tax credits childcare vouchers SMP aargh help!

[LotisBlue]

I'm applying for tax credits because I filled in one of those 'entitled to' calculators which told me I could claim.

Does anyone know if childcare vouchers count as 'taxable vouchers' in the income column? I rang the tax credits office and they didn't know.

I am really struggling to get my head around this form. Apparently I have to declare how much SMP I received, but instead of just putting the amount I received (which would be easy because it is on my P60), for some reason the form tells me I have to calculate the number of weeks I received SMP for and then times that by £100?!? Why???

I have also realised I have probably shot myself in the foot because I continued to buy childcare vouchers while I was on maternity leave, saving them up to pay for nursery when I returned to work (I knew we would struggle to pay 2x nursery fees and we were actually better off when I wasn't working). So for the last few months, since I went back to work, the actual cash we have paid nursery will be £0, and I suspect they therefore won't give me any tax credits until we start paying cash again. Is it worth me filling the silly form in or would by afternoon be better spent crying into a bottle of ?

I don't know about the childcare vouchers but the reason they ask for the number of weeks x £100 is because that amount of smp x £100 per week is discounted for tax credit income I think. So it is for your benefit to put that down. As it is discounted you should get more money in tax creidts. I don't think you can buy childcare vouchers from your salary and claim the childcare element of tax credits, it's one or the other, or maybe it's that you can only put down your childcare costs down as any costs excess to what is paid by the vouchers. It's confusing, hopefully someone else will be along to clarify this. I'm surprised the tax credit office didn't know about the rules on this as it must surely happen a lot.

I'm pretty sure you can't get childcare vouchers and tax credits ?

That is assuming you mean tax credits for childcare

Thanks all. I did some online calculation thingy which says that I would be better off claiming tax credits than vouchers so my next step will be to cancel the vouchers I guess...

I was in a bit of a flap when I posted earlier, it all seems so confusing