Parents urged to check whether they could get childcare costs top-up
Thousands of families are still missing out on the Tax-Free Childcare top-up, HM Revenue and Customs said.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Parents are being urged to check whether they could be eligible for funding towards their childcare costs.
More than 401,300 families collectively benefited from £44.4 million in government funding towards childcare costs in September 2022, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said.
But it added that thousands of families are still missing out on the Tax-Free Childcare top-up.
Tax-Free Childcare provides working families, earning up to £100,000 a year, with financial help towards childcare.
For every £8 paid into a Tax-Free Childcare online account, families automatically receive an additional £2 from the government. They can receive up to £500 every three months (adding up to £2,000 a year), or £1,000 (£4,000 a year) if their child has disabilities.
The top-up payments can be used to pay for approved childcare for children aged 11 or under, or up to 17 if the child has a disability, whether the child goes to nursery, a child minder, has term-time wraparound care or attends a holiday club.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said: “We know childcare can be expensive so using Tax-Free Childcare can make a huge difference to household finances. To find out more, search ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ on gov.uk.”