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Childcare Changes: Give yourself a choice!

Aberdeenshire Council is letting parents know that the Childcare Voucher Scheme will have to close to new applicants in April 2018 to make way for the Government’s Tax Free Childcare (TFC) scheme.

This will affect some of our members and the council has asked us to make you aware that some parents may end up worse off as a result.  It is therefore critical for parents to take an informed decision about which option would suit them the best.

Parents already registered for the voucher scheme by April 2018 will be able to continue using it for as long as the council offers it. For others, Tax Free Childcare will be the only option.

What is Tax Free Childcare (TFC)?

Tax Free Childcare allows parents to use a tax-free childcare account to pay for registered childcare, where in, for every 80 p they put in, the government will add 20 p.

More information is available at Tax-Free Childcare Info Hub by Sodexo.

Are you better off with Childcare Vouchers or Tax Free Childcare? 

The below link provides a calculator to help you determine whether you will be better off with Aberdeenshire Council’s childcare vouchers or with Tax Free Childcare.

http://www.tax-free-childcare.info/childcare-savings-calculator/ 

If eligible, it is strongly recommended that you register for the Childcare Voucher Scheme while you can, and give yourself the choice to select the scheme best suited for your circumstances.

Register for Childcare Vouchers

If you decide to use Childcare Vouchers, please note that the scheme will remain open to new entrants until April 2018, and parents already registered by this date will be able to continue using it indefinitely. Even if you do not need childcare vouchers yet, you can join the scheme and begin purchasing for later use.

If you are eligible for childcare vouchers and haven’t signed up yet, we strongly recommend that you do so before the deadline.

To register, simply go to https://childcare.mysodexo.co.uk and fill in the parent registration form.

Please feel free to get in touch with the council at employee.benefits@aberdeenshire.gov.uk with any queries.

You can find more information about the TFC scheme on the Government’s Childcare Choices website, www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.