Tax Free Childcare

You can get up to £500 every 3 months (£2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare.

If you get Tax-Free Childcare, the government will pay £2 for every £8 you pay your childcare provider. This is paid via an online childcare account that you set up for your child.

At St Paul's Childcare you can use Tax Free Childcare to pay for Nursery, Breakfast Club, After School Club. To link to our account when making a payment use our postcode "HR1 1RT" and select "St Paul's Church Childcare Services".

 To apply for this please click here https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-tax-free-childcare.

Eligibility

Your eligibility depends on:

• if you are working.
• how much you earn.
• your child’s age and circumstances.
• Your partner’s employment and income will affect your eligibility if you are:
• Your immigration status.
• married or in a civil partnership and live together.
• not married or in a civil partnership, but living together as though you are.

It will not affect your eligibility if they:

• are or will be absent from your household for more than 6 months.
• are a prisoner.

If you are working

You can usually get Tax-Free Childcare if you (and your partner, if you have one) are:

• in work.
• on sick leave or annual leave.
• on parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave.

If you’re on parental leave, you cannot apply for the child you’re on leave for.

If you’re not currently working

You may still be eligible if your partner is working, and you get Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.

You can apply if you’re starting or re-starting work within the next 31 days.

How much you earn

You’ll need to expect to earn a certain amount over the next 3 months. This is at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week on average.

For example, over the next 3 months you expect to earn at least £2,379 - the National Living Wage for people over 25.

If you’re self-employed and do not expect to make enough profit in the next 3 months, you can use an average of how much you expect to make over the current tax year.

This earnings limit does not apply if you’re self-employed and started your business less than 12 months ago.

If you or your partner have an ‘adjusted net income’ over £100,000 in the current tax year you will not be eligible. This includes any bonuses you expect to get.

Your adjusted net income is your total taxable income before any personal allowances and minus things like Gift Aid.

Your child

Your child must be 11 or under and usually live with you. They stop being eligible on 1 September after their 11th birthday.

Adopted children are eligible, but foster children are not.

If your child is disabled you may get up to £4,000 a year until they’re 17. They’re eligible for this if they:

• get Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment
• are certified as blind or severely sight-impaired.

Your nationality

You will not be eligible if you’re from outside the UK and your UK residence card says you cannot access public funds.

Your partner can apply instead if they’re from:

• the UK.
  
• outside UK and their UK residence card says they can access public funds.

If you get tax credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers

You cannot get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as claiming Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.

Which scheme you’re better off with depends on your situation. Use the childcare calculator available a the link to work out which type of support is best for you.

Tax credits

Your Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit will stop straight away if you successfully apply for Tax-Free Childcare.

Childcare vouchers

You must tell your employer within 90 days of applying for Tax-Free Childcare to stop your childcare vouchers or directly contracted childcare. They’ll then stop giving you new vouchers or directly contracted childcare.

Universal Credit

Wait until you get a decision on your Tax-Free Childcare application before cancelling your Universal Credit claim.