Tax free child care for a 5 year old?

[Harmonyrays]

So I applied for tax free child care for my baby but when I was on the portal it stated enter details for all children and so I did. I then received an email into my account telling me my 5 year old was eligible for 30 hours free child care.

This can't be right can it? He is in full time education but needs before and after school child care so it would be handy if it's true!

Anyone?

As far as I know you can use tax free childcare for under 12's but the 30 free hours is only for 3 & 4 year olds. So you can pay for the wrap around care with tax free childcare but not you wouldn't get 30 free hours.

From the gov website:

All 3 to 4-year-olds in England can get free early education or childcare.
Some 2-year-olds are also eligible for 15 hours free childcare, for example if you get certain benefits.
The free early education and childcare:
• must be with an approved childcare provider
• stops when your child starts in reception class (or reaches compulsory school age, if later)

Are they a Summer born child? Maybe just a quirk in the system, so whilst they may be eligible you can't actually use it as they are in full time education.

If before/after school is a registered childcare provision (some are, some are not) then you can use TFC for that. Ignore 30hours as that won't apply to you until your youngest reaches the term following their 3rd birthday.

Afaik there is no entitlement to 'free' (funded) hours once a child starts school proper. That’s certainly the case in my area.

If they’ve only turned 5 this term then in theory they aren’t school age until January. You can use 30 hours OR full time school. Not both.

OP says they're in full time education, so they wouldn't be entitled to 30 hours funding outside of schooling.

I expect this is yet another glitch in the TFC/funding system. Probably yet another case of a government computer project being tendered to the lowest bidder with no thought for whether it actually works. Hardly surprising when the whole funded childcare disaster was so badly underfunded.

I wasn't aware of 30 hour codes being issued to 5yo's, but I know quite a few were issued in error to yo's and 2yo's who clearly weren't eligible. Our local authority requires childcare providers to not just have a code, but also to verify the child's DOB with a full birth certificate for this very reason. If there's an error and an ineligible child gets a code, then the provider takes the hit and doesn't get paid.

Thanks all, yes it's a glitch as he's summer born. We have tfc only.