Tax free childcare or universal credit childcare element?

Dementedmummy02

Hiya, can someone please advise or help.

Currently pay wrap around childcare for my just gone 5 year old. She attends school and goes to childcare each day after and during the school holidays. We have been utilising the tax free childcare option for the past year which govt pay 20% of, so not really much.

We also claim UC, but not the childcare element. We have just had a journal note asking for our childcare details with proof. We're confused to why UC want to know this as we don't use them for the costs. When my hubby has looked into it, it states that if we utilise the UC childcare element, they'll pay 80% which is 60% more than we get now, so would help us immensely!

How do we find out what is best and how do we stop the TFC and claim the UC element instead? I'm due to reconfirm on the TFC anyway. Do I not reconfirm and leave a journal note?

We're clueless but obviously desperate to save as much money as possible as we're paying £700 a month. 

Thankyou.

Yamor

What you have been doing until now is actually wrong. You are not allowed to claim tax free childcare if you are on UC, even if you don't claim the UC childcare element.

Either way, you should be able to claim the UC childcare element immediately, and it is definitely more beneficial for you to do so, as it will cover 85% of your childcare costs.

Dementedmummy02

I've told UC before that we were claiming TFC and no one said anything. They don't help you do they, and don't make things easy. I have left a journal message asking for support in it! Fingers crossed