Childcare vouchers

[katiesdaycare]

Hello all.. I'm now all set up, certificate has arrived and I'm ready to begin my search for children to mind.
However I have seen a few parents on another forum seeking childminders who accept childcare vouchers from their workplace..
What dies this actually entail? Who do I need to ask for info on this, Ofsted?
My inspection lady didn't mention these....
Helllpppppppp x

[Mouse]

THis is one of the many companies which runs an employer voucher scheme. The link explains how they work.

What are childcare vouchers? | Computershare Voucher Services (http://www.computersharevoucherservices.com/parents/pages/what-are-childcare-vouchers.aspx)

Basically, money is taken from the parent's salary and paid into a voucher scheme account. They save money by not paying tax & NI on any amount they pay into the scheme. The money is then used to pay a childcare provider, usually straight into your bank account.

To accept voucher payments you need to register with the relevant voucher company. It's normally quite straight forward and can often be done online. If a parent approached you and wanted to use a voucher scheme you need to ask them which company their employer uses, register with the company & get parents to set up payment arrangements - sometimes they have to go online each month to make a payment to you, other times it's set as an automatic payment to you.

The only issue really is that it can take a few days for the payment to actually reach your bank account, so you need to make sure parents make the transfer in plenty of time if you want payment by a set date.

[mumofone]

Hello all.. I'm now all set up, certificate has arrived and I'm ready to begin my search for children to mind. However I have seen a few parents on another forum seeking childminders who accept childcare vouchers from their workplace.. What dies this actually entail? Who do I need to ask for info on this, Ofsted? My inspection lady didn't mention these.... Helllpppppppp x

Yay that's fantastic well done :-)

[Jenny2]

I accept childcare vouchers it's so easy and helps parents pay less tax .

[FloraDora]

I accept 3 different companies vouchers. One family use 2 and dad activates the payment, even though I have suggested he set them up to pay automatically but because they are TTO and therefore amounts vary sometimes he prefers to do it manually. Last week however he did not do it until after 4 on the 2nd which meant , with the bank holidays I did not get paid until 9/10th. You do have to be aware of the possible delays, especially if you are relying on payment for a certain day. My parents do not get paid until the last day of month so payment can't be paid via voucher system by the 1st. This should be easier in September as they will have got ahead of themselves when I am closed for August.
If you take payments up front the first month will be cash/ bank transfer then the voucher system can kick in.

For new parents to the scheme it is all changing in Oct2015 - the government are using one company not several, not sure what will happen to those already in the other voucher companies though. I remember kiddicare hade an explanation on their website about transferring to the main company later in the year, but can't remember the explanation!