Childcare Vouchers/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

Former_MSE_Archna

Hi kev7dags,

It's only some areas of the MoD that operate the voucher system, Glasgow is one of them. Hopefully if they already offer the scheme in some areas it may be easy to implement in your department.

Woby_Tide

SammyD wrote:

Since we are naming names, my employer is with Care-4. I have had hassles with them too, mainly due to the cumbersome software system they have. But generally they seemed fairly efficient. I also have an understanding childminder! Make sure that once you do your sacrifice you then log onto the system and list out the payments you want made. Unhelpfully you can't just tick a box stating "until further notice" so you have to manually enter each payment. This meant when we were on holiday for a month my childminder stopped getting her weekly pay as I had only put a few months of payments on. Very embarressing. I should have checked, but, you know how it is!

I haven't got my logon here but when i set up a payment via care-4 a few weeks back I was given the option to repeat it for x months? And selected to do so for 6 months and it listed out all future payments correctly(whether they get paid is another matter)?

Woby_Tide

Just checked my care-4 account as per previous post, on the account page there is an 'Activate Payment' tab and a 'Regular Payment' tab. On Regular payments you select who you want to pay and how much, choose frequency, weekly, fortnightly, 4 week or monthly, choose a start date and then choose number of recurring payments so should more than cover any absences if you pay a regular amount on a set date.

henhog

I wonder if Martin has heard any more about whether teachers can access this scheme? It is really unfair that we can't! I will contact my union, the NUT about this, and I think other teachers should do likewise. I will also contact my MP and see what he says. I will keep people posted.

Timilton

kev7dags, reference your voucher post:

I'm also in the Armed Forces and have found out the following:

1. The MOD have signed up to the scheme but at the moment have only implemented it for MOD-employed civilians.
2. Serving soldiers, sailors and airmen will need to wait until our new pay & admin system, called JPA, is in place and working. This is expected to be not before April 2007!!
3. I reckon there are AT LEAST 100,000 working parents in the Armed Forces, which, with the MOD standing to gain £300 per person per year, must mean that the MOD is throwing away a saving of over £30 million a year for the next 2 years!

Still feeling proud to serve?!! :rolleyes:

amwigan

Can anyone explain the BusyBees example savings table?

Assuming you get vouchers worth £217 per month, it says you can save £859pa if you earn £10K->£33Kpa. It then says you can save £1067pa if you earn greater than £40kpa.

I earn between £33k and £40kpa. Why are no figures quoted for this salary band?

Since I've started taking vouchers through BusyBees, my savings is something around £650pa where as I thought it would be between £859 and £1067pa.

Am I just being stupid and unable to see the obvious? BusyBees have been pretty unhelpful when I've asked them for an explanation. They say their numbers are correct and can't help any more. My payroll dept also say they have their numbers correct. When I did some rough calculations on the amount of tax/NI I'd be saving, they came out nearer to the £650pa than to the numbers BusyBees quotes.

Cheers,

Andrew.

Splats_2

MSE_Martin wrote:

Splats I didn't know this about teachers - i am going to speak to some MPs

Thanks for this Martin.

Henhog - I think you have got the right idea. If all teacher union members hassle their reps, they will soon start to take notice. Can also hassle your MP while you are at it.

Also shame on the Work & Pensions Dept of the Government for not participating.

leafton

I am also a teacher and have contacted the NUT, who just offered to send me a photocopy of the reasons why teachers do not qualify. This is so unfair!

henhog

I have emailed my MP, Grant Shapps, and he emailed back to say that he was unaware of the loop hole not allowing teachers to gain from this scheme and that he is going to raise the issue! We will see.....

SE9Gull

Henhog: Could you paste what you wrote to your MP on here so that I and some other teachers I know can do the same. It might be worth putting it on the TES forums as well, if enough of us hassle our MPs then something might happen, what with the recruitment issues our profession has it seems like the Govt are missing a trick here.

Cheers.