2k invoice for nursery pls help!

[extraordinarymachine26]

We were eligible for Tax free and 30 free hours. DC just turned 3.
I was made redundant this Mar, DP quit his job this August (so now none of us are in paid employment).

AFAIK there is a grace period for the 30 free hours, we were paying normal rate until this wk (Oct) nursery said the code doesn't work anymore and now they have send us a £2,300 bill for this month (3 days per week PLUS the shortfall for Sep now that apparently we didn't have funding then).

Am I right in there being a grace period for these 30 free hours or will we just have to suck up and pay the below and probably take DC out of nursery ASAP as this is in no way affordable for 2 unemployed ppl!

We are not entitled to UC but DP is on New style JSA (and looking for work but unlikely to find something till 2027 given the current market).

Anyone with any advice would be welcome!

Yeah you need to take your kids out. Both parents at home and you expect the tax payer to fund your childcare.. no. What a ridiculous thing for your husband to do, kids in nursery/interest rates going up/food prices going up and job cuts everywhere. So he quits his job.

He quit his job after you were made redundant?! That’s a silly thing to do as a parent! I’d stop child care as you are both no longer working. Can you claim UC?

So neither of you are working, one person by choice and yet you expect the state to pick up the bill for the consequence of your decisions?

Take some responsibility between and develop a work ethic.

When did the nursery let you know about the additional charges that were being incurred?
Because surely if there's a change, they should alert you straight away, not let you acrue a large debt and then tell you! Could CA advise?

How long did you think the "grace period" was? I can't understand the mindset of expecting tax payers to pick up your nursery bill for months while you don't work, that's crazy.

I would assume that nursery have in their t&c that any shortfall in the paid hours from the government is the liability of the parent.

Why is it their responsibility? The OP and her partner need to take responsibility. She "thought" there was a grace period. I'm sure a quick Google wil give a breakdown of requirements as many people who have commented on this thread seem to have been able to find this information out relatively easily.

Is it for income reasons that you're not entitled to UC? If so, childcare costs might mean that you get something.

It's not up to the nursery to keep you informed about your funded hours, unfortunately. They'll be protected in their T&Cs. If you didn't know it had expired, have you also not been renewing it? You usually have to do that every 3 months.

But also... he doesn't live with you?

This. If no one is working whats the need for childcare?

Surely it’s not the nursery’s job to tell OP this? They’re not going to be aware of the OP and DP’s employment status.

If you stopped working in March, your grace period would have ended on 31st August.

DP quitting work, while very unwise, is a red herring. Firstly, even if he was working, because you aren’t, you wouldn’t be eligible unless you meet one of the exceptions. Secondly, if DD normally lives with you and DP doesn’t live with you, his employment status isn’t considered.

Why should the tax payer have to post for your child's nursery fees when neither of you are in work? Why can't one of you look after the child?

This!

Or if he absolutely had to quit for whatever reason, surely you would immediately withdraw your child from nursery and both of you can look after the child yourselves.

Why doesn't he live with you? Running two households with neither of you working is surely foolish, And I agree that if neither of you are working or likely to be working for a while why do you need childcare? Don't most people use it because they are working and can't look after their DC themselves? If you just prefer your child to be in nursery you have to pay.

So you could be classed as a single parent household? Might benefit you to formalise that arrangement if you don’t live together. I’d seek some advice from a benefits charity.

Also he sounds like a dick!

As you are supposed to log in and reconfirm eligibility every 3 months, I am not sure what you put into the system at the next confirmation date after you were made redundant.

https://www.gov.uk/free-childcare-if-working/after-applying

I think that the idea is that you are both working and earning at least £200 a week each, but if you and DP don't have the same address, it may only be your circumstances that count.

I dont think its ridiculous to expect two unemployed parents to look after their own children for the hours that they are not in education. 15 hours of nursery per week is plenty of education for a small child.

This. Absolutely crazy decision.

Unfortunately if you lost your eligibility in March, then your grace period will have ended 31st August at the latest.

The nursery should have been able to see that you weren't eligible though so sounds like it was also an error on their part that they didn't catch til this week as it was Headcount week for funding.

Maybe you can negotiate with them to pay back over a longer time frame.

That's what I was thinking. Surely the point of the free hours is to help parents who are working.

Given it's now the 6th October, there's a good chance nursery filed the September claim to their local government during Sept and has just heard back that this DC isn't eligible for Sept or Oct. Most places charge a month in advance so OP is now liable for the underpayments in Sept and Oct.

Him working or not working doesn't make any difference to your childcare funding, he isn't part of your household.

Unfortunately it’s hard to have a lot of sympathy - I understand OPs frustration but the state aren’t going to subsidise nursery care these days for people not working - this is where old fashioned free or cheap playgroups )that seem to have gone out the window ) helped ..OP your anger should be with the dad who had no business just giving up his job when he had obligations to his child - what was his view? State will pay for you if you don’t live together?

The nursery probably did their estimate in August when the OP was still eligible - really they should have noticed she was in a grace period and ideally followed it up with her.
However she should also have told the nursery she was in a grace period and actually checked when it ran til.

This week is generally when they have to do the official headcount for funding and the OP will have come back as not eligible.

It seems a valid query to me. OP may explain why but logically if neither parent is working it makes sense to not spend a heap of money on outside childcare.