Childcare vouchers

Tax-Free Childcare was introduced by the government, and this required us to close our employer’s Childcare Voucher Scheme to new joiners.  

If you were a member of our scheme before 4 October 2018, you may continue to purchase the vouchers through salary sacrifice, so long as you do not have a break in purchasing such vouchers of more than 11 months.  If you do, then you would not be able to rejoin our scheme and would only have the option to apply for the tax-free childcare scheme.

To be eligible, parents (and their partners if they have one) must earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the national minimum wage, have an eligible child (under 12 or 17 if disabled) and earn under £100,000 each per year. 

Eligible parents are able to apply and open a childcare account online. For every £8 families pay in, the government will pay in £2, up to a maximum government contribution of £500 every 3 months equating to £2,000 per child per year, or £4,000 for disabled children. Parents can use this to pay for regulated childcare. 

For further information visit gov.uk/tax-free-childcare