Childcare Vouchers Payment Error!

alexjonsson

Write a letter to WCC and ask them to sort it out. In the end you will owe the nursery and in the process will have managed to annoy a few people - including the nursery. Just don't expect any of them to help you out in the future.

stevemLS

Wouldn't it end up costing you more if everyone jumped through the hoops you are setting out?

On the basis that you wouldn't benefit from the tax relief the voucher scheme provides?

If the boot were on the other foot I expect you would be on here moaning about people being "jobsworths".

ispookie666

Just my experience

- when i moved jobs, I had childcare vouchers cut from both employers to the tune of £243 + £243; but had payment from both them.
- Tax office automatically corrected it, in other situations I have called up tax office to correct it.

Mate the best way forward is
- you have to accept that, your childcare was provided by the nursery and it way paid.
- the money came from the council, but your wife was not working there
- they have asked for a refund, and you would have to - unless you decide to go to court.

I'd just pay the money to the council, contact HMRC - who will adjust the tax (it should be 20% or 40% of 243) and there you go.

PS: even if your childcare provider was not paid, the money would have been held with computer share vouchers and you would still be liable to pay back the money to the Original employer

mtoreilly

The situation was eventually resolved after managing to speak to someone from the collections department. WCC agreed that they had made an error in payments, which was not the fault of my wife but an "oversight on the part of their administration team". They apologised for their error and the inconvenience they had caused, and retrieved the money through the voucher company. We then paid the nursery directly the outstanding funds.

It's a real shame that I came here seeking some friendly advice and, as a new poster, was met with such hostility. Coupled with the insinuations that I was trying to pull a fast one, this is the first time I've actually visited the forums since last May - almost 10 months ago.

I think, perhaps, it would be nice if in future people were not so critical and judgemental of others, without actually knowing anything about them. I can always hope, at least.

Mupette

I work for a voucher company,

Normally this situation when brought to our attention via parent or employer, is that it is between them, we are just the middleman, we are told what to do, so if no one tells us the parent no longer entitled to the voucher we will carry on, and pay the carer if there is an auto payment in place, there is an onus on the parent to tell us of moving employer, (unfortunately we are not mind readers and its the parents responsibility to tell us of leaving employer in good time if appropriate).

The employer HR team should tell Payroll of leavers and starters so they can do their job.

I know its done and dusted now but just to ask, as the parent did you inform the voucher company that you wife was leaving employment by a certain date, it would be helpful as we then stop from our end any screw ups like this as we send a schedule each month to your employer with name of parent and amount of salary sacrifice to be removed from wages, and your wife's name would of been either removed or have a balance for deduction as 0.

But as you have explained the employer admitted to the problem, not sure about the voucher company giving the money back,

What we do is, if payment is made in error the only way to get the money back is if it is in the parents account the employer can ask us to take it back for them, or if it's already been paid to carer they chase up with parent.

Glad to see you got it sorted tho.




Just a heads up to any parents taking vouchers via salary sacrifice, things are about to change with the introduction of vouchers via NS&I.

not all parent are going to be better off with the new version, and what they dont tell you, but your voucher company can tell you is that if you cancel with your voucher company and move to the NS&I one, you can NEVER go back, something not to brush aside, and not something to blame your voucher company, i know who i work for have sent emails out to the parents, so if you have kept your contact details up to date, you will have received your email, it might have gone to your junk mail folder, no point saying later well i didnt get one, if you knew you didnt bother to tell us of changes of address details or email details, we can only send info to where you have told us to, as i said bit of a heads up, take 5 mins and log into your accounts and make sure YOU update your details if you know they are out of date or contact your voucher company by phone or email if needs be.

I do predict some upset parents in a few months who will claim nobody told them anything. If you are not claiming vouchers right now but are registered with a voucher company, to ensure you still qualify, take advantage of saving up your vouchers in your account for childcare in the school holidays as they are valid until the September after your child's 15th birthday, and the age limit will be lover with NS&I

NYM

Thanks Mupette, that information is worth a thread of its own....

Mupette

I think some parent are in for a shock and should be reading up now on what information that is available.

Admittedly the government haven't given much information out to the voucher companies, they were happy to use us to find out how it all works, and the suggestions we all made (we being several voucher companies especially the main big ones) but have ignored it all and made their own.

those affected are those who hoped for the changes

Self employed
Higher rate tax
those are the only 2 i can think of this time of night, arm in agony as had ultrasound led injections in my dominant hand and elbow yesterday and it still hurts.

Best advice, if still registered with a voucher company, but not taking vouchers, start taking them again lowest you can go is £20 per month, you don't have to spend them now, you can save them for summer holidays,

you can pay for your little darlings to go to PGL holidays, there is so much out there you can pay for, for more info speak with your voucher company, remember up to the September after your child's 15th Birthday.

Most people will benefit with staying with salary sacrifice.

It really is important parents get the facts now to prepare, because once NS&I come in with theirs it will be too late, i dont even think we can take any new registrations after either. Obviously you need a child to take the vouchers, so as soon as baby is born get registered with a voucher company if your employer uses one, take the £20 per month, it keeps the account live.

Also important for a parent to keep their online details up to date.
most voucher companies have a fb page, they offer help and advise to parents and will post regular information to help maximize the use of vouchers.

so many queries i used to take over the phone from parents and employer and carers were easily resolved if only they maintained their online accounts, If you don't understand them, your voucher company should (mine does) have a website and online videos showing you how to do so, there really is no reason to not.

mind you reasons like, I don't want to, really was no excuse, if you can use Facebook and online banking you can use your account, saves phone calls, which we regulary said to help parent save money on phone bills.