Childcare Vouchers

[Mactaylorssecretwife]

Apologies if this has already been asked and I've missed it.

Over the year I tend to build up childcare vouchers to be able to use for after school club and school holiday club.

My children's after school club hasn't opened since March and I've not heard that it is going to open at all over the summer.

At the start of lockdown I reduced our contributions to the vouchers to £1 per month for me and per week for my husband as due to things that were already planned we won't need childcare after the new school year starts. I made the reduction rather than cancelled at that point as if they opened up the clubs we would potentially have needed more vouchers to see us through to September.

As it stands we now have a significant amount of childcare vouchers that would have been used had covid not happened but that we can't use for future childcare.

I know under normal circumstances you can't get funds out of the scheme however given the circumstances is anyone aware of any ways this could be looked at. I'm totally happy to pay the tax and NI that would have been due on the vouchers I just don't want to see them go into a black hole.

I don’t know whether you can have the money refunded, but I believe you can donate them to charity.

We are facing a similar issue but we have decided to put it towards a week or two in an expensive holiday club next Easter/summer for the DC instead. Can you do something similar? Even if you don't need childcare it might be a nice activity for them.

Also, I found a lot of clubs don't advertise that they take childcare vouchers but when I contacted them they said they did.

Find another holiday club and use them for that? My DCs are at an outdoor adventure holiday club this week. I'm not working (teacher) but it's great for them to have some structure and new experiences. We all needed a break for each other too. We used old childcare vouchers that we've had for ages.

@SellFridges

I don’t know whether you can have the money refunded, but I believe you can donate them to charity.

Whilst I like this idea there is close to £1k in there so ideally if there is an avenue to try and recoup some of it I'd like to try.

Holiday club for next year and a different club are options I'd thought of however I still face the risk that I'd lose them in the future if that plan doesn't go ahead and I didn't know if there would be a slightly higher chance of me being able to get the funds back now given the circumstances rather than leaving them in there even longer when there is no guarantee they'll be used.

I don't believe you can. I'm a nanny and I've been paid by vouchers for one offs similar to this, where parents have built up. So they go for a weekend away and pay me using vouchers, or if they need childcare at a weekend while at a wedding etc...or yes, as above, a holiday club next year.

I have same problem but have tons more than you! Am hoping I can spend them on terribly overpriced holiday clubs next year....I do feel that we should be allowed clawback, given what has happened. If anyone hears that we can,. would love to know.

Oh this is news to me, I thought you could get the money back minus the tax etc!

Some voucher schemes allow you to get the money out, you will have to pay tax on it though. It depends what scheme it is, all you can do is ring them and ask! Which voucher company did you use?

@HaloeVera

I have same problem but have tons more than you! Am hoping I can spend them on terribly overpriced holiday clubs next year....I do feel that we should be allowed clawback, given what has happened. If anyone hears that we can,. would love to know.

Ouch, it's frustrating isn't it. I've emailed the scheme and explained my situation. When they get back to me I'll update on here.

@Mararunner

Some voucher schemes allow you to get the money out, you will have to pay tax on it though. It depends what scheme it is, all you can do is ring them and ask! Which voucher company did you use?

Its edenred, I struggled for ages to find an email address but sent them one this evening. Fingers crossed they are understanding. Not bothered at all about paying the tax will do it gladly if we can get the rest back.

Why would you lose them? They don't expire for ages. Can't you just continue receiving them at a reduced rate until you've spent what you have, even if that's next summer? That's what I'm doing.

not so easy if your child is soon going to be too old to use them......

What sort of clubs take them as our school ones dont. And similarly d.c2 now going to school and obviously didnt use them those last few nersery months.
Pity i cant use them for school dinners...

Edenred previously informed me it was up to the employer to set the rules, and the rule for both mine and my husband’s employers was ‘no returns’.
They do have a long shelf life though so you can save them and use in future year(s) I think.

The scheme we used allowed refunds in exceptional circumstances but the request had to be made by the employer rather than employee. Worth an ask!

Covid would be exceptional circumstance for refund, obviously you wouldnt get the tax/NI benefit. However you can use the vouchers until the kids are 16 for all sorts of holiday clubs, sport coaching, tutoring type activities not just "child care". You have years to use them (well we have with ours)

How long do the vouchers last?
I've just found out I'm pregnant, and already stressing that the cost of a nursery place is about the same as my London rent.

Can you buy vouchers before the baby even arrives to save up a bit?