Government help for childcare in the holidays

Tax Free childcare

Can you believe it the six weeks holidays are upon us once again and I am sure you will be doing one of the following:-

• Tearing your hair out
• Rejoicing the long break
• Worrying about having less staff around to do the essential work

Finance is available for your staff childcare costs

Did you know there is a government scheme available that can help contribute towards childcare costs? This may mean fewer of your staff need time off at the same time this summer. This could really help you, especially if you’re an employer that receives increased requests for annual leave at this time of year. The placement of these holidays in the middle of summer, usually at the end of July and throughout August, can result in a significant number of workers requesting leave at the same time, including staff members who have not got any children.

Tax free Childcare is a government scheme

Tax-Free Childcare is a scheme available to working parents with children from 0-11 years.
Eligible parents can get up to £2,000 per child, per year to spend on qualifying childcare (effectively a 25% top up). Note that Tax-Free Childcare isn’t just for everyday childcare costs, such as childminders and nurseries, parents can also use it to pay towards the cost of:
• after school clubs
• summer camps
• school holiday activities

Not many parents are taking advantage of the scheme, can you help HMRC change that and make life easier for you business? Please tell your employees about Tax-Free Childcare and how it can reduce their childcare costs.

What should I do now

To find out more please click on this link to find out more https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

We help Schools and Academies with their financial management, see the results of good practices (and hear about less good practices). If you would like to discuss how to improve financial management in your school, please call. In the last few weeks we have been able to give good schools ideas simply by talking, visiting, or as part of a paid project.