Nursery help? How does it work? Vouchers?

[Ohmygaw]

Hi I have just joined and I am looking for advice, my DD is 13 months old and I am a sahm. I go to groups with her but I would like to start sending her to nursery for a few mornings a week. What do I need to do?DH works 35+ hours a week, do we get childcare vouchers etc or anything. Do I go to the nursery first or check that we get these vouchers that ppl are telling me about?thank you

I don't think you can sign up for childcare vouchers anymore if you haven't already. He would need to check with his employer.

So do we get anything instead of vouchers? I’m all new to this so I have no idea. Someone said something to me at group about getting 20% of childcare costs back??

www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

That website will answer all of your questions.

www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare
This is the replacement for childcare vouchers

As far as I'm aware there is no help available if one of you is a stay-at-home-parent. The government is only going to fund nursery places to allow people to work.

(for a child as young as yours, there are funded places for older children)

It’s a long time since mine were that age but my understanding is that the help towards nursery hours relates to working parents.

I've recently gone back to work and have one in nursery.

That website ^^ has the required info, but in a nutshell...

You can no longer sign up for childcare vouchers, the scheme closed to new applicats last year.

It is replaced by a Government contribution scheme, they will supplement your contribution by 20% to a value of £2k per annum.

To qualify you must be working for 16+hrs in addition to your husband.

If you're a SAHM then you get nothing towards childcare until your child turns 3.

If you're a low earner and have a 2 year old then it's potentially slightly different.

You'll get 15 hours free when your child turns 3 (or earlier if you meet certain criteria for additional needs). Voucher schemes are closed.

How you set up and for your family is entirely your choice, but I'm always a bit surprised when people expect taxpayers to help fund nursery for a stay at home parent of a single small baby.

As others have said 20% is only if both parents are working.

Not trying to be harsh, if you want to send your child to nursery you need to pay for it

Ok thanks everyone.
Just wanted to say, I’m not EXPECTING anyone to fund anything for me at all. It’s just when I mentioned the possibility of sending her ppl started to bombard me with information in regards to vouchers and discounts so thought I would ask. I was doubtful as we don’t even get child benefit essentially.

Depends on your DH's employer and whether or not they offer childcare vouchers. Alternatively, you could apply for tax free childcare or universal credit childcare help ..all depends on how much he earns. Probably best to look online for more info

@Indie139 thank you I have had a look into it and as usual we are entitled to “f all” 😩

What a ridiculous response. Why would the government pay for your child to go to nursery when you aren't working? 🙄

Whilst I understand that it's always nice to get a little extra cash for "free", I find it hard to muster up a lot of sympathy for your situation. If you don't get child benefit, your DH's income will be over 50K. That's more than what I and DH earn together, and we need to pay 4 days' nursery (subsidised at 20%) out of that. My NCT group always complain about not getting child benefit, and it really is a case of your diamond slippers being too tight...

And we pay nursery so we can go to work, not because we fancy a break

Go to work then!

Well how about because I have worked all my life and obviously so does DH so we have payed our fair share of tax! It would be nice to get something back??! 🙄

Your dc will get funding from aged 3. Presumably you used nhs for his birth, gp, paid maternity leave perhaps ... Do you get child benefit , if so could this go towards a nursery?

Not exactly sure what you think we've been doing all our lives? You are getting something back in the form of health care and a funded nursery place when your child turns 3. I really cannot understand how you can feel entitled to a government handout that you do not need, when reliance on food banks has soared and the NHS is on its knees. Everyone who has ever worked has paid into the system, but it's not as simple as taking out what you paid in. If it were, I'd be taking back my "share" of the bank bailout for e.g.

You will get something back. You get 15 free hours a week the term after they turn 3. If you work 16 hours a week you get 30 hours then.

Taxation isn't a bank acc that you pay into and get back, that's not how it works. So it's not the case that there is a taxa threshold for government assi with childcare costs.
However when your child is 3 you will get 30 hours per week free of charge during term time, again regardless of how much tax you have and haven't paid.
If you work out how much you and your children cost the state over a lifetime including NHS, educ etc it could even be more than you've paid in tax. Luckily though that's not how it works in UK, its not a private bank account that you draw down on.
You are of course at liberty to get a job and get 20% of the childcare costs and pay the other 80%yourself.

You get the NHS for free. Surely that’s enough back for all your taxes? Bloody hell is everyone wanting stuff for nothing today or what?

It would be nice to get something back??!

It would, right?!? If only your taxes could cover things you actually might benefit from, you know, like the NHS, nursery when your child is 3, the roads, education when they are 4, police officers, the fire service and so on.

@NCKitten couldn't agree more. We can't afford a SAHP, and so have to pay for nursery fees to have 2 full timers earning jointly less than the OP's husband. God the entitlement makes me cross.