Childcare vouchers whilst off on leave & not using childcare

[Jellybellyrbest]

Does a'one know if we shouldn't be claiming our usual childcare vouchers whilst I'm off on ML & our children aren't using their nursery places?

Read this thread:

thread

Thx Spindelina. Have read that with interest, but it doesn't answer my initial question. My husband's company haven't queried continuing his childcare vouchers, but we have taken our 2 girls out of childcare for the duration of my ML (9mths) & we are unsure if we should still be entitled to claim them & save them up for when they go back to nursery/baby starts.

I'm not an expert, so take this with a pinch of salt. But the discussion on that thread establishes that you can claim them while your on ML, then question 28 here says you can save them up if your children aren't currently in childcare. I'd check with your provider that they don't have an expiry date, though.

Yes you are entitled to save them up and use them later. Do check for an expiry date.

Yes I think you can still claim them, as I could have opted into the scheme before going on mat leave. However if you are getting some from your employer you need to speak to HR about not getting them during the two months your mat leave is calculated as it can affect the amount you get for maternity pay

Although do your sums... if you don't get them for the months your maternity pay is based on, you might get more maternity pay. But if you do that, you won't get the vouchers during your maternity leave. So if you are planning more than a short period of the SMP rate, you will probably be better off with the lower pay but extra vouchers.