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!

Both parents need to be working to be eligible for 30 hours. So the countdown was from March.

Grace period is until the end of the semester in which one of the parents left employment. In your case that would technically be end of March (new term starts 1 April) so they were graceful with the grace period.

Everyone (not working, on £100k+ etc) is entitled to 15 funded hours from the semester after their child's 3rd birthday, so you're still getting this

Why did your partner quit thier job?

Grace period is until the end of the semester in which one of the parents left employment. In your case that would technically be end of March (new term starts 1 April) so they were graceful with the grace period.

No, the grace period for a March finish is not the end of March. It is the 31st August.

OP and DP don’t live together therefore it isn’t the employment status of both parents that is considered.

The period in which they have to submit their claims is around now. The clain has probably just been denied. Its up to parents to make sure the code they have provided is up to date and valid.

Is your partner the children's father?

If no, I wouldn't necessarily expect him to factor free childcare hours into his decision-making.

If yes, he's an arse.

Either way, just randomly quitting your job in this economy is WILD. Does he/do you both have lots of savings to prop you up?

Related - why, if you're not working at the moment, do you need 30 hours' free childcare a week? I'm as leftie liberal welfare state loving as they come, and even I don't want my tax to pay for your kids to be in nursery while you... do what?

Why does your child need to go to nursery when both parents do not work? This is madness!

If only 1/none of you are working you drop down to 15 hours free, this is universal. If you stopped work in March you will have had a grace period where you keep the funding for a time, these are the dates they follow

"Grace Period End Dates
The exact length of the grace period depends on the date HMRC gives you an ineligible decision during your 3-month reconfirmation:

• 1 January – 10 February: Grace period ends on 31 March
• 11 February – 31 March: Grace period ends on 31 August
• 1 April – 26 May: Grace period ends on 31 August
• 27 May – 31 August: Grace period ends on 31 December
• 1 September – 21 October: Grace period ends on 31 December
• 22 October – 31 December: Grace period ends on 31 March

Once the grace period ends, your funding will revert to the universal 15 hours of free childcare (if your child is 3 or 4 years old), or stop entirely if you no longer qualify."

So your grace period will have ended 31st aug so you are paying for anything over 15 hours now.

We had to pay for 15 hours as I was doing a phd when one of our children was in nursery, it was annoying but I was working full-time so needed childcare. If neither of you are working surely they don't need to be in nursery, certainly not more than 15 hours a week?

More likely you will lose your spot because you owe them £2000!

Wow are you in a relationship with my exDH?! That’s the sort of stupid stunt he would do.

looking for work but unlikely to find something till 2027 given the current market

What kind of father quits his job in such a current market?! Seems idealistic to get another one if he has form for quitting. Sorry but your partner sounds utterly irresponsible. Work out a payment plan with the nursery and look after the DC between the two of you until you're earning again.

This sounds a bit harsh at first, but it is really fair enough. Why should I, or the rest of us finance your child care when you are there with no other priority?

So for quite some time neither you nor your partner were working, you still sent your kid to other people to look after for 30 hours a week, and expected the state (tax payer) to pay for it?

Just checking.

If no one is working whats the need for childcare?

That was my first thought too

Was going to ask this… what on earth was his thinking? How are you managing, OP?
I would have thought that getting back on your feet was the top priority, not mithering about nursery! If you are both at home, nursery is not important surely? At least one of you is there in the day with DC?

Why did he quit his job? He must have a real good reason - I couldn’t be ok with this.

I’m aghast at OP’s post.
Are they really saying that they can’t have their child at home because looking for work is a full time job while also saying that they had applied for forty jobs since march???
And they don’t understand that by not living together they can’t both claim for the same situation?
Sorry if I have it wrong, but this poster seems to be living in an alternative universe.
you are either one household living together or you’re assessed on one.
obviously you can’t live in two places and expect to be judged as if you are one singular unit

This. Its not even 1 job applied for every few days!!! If i had absolutely nothing to do all day but apply for jobs i reckon i could put in 4-5 decent applications per day

Is this situation some form of maximising benefits?
I know a couple of people who do this… not together “ officially” so both claiming benefits, but in reality they are together, living between 2 houses whilst we all pay for them… The fact you are fixated on the unnecessary nursery payments rather than your employment situation makes me wonder🧐

DP is not rly a partner but helps out where possible. We will make it work even though it will be tough.

This seems a very different set of circumstances than your first post @extraordinarymachine26

You don't live together.
He's not 'really' a partner.

So he's your boyfriend who gives you some money? Is that right?
Is he your children's father?

I don't see why you can't look after your children when you're not working.

You were a bit silly to rely on him for some financial input if he's not living with you (and not your children's father?) AND he voluntarily gave up his job knowing he was subsidising your children at nursery.
How irresponsible of him. This is down to him to sort out. And you.

Andy and Angela will love them and help them with their claims.

I know of a few like this, and the ones that have kids for the benefits its a piss take.

Read her other post

He's not 'really' her partner she says.

So what is he?

You’re living apart so the nursery hours would have nothing to do with him. All your claims are as a single parent. Which means you’re claiming UC as a single parent now, but still saying you have a partner and his income supported you until he quit his job?

You could if it was sending your cv and a cover letter. If it is completing application forms where all your employment history, education etc has to be painstakingly copied into their format and a 1,000+ word supporting statement that outlines how you meet the very specific criteria of the job they outline, that's going to take a dam sight longer than editing the job title and workplace in a bog standard cover letter! If you are writing applications requiring personal statements 2 or 3 applications a week would use up a lot of your time, unless you were cheating using AI.

It's not clear if he is her children's father.

He doesn't live with them.
He's not 'really' her partner (she said.)

So he's a boyfriend?

I find it hard to believe you can't get any work at all in 6 months.
There is work out there but maybe you're being too fussy.

Cafes, shops, supermarkets, care homes, cleaners.
Always available but maybe not what you want but it's food on the table and would help pay for nursery.