Please explain how paying for childcare works?

buel10

Hello.

This might sound like a ridiculous question but can anyone help explain how paying nursery costs through the childcare voucher scheme / Tax free childcare scheme works?

Our situation is slightly complex in that my wife has been paying the maximum of £243 for four months through her employer’s childcare voucher scheme, I was paying considerably less through my employer’s scheme but I’ve recently changed jobs and missed the deadline (today) for them to set up the same process so I’ll have to revert to the Government run scheme.

What I’m struggling to understand is how payment works - does the nursery invoice you and then you use some / all of your ‘credit’ that you’ve built up and then pay the rest with your debit card / similar?

Our child doesn’t start nursery until two weeks’ time.

jwil

You can't use the govt scheme and childcare vouchers - it needs to be one or the other. if your wife continues with the vouchers, you won't be able to use the Govt scheme.

It's been a while since I used the vouchers, but nursery invoiced me as normal, I logged into my childcare voucher account and sent the £243 in vouchers to the nursery, and then paid the remaining balance in the usual way by bank transfer. I had to register the nursery on the childcare account so they knew where to send them.

I've not used the Govt scheme, but assume it works similarly.

calcotti

The childcare voucher scheme is now closed to new applicants.