If you have children, and work 16 or more hours every week, you will be interested in the new childcare support on offer from September 2017. The tax free system means that for every £8 you put into the system, the government gives £2, (to a maximum of £2000 per child in the account) so your childcare is cheaper.

If your child is 3 or 4, you will receive 30 hours free (this can be over two sites per day) per week in term time, or 1140 hours over the whole year as a ‘stretched offer’.

It’s a bit complicated, but you can read the details on https://childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk
You can register to receive email updates now and apply from April 2017.
Your health visitor will have details too.
Not all settings will be offering 30 hours, especially at first, but they will tell you their plans. They may ask for a deposit to secure a place, and charge you for meals taken: the funding is specifically for education and care.

Parents earning less than £100,000 per year can apply for tax free childcare vouchers for children up to the age of 12 (17 if disabled) or receive free pre school education for 3 and 4 year olds at welcoming sites.
The application system will be usable on phones too.

You will continue to receive the funds up until your child reaches the age limit, as long as you ‘check-in online’ every three months to confirm your circumstances are similar.If they are different, you get a ‘grace period’ to look for a new job or change the childcare arrangements.

Let me know how you get on!

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