Swapping from tax free child care to universal credits

NeverendingDMP

Hello all. DH will soon be paid ssp for 3-4 months. We currently use tax free childcare but will hopefully be claiming UC whilst he is off sick after an op. I will pay childcare using the current method till op date and then do we go on tax free childcare website to stop that before we try to claim childcare on UC. I can't remember what order it all works. Will we get a decision from UC first and then after that pay the next batch of childcare.

Also school doesn't send an invoice and prefers payment a term in advance (they can wait a bit for once-sorry school) it's all paid via parent pay, which from memory UC didn't like that last time and we had to get a letter or something as we had no bill. I just want to make sure I do everything in the right order so we can actually claim the childcare. It's such a faff really for a short while but I've run the numbers and we can't manage unless we claim. I would imagine UC is then paid in arrears so I would need to pay school then limp it through till any payment arrives. (I am Trying to save for this)
Thanks all 

Yamor

You can claim UC immediately and then simply not make a reconfirming declaration for TFC when it is next due.

Any childcare payments you have already made prior to the date of your UC claim but which cover a period which includes any day after the date of your UC claim should still be reported to UC.

You can still make payments in to your TFC account during the quarterly entitlement period, and get the government top-up, despite having a live UC claim.

Following the end of the quarterly entitlement period, your TFC account will become pay-only, meaning you can still use the money in it for childcare (and keep the government top-up). Your TFC account will only be closed after 2 years with no new valid declaration.

There is nothing wrong with making childcare payments from the TFC account, and also claiming UC for those payments (meaning you get a total of 105% government support for those childcare costs). However, it can be a bit of a hassle to get UC to accept that this is allowed.

Childcare on UC is paid in arrears, meaning it will only be paid out once you have paid it and 'used' it.

UC will also only cover payments made for childcare 'used' in that Assessment Period, or one of the following two APs, so be careful about when exactly you make the payment, and you may need to negotiate with the school and ask them to allow you to pay a bit later than normal, depending on the dates involved.
A common mistake here is to get the school to allow you to pay half now and half later on, or similar. This in itself is not sufficient, as the half you pay now will still be a payment towards an invoice covering childcare for the whole term. You would need to get the school to accept that the half (or whatever) that you pay now is specifically for the first half of the term.

NeverendingDMP

Thanks yamor. There was a few things there I wasn't aware of so I appreciate the info. Hoping it will only be about three months but at least I know it's possible and how it all works now.