are averaged out and paid to you each week or month.

Thus if you’ve got higher costs at one time, you don’t get more money then, even though it’s been factored in to your year round payout. So you need to try to budget the cost over 12 months. Use the free Budget Planner to help.

Due to govenment funding my childcare costs can vary sometimes, such as from 01/08/08 my chilcare costs go from £110 a week up to £150 a week.
I call the tax credits and inform them of this change and do get the extra paid.

[gloucesteroldspot]

For those in Greater London - it looks as if the FREE SUMMER UNI courses for 8 to 25 year olds are under-subscribed due to poor publicity. These are mostly week long practical courses in a huge variety of interesting subjects - from sports to IT- that are very appealing to young people They run across the region, and although the courses on offer vary from borough to borough, there seems to be no reason why you can't cross borough boundaries to find the one you want. Not only does this get them off your hands for a week, but it will keep them busy and happy- hey they might even learn something! See details on www.summerunilondon.org .

[MSE Martin]

Originally Posted by astonsmummy

from the article



Due to govenment funding my childcare costs can vary sometimes, such as from 01/08/08 my chilcare costs go from £110 a week up to £150 a week.
I call the tax credits and inform them of this change and do get the extra paid.

One of the factors for how much you get is how much you pay - so its very possble (though as always never definite) that yes you will get more - tell it as soon as possible though....

[MSE Martin]

Just to clarify something, while the self-employed can't get childcare vouchers, they are eligible for childcare tax credit (or as it technically is 'the childcare element of working tax credit).

[astonsmummy]

Originally Posted by MSE Martin

One of the factors for how much you get is how much you pay - so its very possble (though as always never definite) that yes you will get more - tell it as soon as possible though....

I do get the full 80% of help so that may also be a factor.

[Rince]

Originally Posted by MSE Martin

Just to clarify something, while the self-employed can't get childcare vouchers, they are eligible for childcare tax credit (or as it technically is 'the childcare element of working tax credit).

Is this for if you are on a low income self employed? My husband (Self employed) usually earns about £18K. I've told the Tax credits people and they say we're not entitled to anything. (I'm on £23K), so he earns too much to claim the childcare element of working tax credits and can't claim the childcare voucher.

[bestmumof3]

<P>I wonder if someone could help.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>I am due to start university next month, full time.&nbsp; Therefore my childcare costs will increase to £180 per week (3 children).</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>My husband works full-time.&nbsp; However, I have been advised that because I will not be working 16 hours I will not be entitled to any help with childcare from Tax Credits.&nbsp; </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>I really dont know how we will afford this level of childcare.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Anyone any ideas.</P>

[Loonybin]

Hi there,

Can someone tell me if we're entitled to more child tax credits because of childcare costs?

My husband works full time and earns £32k p.a
I am disabled and receive incapacity benefit of £4896 p.a
I am also on DLA lower rate care & high mobility.

Although I am at home, my illness requires me to have regular rest and as a result we pay for child minding 10hrs a week plus 15hrs one week in four. Our childminding costs come to about £200 a month.

We are currently receiving child tax credits of £88 per month.

My husband has claimed for child care vouchers and has been told we are entitled to £80 in vouchers per month. However, as I require all of my benefits to pay for my own care needs and my hubby needs all his money to pay the rent and the bills, is there any other help such as extended tax credits etc.?

Many thanks.

[whmon]

There is a massive scam ongoing with the Children's aspect of Working Tax Credits that must be costing the country millions. I own a Children's Day nursery and recently discovered that an ex-employee was/is? claiming £1000 per month in nursery fees for her 2 children against my registration number (and having 3 foreign holidays per year with the proceeds). In actual fact, her 2 children rarely attended the nursery.

This is how the scam works; parents simply log on to the Ofsted website, click onto the details of any nursery or childminder they wish, record the registration number and then contact Working Families Tax Credits giving the registration number and details of their (fabricated) costs.

That's all it takes! After that, the money is paid into their bank accounts and they can continue to e.g share childcare between them as they work shifts or get grannie to watch the children for free etc. The nursery who's registration number they are using knows nothing about it.

I have owned my nursery for three years now. Not once, ever, have I been contacted by the powers that be to confirm attendance or even registration at this nursery. I am one small nursery owner in the North-East, I have no idea how many children are falsely registered against my number, no idea how many thousands of pounds per month may be being paid out through our taxes against my nursery registration number. How many in the country???

[onlyroz]

To Bestofmum3 - are you going to be an undergrad or postgrad? I don't think you're entitled to tax credits because as a full-time student you won't be paying any tax. However, won't your husband be entitled to some? And can he claim childcare vouchers?

Does your university have a nursery? I know that mine did, and I think it was subsidsed - two of the other students in my research group put their sons there, but I don't know how much they paid.

[bestmumof3]

Originally Posted by onlyroz

To Bestofmum3 - are you going to be an undergrad or postgrad? I don't think you're entitled to tax credits because as a full-time student you won't be paying any tax. However, won't your husband be entitled to some? And can he claim childcare vouchers?

