Can't access Care4 Funds

yorkshireman1982

Hey all

Not sure if this is the right board but find ourselves in a sticky problem.

 I live in the UK but my partner and daughter live abroad.

When my daughter was born in 2018 I started saving via salary sacrifice into a Care4 fund with the intention of using it for crèche and childcare etc as my family were due to emigrate to the UK in early 2020.

Cue pandemic and a whole host of other life changes and long story short I'll now be emigrating instead of the other way around.

This means I have over £4k saved up in a fund I can't access and will never use. Care4 is not for vouchers it's a fund that pays providers directly. 

I know the albeit limited ts and Cs state you can't get any funds back but does anyone have any experience of successfully doing so? 
Of course haply to pay all the relevant taxes due on it. 

I'll be heartbroken to lose that money due to the way life has panned out the last year or so but when I've emailed Care4 to enquire I just got a stock reply saying nope!


Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all 

Keep_pedalling

Not quite the same situation, but if you read through the comments at the bottom of this article some people have managed to get refunded via their company pay roll where they have been unable to use there vouchers because of COVID and their children are no longer eligible because of their age. 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/10/-i-had-p180-of-childcare-vouchers-expire----how-to-make-old-vouc/

yorkshireman1982

Ah thanks a million really appreciate the response.

Unfortunately it's different for this fund as it's not childcare vouchers so can't be reclaimed via my employer. 

Seems the company just keeps any unused money! 

Keep_pedalling

yorkshireman1982 said:

Ah thanks a million really appreciate the response.

Unfortunately it's different for this fund as it's not childcare vouchers so can't be reclaimed via my employer. 

Seems the company just keeps any unused money! 

Are you sure? Although they pay the careers directly they are still classed as vouchers. 

yorkshireman1982

Actually not 100% sure now, but you have me thinking.... I'll contact my payroll team tomorrow and update you!

Thanks