childcare via salary sacrifice - can I also get childcare vouchers for ad hoc days?

[gretagrape]

Just that really - son will be going to nursery 2 days a week which is being paid by my employer on a salary sacrifice scheme.

There might be a couple of extra ad hoc days each months as well, and also if the grandparents are ill for example.
Can I buy for example £250 worth of childcare vouchers at a time, to pay for those days, as that would save money rather than having to just pay cash on the day out of my net income?
Thanks

You'll have the same amount come out of your salary every month or week, unless you tell your employer otherwise. This can be any amount you like, up to £243 per month / £55 per week, as long as this doesn't take you below the national minimum wage. There are different limits if you are a higher rate tax payer.

So the nursery could tell you what they'll be billing you every week / month and you could add some on to what to tell your employer to deduct from your salary to pay for the extra ad hoc days you might need.

The childcare scheme I use pays the money from my employer into my 'account' with them, and then I pay my childminder from this account, so can control the payments. If I got extra deducted from my salary it would just sit in this account until I needed it - you would need to find out exactly how it works with the scheme your employer uses.

You can get 243 childcare vouchers a month (less if a higher rate taxpayer) and can spend them on whatever you want. They accrue in your online account and you can either set up a monthly transfer to the nursery, or do transfers ad hoc if they bill you quarterly/termly/annually etc. If you're in London, it's unlikely that they would fully cover 2 days a week at nursery and you'll have to top up. If you do have spare vouchers after paying for the regular nursery you can use them for ad hoc days (and some holiday play schemes for older children take them), but you can't get more than 243 a month, as the amount of tax relief is limited to this.

Ok, thanks! I'll need to look into it then, to make sure I won't get left with loads - my nursery is on site and subsidised so £243 would pay for more ad hoc days than I'm likely to need.