Hello,
I have a question about tax free childcare, I hope someone could share their experience. My maternity leave ends in December and we've opened a tax free childcare account. But we might not need to pay for childcare (thank you family) for another 9-12 months. I called HMRC and asked what happens if we put money in the account and receive the government contribution, but do not use it for childcare yet. Basically, we want to pay the money into the account and receive the contribution to build up some funds for when we do need childcare (I know about £500 maximum government contribution per quarter). They said you have to use the money within the school year or the government contribution would be taken out of the account. Does anyone have any experience and can tell me whether this is true? I've read lots of different things on various forums. Thank you very much!