WIREDGOV

More than 405,000 families saved on childcare costs in December thanks to Tax-Free Childcare and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging those yet to sign up not to miss out.

The latest figures revealed by HMRC show £41.5 million in government top-up payments were made to working families across the UK in December 2022 and an increase of more than 77,500 families using the scheme compared to December 2021. Each family saved up to £2,000 a year per child or £4,000 if their child is disabled.

Tax-Free Childcare is a financial support for working families with children up to the age of 11, or 16 if their child has a disability. The government top up can be used to pay for any approved childcare including holiday clubs, breakfast and after school clubs, child minders and nurseries.

Opening a Tax-Free Childcare account is quick and easy and can be done at any time of the year.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

We want to help families get the most out of their finances and Tax-Free Childcare can help pay towards their childcare costs. Search ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ on GOV.UK to get started.

For every £8 paid into the Tax-Free Childcare account, families automatically receive an additional £2. Families can save up to £500 every three months (£2,000 a year) for each child or £1,000 (£4,000 a year) if their child is disabled.

More than one million families in the UK are entitled to some form of government childcare support and the government is encouraging those eligible not to miss out on their entitlements. Families can find out more about Tax-Free Childcare via the Childcare Choices website.

The government is offering help for households. Check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support, including help with childcare costs.

Further information

Latest Tax-Free Childcare statistics are released today (15 February 2023). Data is available up to December 2022.

For more information about Tax-Free Childcare and how to register.

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 1 September after their 11th birthday. If their child has a disability, they may get up to £4,000 a year until 1 September after their 16th birthday
• 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 annum
• do not receive tax credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers

HMRC has produced a Tax-Free Childcare guide for parents, which explains the reasons and benefits for signing up to the scheme.

Each eligible child requires their own Tax-Free Childcare account. If families have more than one eligible child, they will need to register an account for each child. The 20% government top-up is then applied to deposits made for each child, not household.

Account holders must confirm their details are up to date every 3 months to continue receiving the government top-up.

Childcare providers can also sign up for a childcare provider account via GOV.UK to receive payments from parents and carers via the scheme.