Nursery & Tax Credits - I am confused!

[FlameBatfink]

How does it work??

They tell me I am entitled to childcare vouchers/credits/whatever they are.

DS is booked in to start one morning a week in September.

I have paid the deposit, they want the first month's fees now.

Tax Credits say they won't even take the details from me until the date he starts.

No-one will tell me anything... does the money go straight to the nursery, to me, what happens about what I have already paid?

Someone on here must be able to explain this to me in simple terms pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!

Thank you

[MerlinsBeard]

bumpety bounce

[nightowl]

the money will be paid into your bank account, they pay up to %80 of childcare costs. its true, unfortunately that they will not take any details from you in advance so hope they do it quickly!

[nightowl]

and you'll need the ofsted number when you call them.

[Tinker]

Childcare vouchers and tax credits are not teh same thing. Which one do you mean?

[FlameBatfink]

I'm my employer... which I probably should have said - does that change anything?

I like the going straight to my account thing.

[nightowl]

lol! in that case i havent a clue.

[FlameBatfink]

Erm - argh!

I called tax credits a few months back - they said about the 80% to childcare costs... is that the tax credits?

What are the vouchers?

I've got the ofsted number etc in all the paperwork from them

[nightowl]

i dont know about the childcare vouchers.

but anyway, now, both working tax credit, child tax credit and childcare element are paid into my bank account in one payment. they have been pretty quick this time around. last time (when working tax was paid with wages) it took them MONTHS to sort out my whole claim and my nursery doesnt take non receipt of tax credits as a valid excuse not to pay funnily enough...i was broke!!

[Dropdeadfred]

Are you talking about the free nursey place for 3 yr olds?

[FlameBatfink]

I think it is the childcare element. Intrigued to see what % they do give (a case of we can just about stretch to the full amount, so anything is a bonus).

So... I think by this thread that it will be paid in with the other bits, which makes life much easier, even if the backlog is a bit hard to swallow (I was thinking in terms of it starting in September, and not in terms of them needing Sept payment beforehand )

Not the 3yr old place

[whoops]

Flame, being self emplyed I don't know that you can get tax credits as my boss had that problem.
I get the tax credits direct to me.
The tax credits helpline should give you a rough idea though of what you should be able to get

[FlameBatfink]

Tax Credits helpline?!?

They have been a nightmare, hence asking on MN

Much calmer about the whole thing now, what will be, will be

[whoops]

oh no flame!
I've never had a prblem wih them (ther than having to hold a while!)

[SlightlyMadSpider]

Right - there are 3 things you could be talking about here, not sure which you mean.

1. Childcare vouchers. A scheem offered by employers where you 'buy' childcare vouchers Taxfree/NI free - which you send your nursery. Unlikely that you mean this if you are self employed
   
   
2. LEA funding for preschoolers. Starts when a child reaches 3 (term after or before they are 3 I can never remember which). Funds get paid directly to Nursery - who should reduce your payments accordingly. Only pays for 2 1/2 hour sessions so you may have to pay extra if it is a longer session.
   
   
3. Child tax credits. You tell the tax office that you are paying for childcare - and depending on your income you get up to 80% of your costs paid back into your bank account. Try going to the tax credits web-page and clicking on "am I entitled" where you can fill in your financilal info which will tell you an estimate of what you will get. You can play with figures and see what difference paying for childcare or not will make. If you use vouchers 1 or 2 you can't they get deducted from the childcare costs you tell inland revenue.

[FlameBatfink]

Me neither, before now It has been a nightmare just trying to get them to take the self-employment details, when i threw nurseries at them they just seemed to go into torture defence techniques and keep repeating over and over that they could do nothing until he starts (including give information )

Ah well, tis all ok

[FlameBatfink]

Hurrah for the insane slug (you'll always be a slug to me ) - tis number 3, off to play with the site

[SlightlyMadSpider]

Tax credits do I qualify page - have a play and see estimates come out. You will have to ring and tell them though to register it formally.

[FlameBatfink]

You star

Will update you in a few weeks

[SlightlyMadStar]

I was due a name change

I assume you have worked out what you should get now?

[FlameBatfink]

The calculator thing (which I entered the numbers direct from the official form in front of me) tells me that not only am I entitled to sod all in the way of childcare help (what happened to getting mums working again ), but that I am meant to get about 50% less than they say on the form.....

I think I am back to my plan of living in ignorance until I can call them - something is f*cked up somewhere.

[SlightlyMadStar]

Not surprised about the sod all for chilcare (you have to earn practically nothing to get the 80%).

about getting a different quote to that on the form.

Has you income gone up at all for 2007/08 compared to 2006/07.

The award will be based on 06/07 income cos of new rules - even if your 07/08 income is on the form.

[FlameBatfink]

I have no idea with these people anymore.

Every renewal time it's always the hoping like hell that they won't say they over paid you

[evenhope]

I've just put my details into the calculator including childcare, then again using the same pay etc but with no childcare. Although it says childcare 0.00 on the entitlements page the figure in the first example is over £3k more than the non-childcare one, so it clearly is included. (works out to about 44% of the childcare costs).

If your figures are a lot less than you are actually getting I would be a bit concerned. Have you double-checked the details they've sent back are correct?