Childcare Vouchers: cut childcare costs by £1,000/year Discussion Area

RSPB

Hi there,

I'm not a higher rate taxpayer at the moment (salary circa £33k) but would like to be in the not too distant future. Is it worth me signing up to the childcare scheme now before they change it? My baby's only a month old so I won't need the vouchers until August.

Thanks.

jra505

I've just heard Martin Lewis on Radio 5, and he said that if you are a higher rate tax payer, and you or your wife is pregnant NOW, then it is worth signing up to the scheme in order to not lose out when they change the rates on 6th April.

This seems to go against a lot of advice that I have read on other sites, which suggest that your child needs to be already born before you can join the scheme. My baby is due on the 14th June, and so would like to join the scheme before 6th April if that were possible.

Can anyone please clarify whether it is possible to start accruing vouchers before your baby is actually born?

Thanks,

jra505

MovingOn_3

I have been told that, even if you have joined up to a voucher scheme before 6 April, switching employer means that you are then viewed as a new joiner and so get hit by this change. Is this true?

I have been part of a voucher scheme for several months and have been offered a new role at a different company. My notice period is 3 months so accepting the offer automatically means I miss out!! This can't be right, can it?

cannyscot_2

jra505 wrote: »

I've just heard Martin Lewis on Radio 5, and he said that if you are a higher rate tax payer, and you or your wife is pregnant NOW, then it is worth signing up to the scheme in order to lose out when they change the rates on 6th April.

This seems to go against a lot of advice that I have read on other sites, which suggest that your child needs to be already born before you can join the scheme. My baby is due on the 14th June, and so would like to join the scheme before 6th April if that were possible.

Can anyone please clarify whether it is possible to start accruing vouchers before your baby is actually born?

Thanks,

jra505

I checked with our company provider and they said no in order to join the scheme you have to have a valid child when you join the scheme so being pregnant won't do it. It does seem a bit unfair !

cannyscot_2

MovingOn wrote: »

I have been told that, even if you have joined up to a voucher scheme before 6 April, switching employer means that you are then viewed as a new joiner and so get hit by this change. Is this true?

I have been part of a voucher scheme for several months and have been offered a new role at a different company. My notice period is 3 months so accepting the offer automatically means I miss out!! This can't be right, can it?

I am afraid this is the case. I think if you moved to a new employer and they used the same provider you might be ok but it is fairly unlikely they would.

I wonder if there is not a way to circumvent the rules by doing the paperwork early for the new scheme /and if necessary getting a token payment beforehand. You need to find out who is your prospective employers voucher provider and talk to them -they will be keen to help you so if they know a way round it they will do it.

I can certainly ask our provider if they know any way round it.

onlyroz

cannyscot wrote: »

I am afraid this is the case. I think if you moved to a new employer and they used the same provider you might be ok but it is fairly unlikely they would.

I have switched employer twice in the last five years, and each time I had to sign up to the voucher scheme again, even though the voucher provider was the same for each employer.

MovingOn_3

cannyscot wrote: »

I am afraid this is the case. I think if you moved to a new employer and they used the same provider you might be ok but it is fairly unlikely they would.

I wonder if there is not a way to circumvent the rules by doing the paperwork early for the new scheme /and if necessary getting a token payment beforehand. You need to find out who is your prospective employers voucher provider and talk to them -they will be keen to help you so if they know a way round it they will do it.

I can certainly ask our provider if they know any way round it.

Thanks cannyscot. I asked my current provider and they say this is the case even if my new employer uses them as a provider. I am now trying to contact my new employer to see if I can join once I formally accept the role.

I still think this is unjust. Why on earth would you want to penalise those moving jobs?

Grefi47

Can anyone confirm, are you able to register for the scheme if your child has not been born yet... The little one is due mid April and will be going into daycare after a period of maternity leave. I am a high rate tax payer and would like to register now to negate the changes.

Thanks

Torkijo

jra505 wrote: »

I've just heard Martin Lewis on Radio 5, and he said that if you are a higher rate tax payer, and you or your wife is pregnant NOW, then it is worth signing up to the scheme in order to not lose out when they change the rates on 6th April.

This seems to go against a lot of advice that I have read on other sites, which suggest that your child needs to be already born before you can join the scheme. My baby is due on the 14th June, and so would like to join the scheme before 6th April if that were possible.

Can anyone please clarify whether it is possible to start accruing vouchers before your baby is actually born?

Thanks,

jra505

It varies by scheme, some insist on linking it to a child others dont - i know colleagues who have linked it to a grandchild as they support the after school clubs etc for them. Worth giving your voucher provider a ring

Torkijo

Grefi47 wrote: »

Can anyone confirm, are you able to register for the scheme if your child has not been born yet... The little one is due mid April and will be going into daycare after a period of maternity leave. I am a high rate tax payer and would like to register now to negate the changes.

Thanks

Hi

You need to ring the voucher provider as it varies, my current one doesnt but my previous employers did allow it for unborn children as it wasnt linked to a speciic child.