Left with childcare vouchers I can't use due to lockdown

getinmyselfoutadebt

Yes I have, just contact your HR department.  I’ve also received the refund and then still stayed in the scheme, just buying £10 per month, in case I want to use the scheme again in the Future. If you leave the scheme you can’t rejoin, as it’s closed to new applicants. 

haras_n0sirrah

Pgl holidays accept them. 

NewBornBaby

haras_n0sirrah said:

Pgl holidays accept them. 

Towards payment for school trips?

haras_n0sirrah

I have a lot left over (used them when I was employed to keep me under higher rate but went self employed and dont need after school childcare now) Will send my kids on a week away with pgl when they are older (they are 4 and 7 so a bit young at the moment)
Mine are valid until my youngest is 15

NewBornBaby

@haras_n0sirrah is right, you can use your vouchers to send your children on certain PGL adventure holidays (see https://www.pgl.co.uk/en-gb/adventure-holidays/parents/childcare-vouchers)
BUT, note that you CANNOT use them to pay for school trips.  This is only for the holidays where you send your children without any adults and PGL staff are acting in loco parentis - this is because they are then providing childcare that is inspected by OFSTED.
So this may be an option for some people who a) have enough vouchers to pay for a holiday and b) whose children are happy to go on one of these holidays.

Eassenav

PGL is only an option if they are able to run their holidays.   I am in the situation of having £900 surplus vouchers due to my boys holidays being cancelled and refunded back to my childcare voucher account (this excludes the holiday that has already been rescheduled for 2021).  Another issue that I have is that mine need to be spent by August 2021 as my youngest is 15 in April. 

I realise that there are tax implications but I really do hope that the Government does not ignore this issue. It must be affecting 1000s of families.  I too have written to my MP.
The childcare vouchers administrator has basically said tough, we signed an agreement and that's it. But no one could have predicted this and it is not like we haven't tried to spend the vouchers.
Maybe MSE can help fight this issue?

NewBornBaby

We need as many people as possible to contact MPs at the moment, this can done via: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mps/ or numerous other similar services.
Basic info to begin with, including:
Left with childcare vouchers I'm unable to use because of the extreme circumstances of the pandemic.
Specific reasons why e.g. "childcare closed down unexpectedly", "my youngest child won't need childcare next year", "no longer work for employer that issued the vouchers/can't get in touch with them/not co-operating".  Whatever the truth of your situation, they need to know.
"Voucher provider passing the buck."
"It's money I've earned and cannot spend."
Show that you are trying what you can.
Ask them to support you to access the money you have earned.

PLQueen

Not a great deal to add here but I have childcare vouchers left and also no longer need childcare so will be unable to spend them. I asked the HR dept at my company and they’ve told me to contact the voucher provider. I’ve not done this yet though but from what I’m reading it appears that they won’t refund me directly anyway. Hopefully they will refund my employer who will then refund me. Obviously this will need to be taxed when they repay to me. I think I’ll try to sort it out this week and will post here if I get any update.

NewBornBaby

PLQueen said:

Not a great deal to add here but I have childcare vouchers left and also no longer need childcare so will be unable to spend them. I asked the HR dept at my company and they’ve told me to contact the voucher provider. I’ve not done this yet though but from what I’m reading it appears that they won’t refund me directly anyway. Hopefully they will refund my employer who will then refund me. Obviously this will need to be taxed when they repay to me. I think I’ll try to sort it out this week and will post here if I get any update.

Thanks @PLQueen yes do please update here when you get more details.  As far as I am aware, at the moment it is up to the employer and not the voucher company to issue you with vouchers or "in exceptional circumstances" to manage a refund, which naturally would be subject to tax.
Nothing stopping you from contacting the voucher company anyway though, the more messages they get, the more they will end up pressuring HMRC and Government to do something about it.
Keep pestering.

Eassenav

I have had a response from my MP who is raising it with the Department of Education but I am not sure that they are the right people as it is more a tax issue (so I would have thought). But at least it is being discussed.

I will update with the response that I get.