Childcare Vouchers entitlement

[bunyip]

This is a bit complicated. Any tax/payroll experts out there?

I've a client who pays monthly. She uses the full £243 CV allowance, then tops up in cash.

She works for the civil service. She has recently changed jobs and departments within the civil service, so her payroll is now different, but she has maintained continuous employment within the civil service (ie. finished one job one day and started the new one the next day.)

Her new payroll department has not given her the CVs she is entitled to in her first 'new' pay packet. She's been paid all in cash and they've said they'll start the CVs next month. But this means she has lost out cos she was entitled to the tax/NI-free CVs.

Can she demand they pay her double the CV amount next time? I know we usually speak of £243pcm, but isn't that just a way of spreading out an annual entitlement of £2916 over the year? So if her employer has missed one because they've messed up, isn't mum entitled to have it corrected?

Presumably there's a section of Inland Revenue which deals with this. Does anyone know which department - and a direct dial number if possible?

Finally, assuming the employer eventually corrects this, presumably I could accept more than £243 in one month as payment in CVs?

Help please. Thanks.

[samb]

I don't have a clue about most of your message - too complicated for me! However I do know that they can leave cv sitting in the account for months to build up and then use it all at once so yes you can accept more than £243 at a time. One of mine tends to be invoiced approx £400 a month and so pays cv one month and bacs the next.

[hectors house]

Not sure as it's always the £243 a month that we hear mentioned, so not sure if HR can put through 2 lots next month even if it's their mistake. Sounds like your parent is now £50 approx out of pocket

[bunyip]

I keep thinking it must be more flexible than the £243pcm we always hear. My last employer paid us 4-weekly (which means 13 pay packets in a year) and was very good on benefits like voucher schemes and 'ride to work' bikes, etc.

[Simona]

Parents get £243 pm or £124 pm...the latter if they earn above a certain amount =high earners

Any parent who has not been paid C/vs should contact the HR dept and they would liaise with the previous one to ensure the scheme keeps flowing
Many parents change jobs but...in my experience...none have ever lost their C/v but there may be a short delay in the administration

C/v is not an entitlement but a salary sacrifice
I am not sure if we can make any calls on behalf of parents ...even the C/v companies always say they cannot discuss with us...all they do is administer the money for parents, keep in their account and release it when parents say so to the nominated provider

Parents can pay us £243 or less...any amount unused stays in their account...this is so for those parents who accumulate c/v for the holidays but do not use it every month for any sort of care.

This is what I understand unless there have been changes?

[blue bear]

Was this an error on the employers behalf or did the employee fail to instruct them (probably assuming it would just carry on not realising they had to instruct as new job)

For a new job you cannot backdate (or double up next month)

For employers mistake they must be a way of doing it because I have had two parents in that situation and employer doubled up next month on both occasions bot separate employers.

Might be as well to check with the voucher company direct.