Tax free childcare payment confusion!

[Cpurple2015]

This is the first month I’m paying for nursery with the government top up. The site is rubbish for instructions on how to use it.

I paid in my payment and I set it as the amount I have to pay. The government topped it up so it was the correct amount owed.

Today payment to nursery due. Why have they only paid my share and not theirs? I’m so confused. Nursery suggest I pay them the rest directly but then I’m not getting the 20% am I?

Has anyone figured out how this works?

Did you set up the payment for the full amount from the childcare account? The 20% is added when you add money to the account not when you send payment to the provider.

If your nursery bill is £10…

You pay £8 into your childcare account. The g’ment immediately adds £2 to your account, so your balance will show as a total of £10.

Then you pay nursery £10 from your childcare account.

The g’ment pays into your childcare account, not the childcare provider.

It showed as topped up as you expected, is that right?

What amount did you then put for the payment out? Did you put the full amount owed to the nursery?

good morning all, I am using the government tax free childcare for the first time today and I have put the funds into my account and they have cleared, I have also set up the payment due to my childminder but she has not received payment from the account. Is there anything I need to do or should it just transfer automatically? Thanks in advance for any help

Check the money has cleared. Usually you have to wait and day or two after adding money to the account for it to clear. Then you can make payment to the childcare

Lovely, thanks for the guidance

Make sure you've set the payment for the right day (e.g. today)