HMRC checking childcare costs?

[cjt110]

We previously received £23 a week towards our childcare cots. No other tax credits. When our son started nursery in 2015 the fee was £42 a day. On the recent renewal we have declared everything - the result, we were only entitled to £12 a month as our earnings have gone up. Fine. No probs. Received a letter this week wanting to check our childcare costs as they had increased. They had an increase in Oct 15 to £44 a day. We've never claimed any kind of credits before as our son is our only child. The letter accompanying scared me a bit by saying failing to update them of any changes could incur a fine. Also talks about they are checking so as to check we haven't been overpaid. Should we have let them know? Surely we can't have been overpaid if the fees have gone up? What will happen now?

Help!

You should really tell ASAP about any changes but they won't fine you if they owe you, which they might well in this case. But neither will they back pay you.

It needs to increase by over £10 a week or something for you to have ton notify them.

Mine went up by £3 a week I never told them and had a conxentics check, all came back fine.

How much more a week are you paying?

I had this I just sent everything they requested back to them and I am waiting to hear to what they say!!

I had this - it's a totally random checker they pick someone out and ask them to send copies of info over.

I fretted from the day I got the letter till the day I got a response.

Send them your NI numbers, copies of the contract with the nursery/receipts and they'll just check they are paying you correctly.

We ended up with some money reimbursed to us as we upped our childcare usage but didn't tell them (so we were spending more each month against the amount they sent) and our monthly payments have been upped slightly too.

I thought you had to wait til the renewal to tell them about any changes?

We now pay something like 375 a month instead of 365 so no massive increase.

always inform about changes esp if income goes up. but Tax credits don't update childcare unless the change is at least £10/week. so nothing for you you could have declared in any case.

up date a.s.a.p even if it seems to be a small change, let tax credits decide if it needs to change, fines, i think are a put in place to remind people that false claiming is illegal as it is theft from the tax payer. if you report a.s.a.p a change or mistake, they will be more understanding to your cause rather than saying nowt and getting caught out at a much later date.

We have tax credits not the childcare part and are checked every year.
I don't mind because if they are checking they will find the fraudsters, hopefully.
They are fine if there is just a little discrepancy, even an overpayment is managed fairly, you just have to tell them about any changes when they happen to make sure you are being paid the right amount.

The letters are standard, try not to worry, we all get the same, it is nothing personal.

You must notify them immediately of any changes it says so on every single letter.