SF Childcare Grant or WTC Childcare?

Erinnire

Hi,

I am currently not working so am applying for SFE Childcare Grant whilst I am at uni, but I have been applying for jobs and hoping to get something around 16 hours a week which I think would make me eligible for WTC, at that point do I have to claim the WTC Childcare or can I continue to claim SFE Childcare?

In the guidance from SFE it says if you cant receive both (obviously!) but I'm not sure if you get to choose which one you would prefer if you qualify for both it that makes sense?!

WTC is 70% upto £300 so a maximum of £210 a week ( I have 2 children)

SFE is 85% upto £255 a week for 2 children


But I don't think SFE pays for things like breakfast, afterschool and holiday clubs where as WTC does?

Such a minefield!

nimbo

to be honest I THINK you would be better off applying for WTC, as you then won't need to put in a claim for this over summer, as they tend to take time to get sorted...

also SFE don't (again I think) pay over Christmas and Easter (as you aren't in lectures), which again WTC may well do... and they definitely don't pay over summer - which may turn out to be 12 - 16 weeks... (that will depend on the course, and uni though)...

so the slightly lesser amount will hopefully be made up for by the fact that you get it more weeks...

Erinnire

Thanks Nimbo, I will have to look into it more I think, I was under the impression they paid for summer, they do for Christmas and Easter as my little girls Dad claimed through SFE when he went and we were together.

Thankfully nursery have told me they have full hours availability for my DD2 so I'm going to put the claim into SFE now just incase I don't get work sorted before I start then I can always cancel it if I'd be better off with WTC.