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Summer childcare costs cooldown with Tax-Free Childcare
16 August 2019

The Government wants to remind working parents that they could be entitled to up £2,000 per child per year to help with the costs of childcare, including regulated holiday clubs during the school holidays.

The six weeks summer holiday can often be a strain for working families who rely on childcare, but the Government says that there are now more than 68,000 childcare providers that have signed up to the Tax-Free Childcare scheme.

For every £8 that families pay in, the Government will make a top-up payment of an additional £2 under Tax-Free Childcare.

This top-up is added instantly, meaning that parents can then send payments directly to their childcare providers. However, there is a maximum Government top-up of £500 per quarter for each child, or £1,000 if the child is disabled.

As well as holiday clubs and summer camps, the scheme can also be used for childminders and, when the new term begins, before and after school care.

Tax-Free Childcare is available to working parents, including the self-employed, who earn between the minimum wage and £100,000 per year (including estimated bonuses) and have children aged 0-11 years old or children under the age of 17 with disabilities.

To apply, working parents must open an online childcare account and sign back in every three months and confirm their details are up-to-date, to keep receiving Government top-ups.

Links: Make summer childcare costs easier with Tax-Free Childcare