By Lynne Keeble

Am I eligible for childcare vouchers?
Any working parent, or those with parental responsibility for a child living with them, is eligible for childcare vouchers. The vouchers can be used by a non-working partner as well. So if one parent takes up the vouchers, for example, the stay-at-home partner can use the vouchers to pay for approved childcare facilities.

How do I claim childcare vouchers?
Childcare vouchers are only available through your employer who must run a voucher scheme.

What if my employer doesn’t run a childcare voucher scheme?
Talk to colleagues, find out if other parents would be interested in starting a scheme and then present the case to your employer.

The cost of running a childcare voucher scheme is offset by the National Insurance savings your employer will make on the vouchers, so they make great financial sense both for you and your employer.

Employers can either operate the voucher scheme themselves or they can use a voucher provider, such as Accor Services, who can manage the administration, launch and ongoing management of the scheme for them. In most cases the fee for this is less than the employer gains in national insurance, so costs virtually nothing for them to offer as a benefit to parents.

How does the scheme work?
Childcare vouchers can be provided as an additional benefit or reward on top of an employee’s salary, however, the majority of schemes are offered via salary sacrifice. This means that they are offered to employees as a voluntary benefit, with the employee converting part of their salary into vouchers.

You can choose to take childcare vouchers up to the value of £2,916 p.a. per person as part of your remuneration package, as long as your cash salary is not reduced below the minimum national minimum wage. This means that if you elect to accept childcare vouchers as a portion of your salary, you will not have to pay national insurance contributions (NIC) or tax on up to £55 per week on the vouchers. This is known as salary sacrifice.

How much money will I save on my childcare bill?
Earners below £34,840, paying 11% NI – save £962.00
Earners above £34,840 could save up to £1,195.00 depending on their tax band and salary level

Will childcare vouchers have an affect on working tax credit or child tax credit?
If you are already claiming tax credits, it is important to refer to your local working tax credit office, as to any possible impact. Contact HM Revenue and customs’ Tax Credits Helpline on 0845 300 3900 to speak to an advisor. You can also use the Credit Estimater on Accor’s. website.

How will I receive the vouchers?
By opting to take childcare vouchers you will receive either paper vouchers or electronic credits every month – depending on the format chosen by your employer. For paper vouchers these will be broken down into denominations according to your own wishes and you simply sign them and pass them to your carer.

Who can I pay with childcare vouchers?
Childcare vouchers cover childcare up to the age of 15 and can be used as full or part payment for any of the following:

• Day nursery
• Creche
• Nursery school
• Au Pair
• Pre-school
• Out of hours school club
• Childminder
• Nanny
• Holiday playscheme

To benefit from the tax and NI exemption, your chosen childcare provider must hold either a current registration certificate with a URN reference number or an approval certificate with an expiry date and reference number. Approval organisations include OFSTED and the Childcare Approval Scheme.

Your provider will be able to tell you if they are registered and if you employer uses a voucher provider, such as Accor Services, they can also check on your behalf.

What happens if your childcare costs vary from month to month and you only pay for childcare during school holidays?
You should calculate the total annual amount you spend on childcare and divide by 12 to get the average monthly amount you pay on childcare. This will then be the amount of childcare vouchers you get each month.

Can you use vouchers for more than one childcare provider?
Yes

Can I leave the scheme at any time?
You can’t leave the scheme until the end of your salary sacrifice agreement with your employer. However, some lifestyle changes (such as having another baby) may affect your salary sacrifice agreement.

What happens if I go on maternity leave to have another baby?
This is regarded as being a ‘life change event’ and you can decide either to leave the scheme and stop receiving childcare vouchers or to change the value of vouchers you receive. However, if you opt to continue with the childcare voucher scheme, your salary will continue to be paid as per your maternity pay entitlement with a portion of it being paid in childcare vouchers while you are on paid maternity leave. If you decide to take unpaid maternity leave as well, then you can no longer continue to receive childcare vouchers as you are unable to choose to take some of your salary in childcare vouchers once you are no longer receiving a salary.

How will childcare vouchers affect my pension?
A number of state benefits are dependent on maintaining a minimum level of national insurance contribution. The scheme therefore does not permit your income to fall below the NI earnings threshold. For company contribution pension schemes the policy may vary from organisation to organisation. It is normally at the discretion of the pension trustees.

What happens if I don’t use my vouchers immediately?
The paper vouchers are valid for one year and the electronic vouchers do not have an expiry date.

Useful links
www.childcarevouchers.co.uk
HM Revenue and Customs

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