Is this definately right? and furthermore, how the heck am I going to pay for it?

[ShyBaby]

I did start a thread about this elsewhere but now I cant find it, and the more I think about it, the more im worrying.

Dd was in a private nursery for a couple of years until she started school in September. My childcare was £120.00 per week which tax credits paid 80% of. They do holiday childcare for kids who attended so I was hoping to use them for another couple of years.

I called the Inland Revenue when she finished and told them she had started school. I then said that she would, however be going back in the holidays and how would that work? I was told if I worked out how much it would cost and let them know, they would divide it by 52 and pay it that way. So I said that it would be for every school holiday minus three weeks (the holidays I try to book off with them), and could we do it now? I was told no, only one change per day. Call back tomorrow with a definate figure .

So I got a list of holidays from the school the next morning and worked out how much my childcare would be. I called the Inland Revenue back to be told that because my childcare tax credit had been cancelled, I couldn't restart it until she was actually back in childcare, and furthermore, it had to be for three consequtive (sp, sorry im tired) weeks.

So am I right in thinking I wont be able to claim a penny for childcare until the 2009 summer holidays...and that then they will split it over the next year so essentially I will be forking out over £600.00 quid for childcare? Where on earth am I going to get that kind of money? There's no way I can save that much before then. I will have the Christmas break to pay for, plus February and Easter. (Whitsun and a week in August I will book off from work). I am kicking myself now because it seems if I had called with the right information to hand and declared it as a change rather than telling them childcare had stopped for now, this wouldn't have happened. But I didn't know! . In the space of two minutes I seem to have royally screwed myself over with my choice of words.

Am I being completely thick and missing something here? (Please tell me I am).

[Witchybella]

Bump for you.

Have you tried putting it in the money section

[ivykaty44]

You will not get 80% of your childcare paid, the way the system operates is that unless you pay for child care every week then you dont get the 80%.

You will pay out for school holidays and then only in the summer get some money back - sorry.

have you got a friend you could do swaps with in the holidays?

No your not being thick it just doesn't operate for you to get help financaly with your childcare in the school hols you end up paying out and lossing out

[compo]

Does her school do any holiday clubs?
It will be cheaper and she might be a bit bored and confused going back to nursery just for the holidays with presumably younger kids?

[3littlefrogs]

After school clubs that do holiday clubs would probably be cheaper. I used to do a combination of flexible working, annual leave, child swapping and holiday clubs. As they get older, you can do more child swapping and fewer holiday clubs.

Sorry - I don't know anything about tax credits as they didn't exist when mine were small.

HTH

[ShyBaby]

Thanks gilly, I have been onto the lone parent advisor in the meantime. I think she was a bit shocked to listen to some bird saying "Hi, you helped me out 3 years ago and id love some advice..."

I will email you if that's ok?

[gillybean2]

Yes please do