What can I do with these childcare vouchers?

[WeAllHaveWings]

I was made redundant around 18 months ago. My old workplace has now shutdown. When I left I had an account/balance with a childcare voucher company.

I transferred the last of the money from the childcare voucher company to ds's after school club (~£250) before filling in my childcare requirements for the following month. When I did this I closed my account with the childcare voucher company. This was about 14 months ago.

Before I filled in my next months requirements my dh was very ill, he is self employed and has been working very reduced hours ever since. So he now does the school drop off and pick ups. Don't see this changing anytime soon.

Well done if you've got this far!

So I have around ~£250 of childcare vouchers in credit at ds's afterschool club and I don't need afterschool care anymore.

• Afterschool can't give me the money as its not been taxed.
• I cant give to a friend to use as its my tax benefit.
• The afterschool club cant keep as they haven't provided the childcare the government gives a tax benefit for.
• I cant ask afterschool to return to the voucher company as I don't have an account anymore, and also they cannot then return to my workplace to tax and give to me in my salary.

Is there anyway I can retrieve this money? Who do I contact?

speak to the liquidators - they should be able to pay the money back to you as it was an invalid deduction from final remuneration

My old workplace closed its uk locations, its a German company so no liquidators. Don't think a German company can do anything if it no longer has a uk presence.

The childcare vouchers would have been used if dh hadn't taken ill and we didn't need childcare anymore.

No, the money can't be retrieved. I have been through this.

My dd will be having a weeks residential with school (PGL) in year 6. I can pay with vouchers. Although it means they will sit there for a few years, at least the money will be used eventually.

Could you do something similar? Use them for school trips?
Have you spoken to school?

you can't get the money back except in exceptional circumstances e.g. death of a child, but lots of holiday camps and activities take them so you should be able to use them at some point.

We use them for school holiday clubs and my DD's term time drama group take them.

KayFayOLay: I think you can only use vouchers for PGL if the child travels independently, not as part of a group. I would check if I was you.

Sorry, just read again and seen they are with the after school club and not your provider, holiday clubs and drama aren't an option then, unless the same club make holiday provision. Could you maybe just let the DCs go to club one night a week for the sake of using them up? My DCs go to ours intermittently and love it.

Yes, the vouchers are already at after school, ds loved after school in p1-p4, but now he's a big p5 (and now used to his dad picking him up) doesn't want to go back again as none of his friends go.

Think I'll just need to tell the afterschool to keep the money, but are they allowed too if they haven't provided the childcare that the tax relief was on?

I guess so - it is all very complicated. How very annoying. I guess a call to HMRC might be an idea, maybe you could get it back and get your tax code altered to pay it back?