Calling all working parents: apply for Tax-Free Childcare
Working parents in Richmond upon Thames are reminded that they can use Tax-Free Childcare to help pay for their childcare costs over the summer.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provides Tax-Free Childcare for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability. This can be used to help pay for accredited holiday clubs, childminders or sport activities.
Working parents can open an online account at any time and the government will pay £2 for every £8 that gets paid towards a childcare provider via the online account. This is capped at £500 every 3 months, or £1,000 if the child is disabled. Parents and carers can check their eligibility and register for Tax-Free Childcare via GOV.UK.
30,665 working families used their account in March 2021 in London. And in the same month, HMRC paid out more than £33 million in top-up payments, which was shared between more than 282,000 families across the UK.
Cllr Penny Frost, Chair of the Education and Children’s Services Committee for Richmond upon Thames, said:
“The pandemic and its lockdowns have been extremely challenging for parents and carers managing childcare at home. The government’s top-up Tax-Free Childcare scheme will hopefully take some pressure off parents and carers, as well as giving children more opportunity to have fun over the school summer holidays. I encourage all working parents and carers to set up their online accounts to help with childcare costs.”
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