Tax free childcare RANT

[helsybells]

Anyone else getting really fed up with the tax free childcare system?

Every time I log in I have to provide details of my credit score (if I’ve taken out a loan, how long I’ve had my bank account, when I last applied for a credit card blah blah blah) I have to guess the answers every time because I’m not totally sure. Sometimes I guess wrong and have to start a-flipping-gain. Then it wants my blooming passport details. EVERY SINGLE TIME. well guess what HMRC I keep my passport somewhere safe, not on my person so you know, untrustworthy people, the sort who try to fraudulently claim childcare discounts don’t get hold of it and clone it... so off I go to find the passport, but the key to the draw is missing...yada yada yada... you know the drill... I have everything approved and account up and running but it still asks me all this every single time.

NOW it wants copies of my payslips and proof I’ve received my pay by way of my bank statements! I’ve got nothing exciting to hide but I find that last request really invasive.

More annoyingly hubby and I run our own business and my pay just gets transferred across in one lump at the same time as his pay so there are no individual transactions showing my pay. Could it be more bl**dy difficult!?

Are you sure you have you set it up properly? Mine doesn't request any of that information it just asks me for my gateway log in details to access the account.

Pretty sure I have it was working fine until they now want my bank statements etc...

That doesn't sound right to me? Unless it's a new thing, I was using the tax free childcare up until Covid hit and I didn't have to answer anything like that, same as PP.

Agree with pps. Never had this issue.

Do you mean child tax credits rather than tax free childcare?

Tax free childcare you just need government gateway password and it texts you a verification code.

I've never entered passport or payslips or loan details into tax free childcare site. Are you sure it's a legitimate site?

I guess I’ll try and call them to check....when I have the time to sit on hold for 30 mins...

Why on earth would they need to know about credit scores and credit cards!

This is bizarre, never been asked for that.

Yes definitely not tax credits, I don’t claim those. It’s definitely the right website as I’ve spoken to them before.

Hmm I'm no expert but I just have to put in my ID and password and then they send a code to my mobile and I'm into the account. I have to reaffirm every 3 months but even that is just agreeing a checklist that no details have changed.

@helsybells

Pretty sure I have it was working fine until they now want my bank statements etc...

Is this for the tax free childcare? I've never had to submit bank statements for that are you trying to set something else up? It all sounds very wrong and suspect to be honest.

That isn't right. Tax Free childcare is via the Government Gateway login.

This doesn't sound right to me. I've been using the system since it started and I've only ever had to provide some of that information to set up my Gateway. Now it's the easiest thing to log into.

I'd be looking into this OP as it sounds a bit off.

This is a new thing. It's done it to me the last couple of times in the last month or so, but never before and I've been using it for 18 months.

Tax free childcare: when you reconfirm, you literally just go through are you still employed/self employed etc etc, tick yes and that’s it… only every months, not every login too

*every three months

And yes, it's incredibly annoying. I don't know why they've brought it in.

Oh that’s really odd that no one else has had this. I only signed up about 3-6 months ago.... maybe it’s a new thing?

They ask you to confirm ID with 2 out of 3 methods: it asks questions based on your credit report (who did you take out a mortgage with in 2017, for example), your passport (passport number) and your driving licence. It doesn't ask for bank statements!

Or, well, mine doesn't, but they've definitely changed something about it in the last month or so.

Yes I’ve been through the reconfirmation but now it’s requested pay slips and bank statements and stopped topping up what I’ve put in. I will have to try and call them ASAP. It is really unfair .

@helsybells

Oh that’s really odd that no one else has had this. I only signed up about 3-6 months ago.... maybe it’s a new thing?

It's not a new thing. I signed up last month and have not had to send bank statements or anything like that. I've never had to call them either.

It literally took me 15 minutes to set it all up and when I log on I just enter my gateway number and password and then I get sent a code to my mobile to enter and that's it.

mines fine too and I just use gov gateway. Are you sure you arn't setting up a new govt gateway each time or something weird like that?

Oh that's annoying. I just logged in and got in fine there, but the last two times in the last three weeks or so I've had to go through the confirming ID rigamarole when I've never done that the 18 months prior.

@mondler

Hmm I'm no expert but I just have to put in my ID and password and then they send a code to my mobile and I'm into the account. I have to reaffirm every 3 months but even that is just agreeing a checklist that no details have changed.

Yep, this.

I was selected for an audit and had to send 3 months payslips and evidence of a paid nursery invoice once. And since then every time I go to pay the bill it asks me 3 security questions but they're always the same 3.