Childcare question

[AnnaTortoiseshell]

I can’t find the answer to this online, so consulting the general wisdom of mumsnet.

DD starting state preschool in September. In some of the holidays she will be with a childminder. Can I still use the 80% childcare account to pay for the childminder, or will she be ‘full price’?

basically trying to work out if the 30 free hours cancels out the 20% off childcare thing.

Thanks!

No you can use your tax free account to pay even if using 30 hours funding.
I see it as an extra bank account that the government tops up a little.
Just make sure the childminder is registered for the tax free childcare.
You can even use it for holiday clubs once the child is older.

Amazing, thanks so much for such a comprehensive reply. That’s perfect.

If your super clever you can top it up each month if you know how much you will be paying the childminder each year.
You get £500 on the account ever three months but you will lose it if you don't use it.
So if you can roughly work out your yearly childcare bill and devide it up for the whole year you may use more of your allowance. Don't forget to remove the top up amount when sending the childcare account money or you will end up with too much.

@Lavender2021 that’s really helpful to know, thank you!