HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging families in Scotland not to miss out on up to £2,000 a year to help pay for regulated childcare as pupils start going back to school for the start of a new term.
Tax-Free Childcare provides thousands of eligible parents and guardians with up to £500 every three months (£2,000 a year), or £1,000 if their child is disabled (£4,000 a year), towards the cost of holiday clubs, before and after-school clubs, childminders and nurseries, and other approved childcare schemes. For every £8 deposited into a Tax-Free Childcare online account, families will automatically receive an additional £2 in UK Government top-ups, and it is available for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability.
In June 2022, more than 23,200 working families in Scotland benefited from Tax-Free Childcare, but thousands more could be missing out. Overall in June, HMRC paid out £41.6 million in top-up payments, which was shared between approximately 391,000 families across the UK.
Families can find out what childcare support is best for them via Childcare Choices on GOV.UK here.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “Tax-Free Childcare can make a big difference to families in Scotland, helping with the bills for things like wraparound care for school children, nurseries, childminders and holiday clubs.”
More than one million families in the UK are entitled to some form of UK Government childcare support and the government is encouraging those eligible to not miss out on their entitlements.
For thousands of families who use Tax-Free Childcare, the money they save each month on their childcare costs is money that goes back into their pockets.
Accounts can be opened at any time of the year and can be used straight away, and money can be deposited at any time and used when needed. Any unused money that is deposited can be simply withdrawn at any time.
Tax-Free Childcare eligibility
Parents and carers could be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they:
- Have a child or children aged up to 11. They stop being eligible on September 1 after their 11th birthday. If their child has a disability, they may get up to £4,000 a year until they are 17
- Earn, or expect to earn, at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average
- Each earn under £100,000 per year
- Do not receive Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers
There is a full step-by-step guide to claiming Tax-Free Childcare on GOV.UK here.
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