Childcare voucher refunds

kjastbury

I currently have unused childcare vouchers, I knew I had a surplus and calculated how much I needed to cover childcare until my child finished primary school in 2021.  As a result I cancelled my vouchers from summer 2019.  Covid has meant that I did not use child care as either my son was home schooling or I was at home. I have contacted my employer and they will not process a refund and I have over £3000 in vouchers that can now not be used.  Is there any way these can be released?

MattMattMattUK

kjastbury said:

I currently have unused childcare vouchers, I knew I had a surplus and calculated how much I needed to cover childcare until my child finished primary school in 2021.  As a result I cancelled my vouchers from summer 2019.  Covid has meant that I did not use child care as either my son was home schooling or I was at home. I have contacted my employer and they will not process a refund and I have over £3000 in vouchers that can now not be used.  Is there any way these can be released?

They can be refunded if the rules of your employers scheme allows, but most do not apart from a month or two after issue. What would complicate matters further is that these would have been issued several years ago and the tax years they were issued in are long closed, so even if the scheme originally allowed it, it is unlikely to now. 

Remember that the vouchers can also be used for breakfast and after-school clubs, some also allow them to be used for holiday clubs.

Clare239

I'm in the same situation with £2k of unwanted vouchers. @kjastury Did you ever find a way to release your money or use it positively? Thanks 

kjastbury said:

I currently have unused childcare vouchers, I knew I had a surplus and calculated how much I needed to cover childcare until my child finished primary school in 2021.  As a result I cancelled my vouchers from summer 2019.  Covid has meant that I did not use child care as either my son was home schooling or I was at home. I have contacted my employer and they will not process a refund and I have over £3000 in vouchers that can now not be used.  Is there any way these can be released?

sheramber

Check the contract you have with the vouchers company.

Some are prepared to refund to your employer providing he agrees and has a payroll that can deal with it as tax and NIC will now be due.

Some state in the Terms that they are not refundable.

Readytomakechanges

We are in the same position. Has anyone successfully received a refund?
To complicate matters, my husband has moved employers.
The childcare voucher companies must have £1000s of peoples' money that they then can't use!
Believe me, I've checked with all the the local clubs/extra curriculars and very few accept them and none that my children are interested in.
We no longer need childcare, but could really use the money (minus tax) that's currently sat in the form of childcare vouchers in the Edenred account.

sheramber

It depends on the scheme that the employer was signed up to.

From Edenred FAQ


https://www.mychildcarevouchers.co.uk/DSV/document/faqs_beneficiary.pdf

Can I get a refund for unused Childcare Vouchers? Whether you can receive a salary alternative to vouchers you have accrued will depend on the conditions of the scheme determined by your employer in the agreement you signed up to.
Please consult those conditions and discuss them with your employer if necessary. It is quite common that employers’ schemes do not allow for this.