Does your university have a nursery? I know that mine did, and I think it was subsidsed - two of the other students in my research group put their sons there, but I don't know how much they paid.

Thanks for the reply.

I will be a post-grad student - doing Primary Teaching. It will only be for 10 months so it should be quick. I am guaranteed a full-time probationary year next year, therefore I will be earning a full time wage.

Two of my children are at school, therefore it will be after school for them. The youngest is 3 and is at childminders, just part-time just now. Although that will increase to full-time end August. University is quite a bit of travelling and I will have 4 placements throughout so it will not really be worthwhile putting him into the uni nursery.

Hubbie will be entitled to Tax Credits just not any help with childcare costs. If I could get any form of employment for 16 hours a week I will receive help.

[Yorkshire-Lady]

Originally Posted by whmon

There is a massive scam ongoing with the Children's aspect of Working Tax Credits that must be costing the country millions. I own a Children's Day nursery and recently discovered that an ex-employee was/is? claiming £1000 per month in nursery fees for her 2 children against my registration number (and having 3 foreign holidays per year with the proceeds). In actual fact, her 2 children rarely attended the nursery.

This is how the scam works; parents simply log on to the Ofsted website, click onto the details of any nursery or childminder they wish, record the registration number and then contact Working Families Tax Credits giving the registration number and details of their (fabricated) costs.

That's all it takes! After that, the money is paid into their bank accounts and they can continue to e.g share childcare between them as they work shifts or get grannie to watch the children for free etc. The nursery who's registration number they are using knows nothing about it.

I have owned my nursery for three years now. Not once, ever, have I been contacted by the powers that be to confirm attendance or even registration at this nursery. I am one small nursery owner in the North-East, I have no idea how many children are falsely registered against my number, no idea how many thousands of pounds per month may be being paid out through our taxes against my nursery registration number. How many in the country???

When you log onto the Ofsted website, you cannot see any childminder/nurseries name. It is purely by their registration number. This makes it much more difficult to scam as they need to tell the inland revenue of my name and address too. I often give prospective parents - who are genuine, my number so they can read my inspection report online.

I have also been contacted probably 5 times in the last 2 years asking if I am providing childcare for X. Each time, they've wanted to know what I'm being paid, cash or cheque, and are the payments up to date. Maybe it's a regional thing, but I know many childminders around here have been asked the same things. I was once phoned too.

Y-L

[hjm]

Hope someone can help me with this. My partner's company will only provide help towards our childcare costs if I agree to not claim them from my employer. I've argued that this is wrong, and that we should both be entitled. The only thing I can understand is that they do not use the government's official 'voucher' scheme, opting for an invoice and cheque method, which I can only presume means that it's their own 'unique' way of being 'giving' to their employees.

Has anyone else heard of this? Currently we're missing out on an extra £250 or thereabouts, and I'm fuming. Surely my partner's company can't do this? :rolleyes:

[owensmum]

my husband and I both work >16 hours a week and bring in about £26500 pa total. however, the last tax credit statement I got said I was entitled to £0 childcare costs.

we only have one son and my mother has him some of the time, but he goes to a registered nursery for one full day per week. Our cost are £36 for that day. Is it because our costs are relativly small that we get no help? I just assumed we earned too much, but the article says upto £40k. I know the system is flawed and calculations can be wrong. is it worth my while contesting this?

[little c]

Hello

I was interested in reading about the frustrations of being self-employed and childcare costs. My partner and I are both self-employed, we need to earn 20k + each p.a. to pay the mortgage and bills and we are just over the limit to get help with childcare. So for £500 part-time childcare a month, all we get from WTC/CTC is £8 a week in total. The other problem is that if your little one is ill, you can't work and get paid because you want to look after them, but you still have to pay nursery (as understandbly they still have to pay staff).

It seems that the self-employed are discriminated against, maybe tax breaks for the self-employed (as there are with CTVouchers for the employed) would help? Please start one of your brilliant campaigns for this Martin!

[dickmolinari]

My wife and I have a joint income of just under £25000, I rang the HM revenue helpline and they said we would qualify for the childcare element. Our childcare costs are only £16 per week. But when the amended figures came in the post, the childcare element of the working tax credit was 0 due to income. However when I compared our old form (before we started childcare), the amount we get from the child tax credit part has increased by a figure which does indeed equal 80% of the childcare we pay. So we are getting it, it's just that the form is misleading. There must be thousands of people out there who think they're not getting it (OWENSMUM you could be one as your income and childcare costs are similar to ours), when actually they may be!
If anyone could explain why they do this on the form....?

[fawd1]

erm does anyone know where I would stand legally with this? My friend and I are expecting our babies literally four days apart and have deicided to each go part time in our jobs and have the other look after our babies when we're at work (she looks after bubs Monday Wednesday Thursday say and I cover Tuesday and Friday) but we've just been told that it may be illegal to do this as we aren't legally registered childminders. Can this be right? we wouldn't be paying one another, and we wouldn't be looking after anyone else's children, so surelythe government don't have to be involved at all?