Can childcare vouchers be offset against a KIT day?

[MakeTeaNotWar]

Currently on a year's mat leave due back to work in September. SMP has stopped so I'm now on zero pay and I expect my childcare vouchers to continue. I did a KIT day and expected the money to turn up this month but my pay was zero. I queried this with payroll and they said this is because the payment has been offset against my salary sacrifice. Is this correct? I was hoping to have a bit of cash this month!

"Childcare vouchers are a salary sacrifice not just a benefit you get 'free' so any income that comes in you pay for them - you get them deducted normally from any salary so it is no different."

That's not the case. An employer is obliged to continue providing childcare vouchers throughout maternity leave the same as any other benefit. However deductions cannot be made from SMP, or obviously from zero pay when SMP stops, which means for most women on maternity leave who are in a childcare voucher scheme, the vouchers are provided free for all or much of their maternity leave.

However it is correct that vouchers can be deducted from salary which means if you do a KIT day that is likely to happen. Don't do any more!

Thanks so much both for clarifying. Don't plan to do any more KIT days in that case!

Hey there - just a thought.. you might still want to do KIT days to actually Keep In Touch, maintain a relevant understanding of your business and enable your transition back.... I appreciate there's no immediate cash benefit but they coud be helpful...

Hey yes of course I appreciate the value of KIT in itself which I have been doing via regular email and a couple of social visits to the office with baby where I was able to catch up with management and be kept up to speed. But perhaps I wouldn't do a whole days work again as after I've paid for commute and childcare, I am out of pocket

No worries champagne. I'm just very conscious that many women on here have struggled to get their employers to either continue to provide vouchers or not to deduct from SMP, and I wouldn't want anyone whose employer was firmly denying their responsibilities to be in any doubt at all. :)

OP absolutely, however beneficial KIT days are (and you have said nothing to indicate that you were only doing them for the money anyway), it's ridiculous to expect any woman to pay for the privilege of doing them, so stand your ground, keep in touch other ways, and don't do any more work until your mat leave is over.