Help with first claim UC and childcare costs please

getinmyselfoutadebt

Hi, I’m making my first universal credit claim and it asks if I pay for childcare the amount I pay and the date. I haven’t been paying childcare since March but I will pay on the 01 September. Can I still make the claim in now? If I put I don’t currently pay a provider can I add the provider and costs later? It won’t let me continue without the childcare costs added and yeh date I paid! Can I make the claim if and add the childcare details later? Thanks 

calcotti

You can still claim UC now. For childcare costs you claim each month in arrears - which means you have to pay them first and then claim the available help.
https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/new-to-universal-credit/children-and-childcare/
https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/universal-credit
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-childcare/universal-credit-childcare-guide
i think you can complete the claim saying no to childcare costs (as you don't have any payments to report at the moment) and then, when you make a payment, report a change off circumstances in your journal. Would be good if somebody else could confirm this though.

getinmyselfoutadebt

Thank you for your help 

Mrsn

You won’t be able to claim them now but when you need to there’s a childcare section in your journal and that’s there you will add them. 

You will need a letter from your provider with their ofsted registration number, full child’s name and their date of birth. If they have regular days that they attend it might be worth including that information too. Id get the ball rolling for this now if possible as they won’t pay any new childcare costs until they have received it although you won’t submit the letter until you can add the new provider.

Really simple each month you upload to your journal an invoice that says what date the childcare was paid and they reimburse 85% in the assessment periods in which the childcare falls. 

getinmyselfoutadebt

Thank you 

getinmyselfoutadebt

If I pay for the whole of September on 1st. When will I receive the money back for this? In September or October? The assessment period is until 18 September? Thanks 

getinmyselfoutadebt

It says my payment date willl be 24 September but I can’t work out if Septembers costs will be paid then or in October 

huckster

If your assessment periods run from 19th August to 18th September and you paid the whole of September Childcare on 1st September, this is how UC would apply it, if you reported it to UC as soon as you paid it.For the Childcare between 1st September and 18th September, this Chilcare would be part of the UC statement for AP 19th August to 18th September. For the Childcare between 19th September and 30th September, this would be included in UC statement for assessment period 19th September to 18th October. So think about your UC assessment periods before you pay Childcare. And remember that Childcare is only part of a UC award statement before any deductions are applied taking into account your earnings. If you have an earnings deduction that exceeds the award amount before deductions including Childcare, you will receive no UC payment.

getinmyselfoutadebt

Thank you