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!?

Well I feel really short changed here... literally

Are you sure you arn't setting up a new govt gateway each time or something weird like that?

I was about to suggest that but even then asking for bank statements doesn't sound accurate.

I have never been asked that (I reconfirmed mine a few weeks ago). What website are you using? The gov gateway one?

The only problem I had with setting up my TFC about 18 months ago was the website glitches and didn't give me chance to enter one of my answers a second time (typo) soningot locked out and had to do a right old game inc provide verified ID to get back in.

But since then it just asks for the gateway number, password, and text code. Every now and then it asks for my security answers but I set these up from a list of suggestions (where did you go to uni, what hospital was your child born in, that kind of thing).

Let us know why they say, OP!

Mines fine too.

Just log in through Government Gateway, for which my phone autofills the details..one click.

If it's been longer than 7 days since my last log in they text me a code to input. That's it.

It could be because you are not paye I suppose. If you don't have separate pay from your dh that might be the bigger issue, you should have a separate transaction

See what I mean about typos 🤦

This is where I sign in

www.gov.uk/sign-in-childcare-account

It is a thing, honestly. It's either new or being sporadically applied. It's happened to both me and one of the women from my antenatal group in the last month, and we were both confused as it had never happened before. It might be when logging on from a new IP or device or it might just be random ID checks they've decided to implement, but it is very annoying when you just want to nip on and check that the payment has gone through and you have to go dig out your passport and play 20 questions about your credit score.

We are both self-employed actually, so perhaps it's related to that?

Tax Free Childcare. I've had this. I'm self employed so I had to provide details of my last tax returns, such as amount of NI paid etc. It was some sort of identity check, but quite annoying when it did it again and again and again. In the end, as it kept asking me for the same figures, I made a note of them to copy them across.

However, last time I logged in (last Thursday - payday!) it seemed to have reverted back to the normal login process. Hopefully once the system is assured you are really you, it will do the same.

Have you tried to log in today, OP? It let me in without going through it all there - I just logged out and in a few times and all fine, so maybe they've changed something.

I signed up aovit 3 months ago and had to reconfirm this month.

On sign up I had to do a few ID checks- NI number maybe passport number but didn't on reconfirmation.

Something sounds off with your account. I am not self employed and am payed via PAYE so I wonder if it is that? I would defiantly give them a call in the morning.

I imagine it's asking for bank statements as proof of ID since OP says she's failed the identity checks by guessing the answers. They need another way to verify her identity

Oh crikey, that's annoying that it's likely to be mainstream then...please complain lots so they don't bring it in for everything!

Do you get the feeling they're trying to make it harder to access in order to put people off? Or is that a bit of a reach on my part?

I’m literally thinking of writing to my MP (the chancellor! 😂) about it! It’s an appalling system. I pay my taxes, I am clearly entitled to this help, but it’s just making it so difficult to access. (Last time I wrote to him about a work related issue with HMRC his constituency team were super helpful).

@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.

That’s exactly how mine work.

@Hboo31

I imagine it's asking for bank statements as proof of ID since OP says she's failed the identity checks by guessing the answers. They need another way to verify her identity

I got one try wrong once but I re-did it and got it right and got in. I’ve got it right and got in every time since.... surely I would be denied access if they suspected this?

Yes, I'm guessing that if you've failed the (stupid) ID checks a couple of times, they now want to check your stuff as if the account was new again. Which could have been avoided if they didn't have the blasted things in the first place. I'm hoping it's just some sort of glitch that made it overzealous, as I got them three times in a row I think when trying to log on a few days apart a couple of weeks ago.

None of the PAYE women in my antenatal group reported the same problem, just me and another SE person, so maybe it is that.

Mines fine never asks that just government Gateway.

@SylvanasWindrunner

Yes, I'm guessing that if you've failed the (stupid) ID checks a couple of times, they now want to check your stuff as if the account was new again. Which could have been avoided if they didn't have the blasted things in the first place. I'm hoping it's just some sort of glitch that made it overzealous, as I got them three times in a row I think when trying to log on a few days apart a couple of weeks ago.

None of the PAYE women in my antenatal group reported the same problem, just me and another SE person, so maybe it is that.

It looks like this could be it. I’ll get on to them t9morrow I think and hope I get a helpful operator....

Bane of my life recently !!! Exact same issue!!

Have used it for 4 years and never had this ever
I’ve found it really easy to use

Another one here that's never had this, I've been using the service for nearly 3 years now

I've never had it to this extent but maybe every 10th - 15th time I log in I get asked some additional security questions.

Usually I get straight in but when I did it earlier today I got asked three random security questions (mother middle name, fathers middle name and where I went to university)

I'm not SE but DH is.