Nurseries and Gov'n Aid

Lawbag_2

can someone (sorry if this has already been posted elsewhere) please point me in the direction of information on nurseries and the govenment's financial aid to help cover costs.

(a) every nursery which is part of the scheme doesnt appear to be as good as ones that are not

(b) no nursery will divulge or give me a clue as to how much I can expect to get back

(c) they all suffer from not knowing how it all works.

which makes it impossible for me to even begin to explain it to my wife, when even I do not understand it

CIS

Are you on about help for you to pay childcare costs ?

If so, the majority of help (if not all) comes via working tax credits. For one child you can get help up to 70% of £135 per week (£94.50).

Spendless

Hi, well there is help via the tax credit system but both of you need to be working at least 16 hours to get it. Whether you qualify or not will depend on income and nursery costs, put your details in here www.entitledto.com

If you don't qualify for help via tax credits, your or your wifes employer may offer childcare vouchers. You can salary sacrifice upto £50 a week in return for vouchers. The money sacrificed is tax and NI exempt. If both employers offer the scheme, you can both salary sacrifice upto £50 a week even if it's for the same child.

There is non-means tested funding term after 3rd birthday for upto 12.5 hours in term-time. You can use this in conjunction with the other suggestions.

Most nurseries,pre-schools are funded, though I'm aware of a pre-school that isn't cos they need x amount of staff qualified to a certain level to get the funding. The place should tell you though. You can also look at their ofsted reports and most places should allow you to visit prior to sending your child there.

HTH