Who gets all the unused child care vouchers?

gurpalbasra

cy said:

I have been with 3 different companies for, each contributing to childcare voucher for about 10 years, and have accumulated around £4000 in each account, in total £12,000.
My children are no longer require childcare, and Covid19 make it even harder to use any in-person childcare/holiday clubs/etc. When I call up each of the providers Care4 and Computershare, and respective employers, only to find that the balance are NOT REFUNDABLE!
To me, if it is legal, it is immoral, it does not make any common sense. 
What I can't comprehen is the following:

• What is stopping the Childcare Voucher Provider and/or employers to refund via e.g. payroll, where appropriate tax and NI can be deducted?

MSE, MSE Community, parents who are stuck with £££ in your Childcare Voucher Account, please help me to understand this.
I am considering starting an online petition to ask HMRC to consider changing the rules. 
If you have any ideas how can this be approached in a more effective way, please comment. 
Look forward to your thoughts. 

I am in the same boat and it does not look like you have managed to get a big following on this one. 
Perhaps a case of "out of sight, out of mind?"
I have emailed my payroll and rewards team. Waiting on a response.  I was told a life changing event may need to happen for it to be considered and I Googled it and COVID-19 is considered life changing by HMRC.
I am hoping @MartinLewis will pick this one up as an opportunity for thousands of parents

jbainbridge

I read the Kiddivouchers terms and conditions which states a refund can be given in exceptional circumstances. I rang up and explained that I felt a 'global pandemic' might count?!

They've sent me a form to give to my employer .. I should get a refund via payroll soon!

Richard_Pec

I am in the same boat, accumulated £1800 of vouchers that my employer won't refund.
Partly my fault as they did send me an email a while ago, which I didn't read, but I had no idea that there would be such a brick wall put up. I keep getting emails citing "the rules" and I'm getting nowhere.

TBagpuss

I'd guess that part of it is that the employers don't have the money - they've paid it to the voucher company, so they can only refund if the voucher company will refund them. Otherwise you're effectively asking your employer to pay you twice. It isn't up to them whether or when you use the vouchers any more than it's up to them hw you spend the rest of your salary. 

Richard_Pec

The voucher company just tell you to contact your employer as they don't have the power to refund them. I had to jump through hoops and kept asking what was going to happen to my vouchers, an answer no-one could give. They have eventually given in and have now agreed to refund them (subject to tax etc.). My advice to anyone would be - don't give up.

Kat76

Really hope this can be taken up by Martin Lewis to ensure unused vouchers can be refunded and not lost when the child turns 16 years old (technically 1st Sept before the 16th birthday), in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of being able to use hundreds if not thousands of pounds of vouchers during this period.  Additionally, very few places seem to now be accepting them - only the likes of PGL, but for how much longer?  Therefore vouchers obtained in good faith for use in future years now are not 'fit for purpose', therefore should be refundable with no questions, but the success of refunding seems a lottery, being very dependent on the employer and voucher scheme involved, which is completely wrong.  Please Martin????

sheramber

Kat76 said:

Really hope this can be taken up by Martin Lewis to ensure unused vouchers can be refunded and not lost when the child turns 16 years old (technically 1st Sept before the 16th birthday), in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of being able to use hundreds if not thousands of pounds of vouchers during this period.  Additionally, very few places seem to now be accepting them - only the likes of PGL, but for how much longer?  Therefore vouchers obtained in good faith for use in future years now are not 'fit for purpose', therefore should be refundable with no questions, but the success of refunding seems a lottery, being very dependent on the employer and voucher scheme involved, which is completely wrong.  Please Martin????

Martin doesn't live here any more.

Contact him through social media or his radio/ tv programmes
.

tracey161

I have hundreds of pounds of computershare vouchers that I was unable to use because of the pandemic and now I don't need childcare. I work for the NHS and was told that they don't do refunds! Can anyone offer any advice please? 

sheramber

As  the vouchers were supplied without tax or NIC being deducted they can only be refunded through your employer so that tax and NIC can be deducted

Not all employers are able or willing to refund them.

Unfortunately, that is how the schemes were set up. 

Tino1970

I’ve got about 2.5k.  All saved up to pay for my child’s childcare and then didn’t spend it as the pandemic meant there was no childcare available to me.  I was made redundant and now don’t travel for work so I don’t need childcare.  My lad is 13, I’ve already sent him on PGL and a spring camp and I’m struggling to find anything else to do with them.  I really think they should deduct tax and refund them 😡