Setting up taxfree Childcare for 2 children

[Wrongsideofpennines]

We have a new childminder for our 2 children. She splits her payments over a 12 month period so I now pay the same amount every month.

I've gone to set up a standing order from my bank into my government tax free childcare account but it won't do it for 2 children. My bank has automatically changed the reference to the same one. Is this a Natwest bank thing not recognising that you want 2 different references for the same account?

I've screwed up cos I now can't amend my standing orders for 24 hours and the payment is for tomorrow. In my opinion the whole taxfree Childcare system is made to be as complicated as possible to avoid parents using it.

I think you have to have 2 tax free accounts, one for each child.i pay money in to them separately using 2 different reference numbers from my account, then we pay out separately from each (though my children go to different settings so we’ve paying separately anyway). You can’t move money between the 2 if you accidentally pay in to the wrong one, you have to get it refunded and then pay in to the correct one.

Thanks, but I do have 2 childcare accounts with 2 references. The problem is Natwest not recognising the need to keep the 2 individual references for standing orders because the account number and sort code are the same. I had to go in branch today to try and sort it and it wouldn't even do it for the staff there. So they have done some ridiculous work around but it won't work for this month so I have to do a manual transfer and hope it doesn't cock it all up.

But she acted like I was an idiot when I said the references absolutely needed to be correct or it will go to the wrong place.

I would do it manually to avoid the money going into the wrong place.