Universal Credit - childcare - assessment period versus monthly childcare costs

[redkiwi]

Hi all,
Very confused about UC.
Just had to move to UC from working tax credit as had change of circumstance (ex moved out). As I made claim on 17th May - forever more my assessment period will be 17 of each month to 16 of next. However my childcare provider charges me monthly, from 1 of month to 30/31. UC are telling me I have show payments that exactly match the assessment period so am I going to have to ask my childminder to change her invoicing? I don't think she'll be too happy as she has quite a few parents to invoice and she does it in one go every month 😬If Id known I would have waited until 1st of month to make my claim to be honest. I find UC very very confusing. Any advice appreciated. Thanks

I think you'll have to submit two months worth of invoices for the appropriate period and UC will work out the relevant amount?

Mine is same, if it's the first month they might just need you to add this months and last months nursery bill. After that it should be fine. I pay my childcare bill at the end of the month for the following month so end of may for June ect. I upload that one and proof I've paid. My assessment period is the same as yours so I get basically half payment one month and half next month. The first month was a bit of a ballache but after that it does work it's self out so I wouldn't ask nursery to change it.

Do you mind me asking if as well as providing a receipt from childminder/nursery, you also provide screenshots of the money coming out of your bank account? Its this bit that getting me tripped up. UC saying that I have to show exact amount coming out of my bank account of assessment period, but I'm paying for whole calendar month but only 2 weeks 'qualify', then the amounts don't match 😣

Yes, you have to provide screen shots of the money coming out, but again if you submit two months invoices and two months of screenshots the money coming out will match. One lot for May and one lot for June 🙂

My assessment period is 14th-13th of each month. My childcare is the 1st to the end of each month. I get reimbursed for half of the previous assessment period and half of the childcare in the current period.

to make it easier i pay the nursery the same amount each month( weekly valuex51/12) so the amount i get is pretty much the same each month. A bit more when it’s a 5 week month.

i send a screenshot of the the payment leaving my bank and a scan of the invoice each month.

so the 1st UC payment you’ll get will only be part of you childcare but after that it balances out.

Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it. I think the account managers here must be stricter as they have specifically said this in response to me sending a full month proof invoice and proof of payment (rather than the exact dates that fall within my assessment period'
'Our system can only process childcare claims when the dates and amounts exactly match.
For example, if the childcare is for £100 for five days between 10th and 14th of a given month then the receipt from the childcare minder should state exactly those dates and that amount.
The dates and the amount must equate exactly, it must date the 10th to the 14th and exactly £100, it can't state £200 and then say that the £100 is part of that'

He has also said that the nursery should be able to change their billing period for me 'as they should know the requirements for Universal Credit'.

I really hope it gets easier after this first month - I don't know why they have to make it so complicated

Sounds like they are being extremely unhelpful for the sake of it! I'd ask to speak to someone else about it if I were you. My assessment period is 12th- 11th of each month. When I've uploaded my childcare stuff for this month for ect it will show my bill is for 1-30th June and my bank statement will also show I've paid that. As they have my statement for what my May payment was I will be paid from 12th May- 11th June childcare amount that they work out. I would 100% ask to speak to someone else as there's no way your nursery need to be messing around part charging you or changing your invoice date. x

Also that part payment thing makes 0 sense- I have things on my bill that can't be claimed sometimes so suncream/day trip ect that I don't include on the amount I've paid when uploading but will show I've paid on the bank statement. Honestly it's easier after the first month but seems daft they're saying they can't do it! X

Ask your childcare to explicitly state the dates childcare covers. If they say June ask them to change it to 1st-30th June.
that way it will match what you put on your uc journal

also ask them to put the date paid.

so i get a typed invoice and then the manager signs it stating paid on x date.

What crap! Many of the UC work coaches don't know what they are on about! Of course nurseries can't change the billing period for each individual parent! You just submit two invoices for the period required and UC have to work out what to pay you!

Hi can someone help me please? If my daughter starts nursery on 6th Jan 2025, and I pay on the 1st Jan for the whole of January, but my assessment period is 20th - 21st how would this look for me? What would I need to send to UC and when, to be able to claim back the 85% help? Thanks its all so confusing just want to be prepared :)

@HJT95 I would upload as soon as you've paid it but you will just get paid for the period between 1st- 20th if that makes sense. I can't remember if it's paid in arrears so you might not get paid childcare in Jan but you can check it in your journal if it will be paid or not- sorry been a few years since I first did it so can't quite remember how that first month fell! X

@HJT95 you’ll get 85% for the amount during 1st -20th then the rest after the next assessment period. It balances out over the months