Parents urged to claim tax-free childcare worth £2,000 a year BEFORE Easter holidays

1 month ago admin

Parents are being urged not to miss out on tax-free childcare worth £2,000-a-year before the Easter holidays.

The tax-free childcare scheme allows parents to pay into an online account, and the government will then add a certain amount on top.

If you’re eligible, you can get up to £500 every three months – up to £2,000 a year – for each of your children.

For disabled children, the maximum amount you could get rises to £4,000.

Helen Whately, HM Treasury’s Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: “There are lots of brilliant holiday clubs and childcare providers to help working parents during the Easter holidays.

“Tax-Free Childcare is a great offer that can help cut the childcare bills.

“I urge families across the UK to take advantage of this support and put extra pounds in their pocket – sign up now and save on your childcare costs.”

Financial support for parents

Grandparents Credit

Tax-free Childcare

30 Hours Free Childcare

Paternity Pay

How does the tax-free childcare scheme work?

For every £8 you pay in to your online account, you'll get a free £2 added on by the government, up to the limits we mentioned above.

This money – which is added directly into the account – must then be spent on a registered childcare provider, such as nurseries, nannies, after school clubs and play schemes.

Have you had trouble claiming tax-free childcare? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

You can apply for the tax-free childcare scheme via the Gov.uk website. Both single parents and those living with a partner may be eligible.

Under the current rules, you need to be earning at least the minimum wage, for the equivalent of 16 hours a week – the same goes for your partner if you have one.

Self-employed workers are also eligible if they earn this amount too.

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Both yourself and your partner will also have to earn less than £100,000 a year to qualify for the scheme, and you cannot have two accounts for the same child.

You usually have to be working to claim tax-free childcare, but there are some exceptions.

For example, you may still be able to claim if one of you is working and the other gets Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.

In terms of the criteria for your children, your child must be aged 11 or under and usually will need to live with you.

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They'll continue to be eligible for tax-free childcare until September 1 after their 11th birthday.

If your child is disabled you may get up to £4,000 a year until they’re 17.

To receive this, your child will need to get Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment, or be certified as blind or severely sight-impaired.

But before you apply for tax-free childcare, you should check if you even need to pay for childcare at all.

For example, parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours free childcare a week.

You can claim tax-free childcare on top of the 30 hours free childcare.

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