Childcare Costs discussion

Fliss_M · 8 May 2009 at 10:05AM

Ask for a copy of the minutes of these suposed meeting, send COPIES of your invoices highlighting the difference, and do you have in writting that they wont charge you for this time?

I presume you are changing nurseries, if so, you need to deside if you stand on strong enough ground to contest in court. As if it cant be settled then thats where its going.

If your not completely confident about court I would consider, after much more arguement I mite add, about coming to a half way. give them half and call the matter quits. I cant imagine they want the cost of a court battle ether.

galvanizersbaby · 8 May 2009 at 12:20PM

makenzie wrote: »

hi, thanks for the reply. i have origional invoices altered by the nursery staff and they have signed their names. they actually say minus half term holiday on them! head office also CLAIM to have minutes from 3 meetings to discuss the fees. My husband nor myself have EVER attended any meeting let alone 3 with a woman called julie who neither of us have evr met!!! We asked when we started last nov would we only pay for the time our son was in nursery and the answer was yes. All bills since nov have been altered accordingly and now head office are trying to hit us with this bill for nearly £1000! pounds. Does this sound as ridiculous to anyone else as it does to us? please, more advice. many thanks.

Do you have it in writing in your contract that you are paying term time only?
Could it be that the local nursery staff have not been following policy and deducting the half terms unauthorised and now head office have realised what's been going on.
If you have it in writing that you pay term time only and the fact that you have the altered invoices from nursery staff showing the deduction should go in your favour.
If the nursery staff have messed up it shouldn't be down to you to pay for their mistakes - that sounds like what's happened to me - perhaps you should go and see a solicitor (45 mins free legal advice)

I have not heard of a private nursery in my area that allows you to only pay term time as then they have a spare place that they are not recieving funds for in the holidays so you have to pay to keep your childs place.

Good luck I hope you can get this resolved

Little_miss_morrissey · 1 July 2009 at 9:16AM

I use after school care for my 7 year old daugher and have told the Inland Revenue the cost per week, i.e. £65. Over the summer she will be there for 6 weeks all day and the price will go up to over £100, if I tell the Tax Credit people this will I get extra help and if so will it get taken off me at a later date? They have the Registration Number of the Playcentre etc. Im really struggling financially at the moment and sometimes think id be better off not working at all as im a single parent.

bevthrow · 1 July 2009 at 8:22PM

My husband's monthly wages changes each month as he has a bonus applied. That bonus changes every month - can we still apply for tax credit?

dawnhardy · 8 July 2009 at 7:08PM

I have been led to believe that, as a mature student, (husband working and not eligible for tax credit) I can claim for my childcare, is this true and how do I do it?

Spendless · 8 July 2009 at 7:23PM

fuzzybear01 wrote: »

You can not claim childcare help for a relative to look after your children (even if they register as a childminder)

That's not true. You can indeed claim for help with childcare costs with a relative who is a childminer as long as they are also looking after at least one other child.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/start/who-qualifies/children/approved-childcare.htm#6

Spendless · 8 July 2009 at 7:26PM

dawnhardy wrote: »

I have been led to believe that, as a mature student, (husband working and not eligible for tax credit) I can claim for my childcare, is this true and how do I do it?

If your husband's employer offers childcare vouchers yes you can. You husband needs to contact whoever it is that will set them up for him (eg HR/Payroll?) and set it up. We did the same when I went to college, used childcare vouchers from hubby's work to reduce the cost.

HTH.

autopilot · 10 July 2009 at 3:32PM

There a big problem with the reckoner, or something you should at least point out to avoid confusion - the total household income box does not properly recognise a "," for separating thousands, but instead sees it as a decimal point.

We thought we could get plenty of help, until i realised that your tool actually thinks £35,000 is £35.

Most people use a "," including yourselves all over the site in in the actual article. £35000 get's me the right figure - which i only found out after a very disappointing phone call to HMRC.

Makes me wonder if the actual articles assertion, about how many people are missing out and by how much, is at all correct now.

Splats_2 · 15 July 2009 at 9:32AM

Hi, I'd appreciate a view on the following:

Yesterday I phoned the tax credits helpline to submit a renewal for my wife and I. I was asked about salary sacrifice and I told them my wife does it for Childcare vouchers to the max allowed. The guy at the other end (after checking with someone at his end) then said that we had to reduce the amount we were claiming for the childcare costs pro-rata for the amount we received in the vouchers, which essentially knocked £56 per week off the costs. Presumably this may reduce the tax credit we will get.

Has anybody else come across this - it isn't mentioned in the Guidance Notes?

Any thoughts to how it will impact on our tax credits?

Cheers

excited_money_saver · 15 July 2009 at 8:57PM

Sorry if I have missed this posted earlier, however your local Families Information Service should be able to help with lots of these questions.
To find out where your nearest is go to
http://www.nafis.co.uk/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userslist&listid=2&Itemid=73.

I must declare an interest in that I work for my local Families Information Service (FIs) and would be willing to try to help anyone who lives in my area, as I am sure all other FIS officers would do. Our main aim is to reduce child poverty, we also have loads of other information about activities, advise and guidance about childcare choices and parenting issues, yoiu can ask us anything.

Each local authority (LA) must have a FIS by law, although some are run by the LA others are run by charities, but there will be one in some shape or form.

Hope this helps someone.

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Childcare Costs discussion

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